Cleaning Fungus From Toys: How To Do It?

By Sneha Jain

Monday, March 19, 2012, 14:05

Cleaning of fungus from soft toys can be easily done at home. Mildew is the most common form of fungus on toys. Though most of the fabrics are fungus resistant. Fungus can still thrive on some fabrics like wool, rayon and cotton. Fungus usually develops in an atmosphere where there is less air flow. This in turn will make your toy moist and will leave an odor on it.
Fungus Cleaning Methods:

One of the methods of cleaning your toys is to wash them in a washing machine. Use hot water to wash your toys. The water must only be as hot as your toys can stand. Heat is very useful for killing mildew. This method can be adopted for cleaning toys which are ruined by fungus.

Hair Dryer- Cleaning toys with a dryer is also a great idea. Wash your soft toys and dry them with a hair dyer. Set the temperature accordingly so that it doesn't damage your toys.

White Vinegar Or Bleach- Soak your soft toys in a bucket filled with water. To remove fungus add a cup or two of white vinegar. You can also add bleach which is in liquid form (non powdered) to the bucket. Bleach is also an affective method of fungus cleaning.

Heat From The Sun- Heat from the sun also can be used for cleaning toys. Though heat from the sun is not as effective as a dryer. Some delicate fabrics cannot stand the temperature of a hair dryer. In that case you can clean fungus from your toys using sunlight. Just lay your toys on a sheet or a towel under the sun light. That will help in cleaning fungus from your toys.

Re Stuff Your Toy- If none of the methods for cleaning your toys works. Then remove the mildew infested stuffing and dispose it. Replace it with a new stuffing and add synthetic stuffing that is mildew resistant. Fungus from toys can be removed using these remedies.

Expert Tips: Easy remedies for cleaning fungus.

While washing your stuffed toys read the instructions carefully. So that you do not harm the fabric of your toy.

While washing your toys which have electronic components or batteries do not soak them in water completely. Just wash the surface and dry it..
Make sure you know how to wash your toys. White toys are washed differently from coloured toys. You can soak your toys in oxygen based bleach. Add little borax powder so that your toy is not harmed.
These are some home improvement tips which you can try. These methods can be adopted to wash fungus from your toys and they will be memories for a lifetime.