Laundering Toys, Gear and More - Tips

Just this morning Moms Buzz was talking to another mom who needed to get a new backpack for her son because it was totaled.  I told her I toss my kids' backpacks in the washer.  "What???" was her reaction.  Yes, you can launder all sorts of random things more than you think you can.  Sarah Stebbins of www.realsimple.com wrote an article, "How to Clean Toys, Gear and More" this past April about all those sorts of random things you can put in the washing machine. 

 

Below is a list of some of the things you can machine-wash. You will find out that laundering toys, gear and more will save you not only money, but trips to the dry cleaners.

Backpacks

Wash alone in a front-loader on gentle in cold water with all-purpose detergent. Don’t wash multicolored packs; the dyes may bleed.

Cloth Purses and Tote Bags

“People put them on car and restaurant floors — they’re some of the dirtiest things we own,” says Sandra Phillips, a cleaning consultant and the author of A Clean Break (Live-Right Books, $10, www.amazon.com). Wash on delicate in warm water with all-purpose detergent. Air-dry. Don’t wash purses with sequins or other embellishments.

Laptop and iPod Cases

Wash canvas, nylon, and microfiber cases in warm water with all-purpose detergent. Air-dry. Don’t wash padded ones — they contain a foam layer that holds water and doesn’t dry well.

Ironing-Board Cover

Wash in warm water with all-purpose detergent. Air-dry.

Sleeping Bags

Wash in a front-loader — the agitator in a top-loader may rip seams — on gentle in warm water with mild detergent. (Harsher detergents can ruin the feathers in down bags.) Dry on low or no heat.

Car-Seat and High-Chair Covers

Use warm water and 1 1/2 capfuls of all-purpose detergent to get rid of the ground-in soils on cloth covers. Dry on low for 5 to 10 minutes, then air-dry.

Footwear

Wash canvas or leather sneakers (even those kids’ shoes with plastic parts) in cold water with all-purpose detergent. Place them in mesh bags to keep laces from wrapping around the agitator. Dry on low for 10 minutes, then air-dry for a day. Wash slippers with rubber soles if the care label allows it.

 

Toys
Wash cloth toys on gentle in cold water with mild detergent; dry on low for 5 minutes, then air-dry.

 

For more tips and things you can machine-wash, click here.

 

- The Moms Buzz

source and image: www.realsimple.com