3 Easy Ways to Clean Used Toys

It’s consignment sale season! I don’t know about you, but that makes me very happy.

Since I pretty much refuse to spend $20 on an outfit or full price for a toy, I stock up for birthday and Christmas gifts during consignment sale season.

Since you don’t know the previous owner of toys bought at consignment sales, I think it’s a good idea to give them a little cleaning. Toys could end up in the sale pile after a sickness or there could just be left over residue or crayon marks. Just a little work on the front end could make a used toy look practically new again!

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3 Easy Ways to Clean Used Toys

1. General cleaning for plastic toys.

If there’s aren’t any obvious marks of wear and tear on your plastic toys, you can easily clean them with a simple an all-purpose spray ( or white vinegar) and a rag. Just spray, let sit about 60 seconds, and then wipe down. For tough crevices, use a toothpick to clean out gook.

2. Removing tape or stickers from toys.

When buying at consignment sales, there’s often residual stickiness from tape used to hold the tag. The same is true of stickers sometimes used at yard sales. It seems daunting at first, but if you use the right tools, the residue will come right off.

Just rub the label or sticker with baby oil and let it soak for a while. When the label is fully saturated, scrape carefully with a debit card, pan scraper, or rubber spatula. It should come right off!

3. Removing crayon marks from toys.

A perfectly good toy can often be overlooked because it has crayon markings on it. My kiddos love puzzles but the one in the above picture has crayon marks all over it. It’s a great puzzle…it just doesn’t look NEW…yet. Not every material is the same, but here are three ways to try to remove those crayon marks:

Use a squirt of white toothpaste on a dry cloth and rub gently.
Form a paste with baking soda and water to make a gentle exfoliant to remove the crayon marks.
Rub the marks with a magic eraser.

Buying used toys works wonders for the budget. However, giving your kids previously owned toys doesn’t mean they can’t LOOK new. A good cleaning will give toys the sparkle and shine they once had!

iDreamOfClean

I’m a wife. I’m a mom. And I don’t like to clean! With a house full of boys, though, cleaning is inevitable. That's why I've made it my mission to find the best organizing and cleaning tips. Hopefully, those tips will help us spend less time cleaning and more time with the ones we love.