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Health

16th May 2023

Expert advises parents on how often to clean children’s bath toys

HerFamily

Kid playing with bath toys

Bath toys are more at risk of containing germs and bacteria

When it comes to cleaning your child’s toys, the ones in the bath are probably forgotten about the most.

That’s because they spend most of their time in clean water, so you would assume they are okay for your child to play with.

But it turns out the fact that they’re in the water the majority of the time means they are actually more at risk of containing germs and bacteria.

Good Morning America did an investigation into beakers and toys and found that all of the bath toys contained mold and bacteria. Even scarier was the fact that 25% of the beakers contained fecal bacteria.

They tested toys with different textures including rubber, foam, and plastic. Of them, they found that the rubber toys were the dirtiest.

Dr. Susan Whittier, a microbiologist, conducted the tests on the toys and has given advice to parents who want to continue using bath toys. She said to clean them with disinfectant and rinse them once a week.

When it comes to beakers, she says that you should completely take them apart and clean all the parts separately or in a dishwasher on high heat.

How often do you wash your child’s bath toys?

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