How to clean wooden toys and blocks.

All natural wooden baby toys aren’t cheap, as any parent who is sick of crappy plastic toys and has replaced them with wooden toys knows. With so many nasty bugs around, including the winter vomiting bug, it is important to know how to clean wooden toys without damaging them. 

Why choose wooden toys?  

I loved buying my kids wooden toys because I felt that it allowed their imagination to run riot.

Most plastic toys do everything for the child these days. The flashing lights and loud noises are available at the press of a button, it leaves very little to the child’s imagination. 

Wooden toys allow the child to create their own images and even make their own characters just like these wooden figures.

Wooden toys help them get lost in their own ideas and imagination rather than a manufactured one.

I used to keep rotating the toys, so my children didn’t get fed up playing with each set. You can read more about how I introduced toy rotation in our home in this post.  

This post contains affiliate links, and The Organizer UK may earn commissions for purchases made through the links in this post. For more details, see here. Thank you so much for your support! 

Are wooden toys hygienic?  

Wood has a natural antibacterial quality, so wooden toys will not be affected by germs as much as plastic toys. Plastic toys allow the moisture and bacteria sit on the toy’s surface which can be passed on to the next child.

Most wooden toys are made from safe wood for children’s toys such as maple, birch, oak, beech, walnut, poplar, and ash. 

Hardwoods are the best choice as they are durable and safe woods for baby toys.  

My little boy used to love his wooden train set which he used to take apart and rebuild several times a day. I soon learned how to clean wooden train tracks the natural way, rather than using harsh chemicals or bleach! 

How to clean wooden toys.  

wooden rainbow and blocks

As wood is a porous material and absorbs water easily, it is important not to oversoak the wooden toys. If the wood gets over wet, you will find that it may warp and lose it’s shape.  

Most children put toys straight into their mouths, so it is equally important to use a natural cleaner and avoid harsh chemicals such as bleach when cleaning wooden toys. 

Method #1: Soapy water. 

You will need:

  1. Make a mild solution of soapy warm water and dab a clean cloth into the solution. Carefully wipe over every toy’s surface, paying particular attention to any sticky areas or marked areas.  
  2. Dry the toy with a clean towel then allow to air dry. 

Method #2: White vinegar and dish soap 

You will need:

  • Use a 50/50 white vinegar, warm water solution.
  • Either spray the surfaces of the wooden toy, or dip a clean, dry cloth into the solution and wipe all the surfaces of the toy. 
  • Allow the toy to air dry. 

Vinegar is a natural baby toy cleaner and sanitizer, which will kill some germs like salmonella and E. coli, but will not kill all of them. To find out more, go to HealthLine.

Vinegar is acid and will cut through any grease and grime and will clean wood naturally. It is the perfect non toxic cleaner for baby toys.  

Vinegar is a natural cleaner which will kill some germs like salmonella and E. coli, but will not kill all of them.

How to sanitize wooden toys  

Knowing how to disinfect wooden toys is so important with all the bugs circulating about our little ones. 

✔︎ The best way to disinfect baby toys is to use method #2: how to disinfect toys with vinegar. 

✔︎ After cleaning your child’s wooden toys, you could treat the wood with coconut oil to help seal it and provide some wood nourishment.  

✔︎ Read more on the blog, leave us your name and email address to get our weekly updates and a few extra little treats!

FAQ  

Can you put wooden toys in dishwashers? 

If you want your wooden toys to remain in good condition, you should not put them in the washing machine or dishwasher, as this will make the wood swell and eventually fall apart. It will also damage any water-resistant paint or coating that may be on the surfaces of the toy. 

I’ve been given some toys bought from a charity shop and need to know how to clean second hand wooden toys.

There’s nothing better than finding a bargain toy at a charity shop, but now you need to know how to clean your lovely new Melissa and Doug wooden toys without using any harsh chemicals! Follow method #2 to sanitize your wooden toys with vinegar.

I need to know how to disinfect wooden hamster toys

Hamster toys should be cleaned by the same method we learned in “how to clean wooden toys.”
• Using soapy water solution and wipe down all areas of the toy.
• Make sure the toy is thoroughly dry before placing it back in the hamster’s cage to prevent mold spores from forming. 

Do you know how to clean plastic toys? 

How do you clean baby toys?  It is a question that keeps coming up in my Facebook group (join here). 
Plastic toys can be put in the dishwasher or in a pillowcase in the washing machine. This is a great answer to the age-old question, how to wash baby toys quickly, but remember, if you are wondering how to clean wooden baby toys, avoid the dishwasher and washing machine and use the methods above.  

I’d like to know how to clean wooden blocks as there are so many of them, is there a quicker way than doing it by hand?   

Thinking about how to sanitize wooden blocks can be quite a headache.
Method# 2 is the best way to clean natural wooden toys.
You could try submerging the blocks in the vinegar solution, but I wouldn’t do it for too long, or you may damage the wood.
✔︎ The best way to wash baby toys like wooden blocks, is to wipe each block with a cloth soaked in the solution.
✔︎ Try listening to an audiobook or some music while you clean. It can be quite therapeutic if you set aside some time! 

I need to know how to clean baby toys that can’t be washed. 

If you need to clean a baby’s teddy, for instance, that can’t be washed, you can put it in a sealed bag in the freezer for 2-3 nights, this should kill any bacteria and dust mites on the soft toy.  

wooden toys

Can you tell me how to clean Grimm’s toys? 

Grimm’s toys are beautiful, colored, wooden toys. I would be cautious not to oversoak the wood or use anything that would strip the beautiful color from the wood, so I would advise using method #1 to clean Grimm’s toys safely. 

how to clean Grimms wooden toys

Please note if your wooden toy is chipped or broken in any way, remember to discard it straight away, rather than wondering how to clean raw wood.

Now you’ve learned how to clean wooden toys why not read about how to get stains out of car seats  

how to clean wooden blocks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.