My kids have several different types of outdoor toys and they love them! Unfortunately, so do the spiders, ticks, leaves and birds. I swear the birds in my neighborhood love to use outdoor toys as their personal bathroom.
The thought of my kids playing in that yuckiness gives me the chills.
Out of necessity (and a little germophobia) I found two methods on how to clean outdoor toys.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience and *a sponsored link from Contractor Quotes Corp. See my full disclosure here.
The first method involves using a power washer. I know not everyone has this handy tool, so if that’s you–don’t worry. Just keep reading. Later in this post I’ll share another method that works well too!
Method One: Power Washer
We’ve been using a *power washer to clean off our deck. It’s amazing what water can do with just a little help! So why not put that power to use on my kids’ toys? (If you need a power washer, this one gets great reviews and is the #1 best seller in power washers on Amazon)
Step one is to put some old clothes on. You will probably end up getting a little water sprayed on you & it’s not worth ruining a good outfit!
Move the outdoor toy to an open area and plug in the power washer.
Use a small towel to wipe on some cleaner on all the surfaces. I found a recipe for a cleaning solution here that I absolutely love. It’s half Dawn dish detergent and half vinegar. The vinegar will kill the germs and the Dawn will help break out the grime. Store bought cleaners will work too.
Start rinsing off the toy with the power washer and get a feel for it. The closer the nozzle gets to the toy, the more powerful the spray will be. In general, I keep the spray nozzle about a foot away. If there’s a stubborn spot I need to work on, I carefully bring the spray closer; up to an inch away.
While using the power washer, be aware of two things:
- The spray may be strong enough to move the toy around
- The spray can also bounce back and spray you (depending on the angle at which you spray)
Since I’m a klutz, I ended up getting quite a bit of my clothes and face wet! It’ doesn’t hurt but I ended up getting pretty dirty!
It was totally worth it for results like this!
All the Little Tikes toys have little “pores” on the surface. Dirt and grime LOVE to stay in these little pores making the toys look forever dirty. I’ve previously tried to scrub these out with no luck. The power washer got them out right away!
Method Two: Clean and Rinse
If you don’t t have a power washer, this is the next best way to clean outdoor toys.
The key is finding the right cleaning solution and using a car wash mitt. A car wash mitt makes cleaning fast and easy.
I use a homemade cleaner that I found here. It’s half Dawn dish detergent and half vinegar. The vinegar will kill the germs and the Dawn will help break out the grime. Store bought cleaners will work just fine as well.
First step: rinse off all the surfaces with water from the hose.
Spray all the surfaces with a light amount of the homemade cleaner.
Take a small towel or car wash mitt and gently scrub all the surfaces. The wash mitt will help remove the stubborn dirt and stuck-on stuff.
Spray off the entire toy with water thoroughly.
Now the toy is clean and sanitized! I wish everything else was that easy to clean!
Like this idea? Subscribe by email and you won’t miss a thing!
This post linked to TGIF, Tatertots & Jello, Strut Your Stuff, Give Me The Goods Monday, Project Inspired, Tutorials and Tips, Whimsy Wednesday, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Ladies Only Blog Share, Share Your Creativity, Inspiration Monday, Serenity Now, Weekend Wind-Down, The Makers, DIY Sunday Showcase, Frugal Friday, Thrifty Thursday, and Inspire Me Please
Hi Carrie,
Thank you for the tips and great advice. You are awesome and you have saved my grand daughters play house from being chucked into the skip bin…
Keep doing what you are doing and keep up the good work.
Kind regards
Juanita Wiparata
New Zealand
I’m so happy to hear your granddaughter’s play house was saved! I hope she enjoys it. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know Juanita!
I plan to paint my little tykes outdoor play set this year like you did your little play house but have to wash it yet – yuck. But my DH will be buying a power washer this spring so I’m so glad you mentioned using a power washer. Yay! You just sealed the deal for me!
Glad to help! The power washer makes the cleaning off all the dirt and grime SO quick and easy!
No outdoor toys here, Carrie (except hubby’s lawnmower), but I’ll definitely be forwarding this post onto my daughter!!! Great tips!
Thank you very much for telling your daughter! I hope she finds these tips helpful.
Really great idea. Will try it with my toddler’s outdoor cars ❤
I love those big cars for toddlers. They give little ones a chance to pretend to drive just like Mom and Dad!
The power washer is a handy tool to have around especially when you have outdoor stuff like these. Cleaning them would be less of a hassle.
I agree Kaye–having a power washer is such a huge help!
I have taken my outdoor toys to the carwash and used the sprayer, it works just as well as a power washer for those who dont have one! 😀
That’s a great idea Melissa! Thanks for sharing your tip with us!
Hi Carrie,
I have been following your blog for some time now and i really love your articles.
I run a blog at DIYselfies.com and you are invited to submit your articles there.
The site is getting a lot of traffic daily and it will for sure boost your adsense revenue.
I feature all the best article on Facebook daily, so expect great traffic that is engaged and targeted.
You can submit as many articles you like, they will be scheduled and posted on Facebook and DIYselfies on a daily basis.
Please take a look at our categories so you get an idea what articles we allow to be submitted.
Kind regards,
Mia Maria & Vincent
TAKE NOTE!!!! The vinegar in the homemade concoction will kill grass and render the soil dead for quite a while. Do not do this on the lawn.
I’ve used this method quite a bit on my grass and have not had a problem with the solution killing the grass. However, you bring up a great point Chuck. So if anyone is worried about grass, I would suggest cleaning outdoor toys on a large driveway. Thanks for the heads up Chuck!
I love to powerwash my outdoor toys. I have also found that using mineral oil, or even baby oil! will help restore the color and act as a barrier against future water and grime! It makes it look brand new!
That’s a great idea Heather! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks for the share – no more toy cleaning for me!
I don’t know why I didn’t think of a power washer. We get our stuff pretty darn clean with the Magic Erasers, but it takes some time and a few scrubbers.
These two methods will get them clean quicker and you can always use the Magic Erasers for stubborn spots!
Great tips! I’ve tried and failed every year to get them looking completely clean. Like you said, dirt just loves to stick to those things!
I hope my tips give you a better result this time!
Thanks for sharing these great tips. Sometimes I forget about cleaning outdoor toys early in the year, but now it is fresh on my mind.
I am dropping by from the Share your Creativity party.
Thanks for these tips! I was just thinking how disgusting our outdoor toys look. If Spring ever arrives in Chicago, I will be sure to rent a powerwasher! – Bre @ Average But Inspired
You’ll be really happy with the results! I grew up in Chicago and I think this winter was way worse than any I had as a kid! Hope you get warm weather soon!
Great tips, Carrie! I would never have thought to use a power washer. But, it works great on decks and siding so….of course it would be fabulous on all the climbing toys.
Thanks for linking up your tips with us at Project Inspire{d}!
Hope your week is filled with extraordinary creativity!
I hope this comes in handy for all the spring cleaning this year!
That’s one good use of your power washer. You can actually use it for a lot different purposes, not just cleaning your deck. And nice tip on the use of vinegar and some detergent to kill germs.
Thanks for sharing your tips. I used a powerwasher to clean some this summer, and it worked great. I found your tips at the Tatertots & Jello party. 🙂
Ohh, I really like this post. favoriting this so I can remember when its my turn to clean the toys at church. Thanks for linking up with us at the TGIF Link Party.
I’m glad this was helpful Aleshea!