Why You Should Think Twice Before Using Bleach To Clean Children's Toys

In addition to the harm bleach can cause the environment, the chemical disinfectant also poses risks to human health. Beyond Toxics explains that chlorine bleach isn't technically considered toxic, but that it can cause eye and lung irritation and external and internal tissue burn.

Because children are still developing, they are at higher risk of suffering lung damage from inhaled bleach vapors (per New Jersey Health). Bleach is rarely ingested in large enough quantities to typically be life-threatening, but it still poses a considerable danger to children (per BPAC). Knowing this, it's important to be mindful of how you are cleaning your children's toys. How to Adult mentions that bleach should always be heavily diluted if used to clean play items, using a ratio of 1.5 teaspoons of household bleach per gallon of water.

While some sources assert that any bleach residue will evaporate as the toy is drying, it's also a good idea to thoroughly rinse disinfected items to remove any remaining bleach (per Cleanipedia). Additionally, always make sure that bleach products are safely stored out of reach of children.