How to Clean Toys in a Childcare Centre: Methods by Material
Quick answer
To clean childcare toys, remove mouthed or soiled toys straight away, wash hard toys in warm water and detergent, scrub crevices, rinse and air-dry; machine-wash soft toys and dress-ups on a hot cycle; wipe wooden and electronic toys without soaking. Clean toys used that day at close and run every shared toy through a weekly wash rotation. Disinfect only after body-fluid contamination or during outbreaks.
Toys travel from hand to mouth to floor to another child’s hand dozens of times a day. That is exactly what they are for — so the goal is not fewer toys, but a cleaning system that keeps up.
This guide covers every common material in a childcare room and a rotation system that makes toy cleaning manageable for educators and cleaners.
Key takeaways
- Mouthed toys go into a “to be washed” tub and are washed before another child uses them.
- Detergent and water is enough for routine toy cleaning. Sunlight helps dry toys but does not clean them.
- Limit soft toys in baby rooms — they are hard to keep clean.
- During gastro outbreaks, remove soft and hard-to-clean toys and throw out playdough.
In this guide
Mouthed toys: the first rule
Keep a labelled “to be washed” tub in every baby and toddler room. When a toy has been in a child’s mouth, or is visibly soiled, it goes in the tub straight away. The tub is emptied and the toys washed at least once a day — in nursery rooms, often twice.
Cleaning methods by material
| Toy type | How to clean | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Hard plastic (blocks, figures, kitchen sets) | Wash in warm detergent water, scrub crevices with a brush, rinse, air-dry on a rack. Many can go in a dishwasher top rack. | Toys with holes that trap water (e.g. bath squirters) — seal or discard |
| Wooden toys & puzzles | Wipe with a damp detergent cloth, then a damp clean cloth; dry immediately | Soaking — wood swells and splits |
| Soft toys, puppets & dress-ups | Hot machine wash, dry completely in the dryer or sun | Using soft toys in baby rooms unless they can be washed daily |
| Battery or electronic toys | Wipe with a barely damp cloth; device-safe wipe for buttons | Water near battery compartments |
| Books | Wipe covers of board books and wipeable books; retire torn books | Soaking paper pages |
| Dolls with hair | Wash body; hair washed with mild shampoo and dried fully | Leaving damp — mould risk |
| Playdough | Make fresh regularly; discard if a child is unwell or it is visibly dirty | Sharing across rooms during illness |
| Water play | Empty, clean and dry trays and toys daily | Leaving water standing overnight |
| Outdoor toys | Wash weekly or when dirty — see outdoor and sandpit cleaning | — |
Step-by-step: washing hard toys
- 1
Prepare
Fill a dedicated tub (never a nappy-area or kitchen sink) with warm water and detergent.
- 2
Wash
Submerge and scrub each toy, paying attention to seams, wheels and textured surfaces.
- 3
Rinse
Rinse in clean water to remove detergent residue.
- 4
Disinfect if required
Only after body-fluid contamination or during an outbreak: apply disinfectant per label, observe contact time, rinse if the label says so.
- 5
Dry
Air-dry on a rack or clean towel. Return toys to shelves only when fully dry.
Want this cleaning done for your centre?
WWCC-verified, police-checked teams cleaning after hours across Melbourne. A typical 3-hour visit is around $180 + GST, with one fixed price per visit after a free walk-through.
A toy rotation system that works
- Daily: everything from the “to be washed” tub, plus toys used that day in nursery rooms.
- Weekly: every shared toy in every room gets a full wash — scheduled for one night in the weekly rotation.
- Termly: full audit in the holiday deep clean — wash, repair or discard.
- Rotate stock: keep a second set of toys clean in storage and swap sets weekly, so fewer items are out and cleaning keeps up.
Toys during outbreaks
During a gastro outbreak, Victorian Department of Health guidance is to remove soft and hard-to-clean toys, bring out plastic toys that can be washed, throw out playdough in affected rooms and stop sandpit and water play. Clean and disinfect toys at least twice daily. Full protocol: cleaning after an outbreak.
Toy washing is part of every nightly visit by our Melbourne childcare cleaners.
Frequently asked questions
How often should toys be cleaned in childcare?
Mouthed or soiled toys before another child uses them; toys used that day at close; every shared toy weekly; and a full audit each term.
Can you put childcare toys in the dishwasher?
Many hard plastic toys can go in the top rack of a dishwasher, which cleans and heats them. Check the manufacturer’s instructions and avoid toys with batteries or hollow bodies.
Do childcare toys need to be disinfected?
Not routinely. Washing with detergent and water removes most germs. Disinfect after body-fluid contamination or during outbreaks.
Is it safe to use bleach on toys?
Diluted bleach can be used during gastro outbreaks if the toy material allows. Make it fresh, follow the label dilution, rinse afterwards and let toys dry completely before use.
This guide is part of
Childcare Hygiene & Infection Control: A Practical Guide for Australian CentresRelated deep dives
Want this cleaning done for your centre?
WWCC-verified, police-checked teams cleaning after hours across Melbourne. A typical 3-hour visit is around $180 + GST, with one fixed price per visit after a free walk-through.
Sources and further reading
- NHMRC — Staying healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (6th ed.)
- NHMRC — Staying healthy, Part 3: A healthy environment (cleaning, disinfection, body-fluid spills)
- ACECQA — National Quality Standard (Quality Areas 2 and 3)
This guide is general information for early childhood services. Always follow your service's policies, product labels and safety data sheets, and current advice from your regulatory authority and local health department. Prices are guide estimates only; your fixed price is confirmed after a free walk-through.
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