Cleaning The Bath Toys

I no longer buy bath toys that squirt or have any holes whatsoever....but i do have toys from prior to me making that decision. I have heard so many different things about cleaning bath toys. I get so grossed out. When you go to squeeze them out and nasty black junk comes out. ew. well I am tired of throwing them out too. Can I seal that hole up? yes I can!!! Ok so the first step is to actually clean out the existing junk. I have read that cleaning them with bleach can be bad cause then you kids are bathing in bleach...I'm sure that's probably not a huge thing if you let them dry first. cant be much worse than cleaner you use in the actual tub. Just sayin. Anyhow, I did a mixture of all sorts of cleaning. sort of a pain, but I wont ever have to do it again. So first I prepared all the cleaning area. I had boiling water on the stove in a large pot. I also set up my sink with one side filled with 1/10 bleach water and the other side with soapy water. First thing I didn't was boil the rubber toys for about 10 min. I didn't have any trouble with them melting. The plastic just becomes very soft which is what you want. Next I took them from the boiling water using tongs to put them in a bowl to move them. one by one I put them in the bleach solution and filled each one with bleach and smushed it around rubbing the sides together to break apart the yuck then squirted it out a few times until each one was running clear. Then I allowed them all to soak while full in the bleach for about 15-20 min. After they had soaked I emptied them out and moved them to the soap solution, rinsing them thoroughly inside and out. Then i let them dry for 24 hours. After they are ALL THE WAY dry you'll need to fire up the glue gun and get a cup of cool water. This is where it gets tricky to explain. I took the glue gun and put in in the hole on the toy. I put a pretty generous amount of glue inside (not full or anything, just enough to make an inside plug) and then pulled the glue gun out slowly only putting a little bit on the outside. Next, while it was still hot, i dipped a finger in the cool water and pushed down on the glue making it flat. since your finger is wet it wont get burnt if you are careful. After the glue dries you can remove any excess. Give a gentle squeeze to make sure its closed off and they are ready to be played with again. I'm a total germaphobe and I'm satisfied with this so that should say something. Happy bathing (much happier since there is no mold)!!!!!

Toys in the "Hot tub"

Final wash

Sealed and mold and mildew free!!!!