Somehow I seem to like to do my “tackle it Tuesday” projects on Wednesdays. Hmmm. Am I a non-conformist?

This afternoon I have been tackling germs! My kids have been fighting to be truly free of a nasty cold for a few weeks now… AG came down with it the morning of her birthday, and it has been our constant companion since then. In the last couple of days, the snot appears to be gone!

So, it was time: I have never really had to deep-clean/ disinfect toys. AG was not a toys-in-the-mouth kind of baby and didn’t get sick often (those things no doubt have a cause/effect relationship!) LB is a whole different story! As I have watched him happily roaming the house seeking what he may devour with various and sundry toys hanging out of his mouth, it was grossing me out to remember the same toy hanging from his mouth a couple of weeks ago covered with… you know.

So, today I pulled out the buckets, foil roasting pans (you use what you have!) bleach, and Lysol, and have been waging war against the germs. In case you’re wondering how exactly I did this, just wash the toys with soap and water, and then soak them in a bleach solution (about 1 Tbsp to a gallon of water.) It was pretty nice that I already keep the duplo blocks and other blocks in large plastic tubs – I just added the water and bleach to the container itself and then the container was disinfected, too! I let them soak for 15 minutes or so, rinsed them well, and let them air dry. Anything that wasn’t soak-able I just sprayed liberally with Lysol. Let the Lysol dry and then wipe them well with a clean, damp cloth. I also pulled out my trusty handheld steam cleaner (love that thing – perhaps I will blog about that tomorrow!) and steamed any dust and crusties out of the crevices of the larger items.

I have to say, the toys are gleaming! I put one of LB’s toys back and AG said, “Wow. I like how clean this looks.” Perhaps that new feeling was contagious – LB was playing with things he normally ignores. It’s amazing how seeing something out of reach on the kitchen counter for a while makes it irresistible.

The only casualty was my black sweatshirt: note to self, bleach will bleach. Arg.