Sanitizing toys in daycare follows a simple three-step process: wash with soap and water, apply a sanitizing solution, then let the toy air dry. The specifics, like how often and which solution to use, depend on the age of the children, the type of toy, and whether anyone in the room is sick. Getting these details right keeps kids safer and keeps your facility in line with public health standards.
Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting Are Different Steps
These three terms get used interchangeably, but in a childcare setting they mean specific things. Cleaning is scrubbing with soap and water. It physically removes dirt, saliva, and most germs from a surface. Sanitizing uses a weaker chemical solution to reduce remaining germs to levels considered safe by public health codes. Disinfecting uses a stronger solution that destroys virtually all remaining germs.
For everyday toy care, you clean first, then sanitize. You only need to step up to disinfecting when a child or staff member is sick, or after a vomiting or diarrhea incident. Sanitizing is the standard for anything that touches a child’s mouth, including toys, pacifiers, and highchair trays. Disinfecting is reserved for diaper-changing surfaces, bathrooms, and outbreak situations.
How Often Toys Need to Be Sanitized
Frequency depends on the classroom. Toys in infant and toddler rooms (children still in diapers) should be cleaned and sanitized daily, and immediately when visibly dirty. Toys in rooms with older, toilet-trained children should be cleaned and sanitized at least weekly, plus whenever they’re visibly soiled. Shared toys that rotate between children or classrooms should be done daily regardless of age group.
Any toy that goes into a child’s mouth needs to be pulled from circulation right away. Set out a bin labeled “to be cleaned” so staff can quickly separate mouthed toys from the ones still in play. This prevents the next child from picking up a toy still coated in another child’s saliva.
The Step-by-Step Process for Hard Toys
Hard plastic, rubber, and solid wood toys are the easiest to handle. Start by washing each toy with soap and warm water, scrubbing off any visible grime, food, or saliva. Rinse thoroughly. Then submerge or spray with your sanitizing solution and let it sit for at least two minutes (check the label of your specific product for its required contact time). After that, let the toys air dry completely on a clean rack or towel. Don’t wipe them dry with a cloth, which can reintroduce bacteria from the fabric.
If your facility has a commercial dishwasher with a sanitizing cycle, you can run hard plastic toys through it instead. The high-temperature rinse cycle handles both the cleaning and sanitizing in one pass. Just make sure toys are dishwasher-safe and don’t contain batteries or electronic components.
How to Handle Plush and Fabric Toys
Stuffed animals, fabric dolls, and dress-up clothes can’t be submerged in bleach solution. Launder them in a washing machine using hot water, then dry on a hot cycle in a clothes dryer. The combination of hot water and high heat in the dryer is what kills germs on soft materials.
Because plush toys are harder to clean quickly, many daycares limit them in infant and toddler rooms or assign one stuffed animal per child. If a plush toy gets mouthed by multiple children, it needs to go straight into the laundry. Having duplicates on hand helps keep the rotation going without leaving kids without their favorites.
Making the Right Bleach Solution
Bleach is the most common and cost-effective sanitizer for daycare toys. The correct ratio depends on the concentration of your bleach and whether you’re sanitizing or disinfecting.
For Everyday Sanitizing (About 100 ppm)
This is the standard solution for toys, food-contact surfaces, highchair trays, cribs, and sleep mats.
- Regular household bleach (5.25% to 6.25%): 2 teaspoons per gallon of water, or ½ teaspoon per quart
- Higher-concentration bleach (7.5% to 8.25%): 1 teaspoon per gallon, or ¼ teaspoon per quart
- Lower-concentration bleach (2.75%): 1 tablespoon per gallon, or 1 teaspoon per quart
For Disinfecting During Illness (About 1,000 ppm)
Use this stronger solution on toys and surfaces when a child or staff member has a contagious illness.
- Regular household bleach (5.25% to 6.25%): ⅓ cup per gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons per quart
- Higher-concentration bleach (7.5% to 8.25%): ¼ cup per gallon, or 1 tablespoon per quart
- Lower-concentration bleach (2.75%): ¾ cup per gallon, or 3 tablespoons per quart
Always check the label on your bleach bottle for its concentration percentage. Use plain, unscented bleach with no added cleaners. Mix a fresh batch daily, since bleach solutions lose their strength over time. Store it in a labeled spray bottle out of children’s reach.
What to Do During a Norovirus or Vomiting Incident
Norovirus and similar stomach bugs are extremely resilient and require more aggressive cleaning than a standard sanitizing routine. If a child vomits or has diarrhea on or near toys, put on disposable gloves and remove the toys from the area. Wipe off any material with paper towels and throw them away in a sealed plastic bag.
Then disinfect the toys using a bleach solution between 1,000 and 5,000 ppm. For a standard 5% to 8% household bleach, that’s 5 to 25 tablespoons per gallon of water. Leave the solution on the toy surface for at least five minutes before rinsing. After the bleach contact time, clean the toys again with soap and hot water. Any plush toys exposed during the incident should go through a hot wash and hot dryer cycle before returning to the classroom.
Practical Tips for Staying on Schedule
The biggest challenge in most daycares isn’t knowing the protocol; it’s actually keeping up with it every day. A few systems make it easier. Keep a “dirty toy” bin in every classroom so staff can toss mouthed or soiled toys without leaving the group. Assign end-of-day toy sanitizing as a specific closing duty, not a vague shared task. Post the bleach ratios on the wall near your mixing station so no one has to look them up.
Use a simple log sheet for each classroom that tracks when toys were last sanitized. This helps during licensing inspections and also flags rooms that might be falling behind. For infant rooms where toys need daily attention, having two identical sets of toys and rotating them (one set in play, one set drying from yesterday’s wash) can keep things manageable without leaving shelves bare.
Toys with cracks, peeling paint, or hidden crevices that can’t be properly cleaned should be thrown away. If water or saliva can get inside a toy but you can’t get sanitizer in there, mold and bacteria will eventually build up in ways no surface cleaning can fix. Bath toys with squeeze holes are a common culprit.