I got a couple of bags of baby stuff that someone was giving away. Among it was a number of very nice baby toys, rattles, etc. How should I clean them before I let my daughter play with them? Should I wash them with soap and water or boil them or what?

I buy a lot of second hand toys at yard sales and such. Usually, if it is cloth like some of those crinkly book things, I wash them in the washing machine in hot water. Things that are hard and NOT electronic, I throw in the dishwasher. Things that are electronic, I wipe down really well with Clorox wipes then spray with Lysol and let dry. If they are teething rings, etc, I would probably boil them, or put them in the dishwasher.

Lori :D

I really have gotten a lot of use out of Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface. It works on just about everything. I would wash in hot soapy water and spray that stuff on.

Plus, consider that most germs don't have a life of longer than a few hours or days (except a handful of dangerous ones).

Like the other ladies have mentioned if it's cloth i wash them. And if it's plastic you could boil it or wash it in the dishwasher with hot water.

I TA with the dishwasher thing.

The other stuff you can use, and I am not sure if it's available in the US is Milton - it's proven to be safe for babies - (esp for things they may suck on) and recommended for sterilizing pacifiers, teats etc - so therefore is okay for hard rattles which may venture into little mouths.

With soft non electronic stuff made out of material - the washing machine for sure! Or hot water in a clean bucket and soaking.

You could use some of those clorox wipes on each one.
Or, maybe.........
Fill up the tub with some hot water and comet and just let them soak. That way you can throw them all in there are one time and you will have minimum scrubbing to do.

Pampers puts out a spray that you can buy at babies r us in the US that is like Lysol, only chemically safe for kids once dried too.

Yep yep, I'd dishwasher them. Or a sink full of water with a wee bit of bleach. Let soak for 10 minutes or so. Rinse and allow to air dry.

Cloth stuff...in the washer, hot cycle :)

I do exactly what Lori does! The Pampers spray is good stuff too! :)