Bath toys can get gross. I’ll never forget the first time I saw flakes of black mold floating around in my daughter’s bath. It took me a while to figure out where the mold was coming from.

She had received a giant bag of rubber ducks as a party favor. They all had squirt holes on the bottom. Despite drying them off well, after a while, when you squirted water out, mold came out too.

I tried to clean them, but ultimately they went in the trash.

How to Avoid the Moldy Rubber Ducky

Glue gun the holes in the bottom of the rubber duck and other bath toys shut.

Problem solved.

I wish I would have thought to do this a while ago, because it would have saved a lot of effort and heartache. You can pick up a high-rated glue gun and glue sticks kit on Amazon for about $8.

If you dare leave the rubber duck as is and it gets moldy, squeeze it to suck up distilled vinegar and leave the vinegar inside overnight. Repeat.

If that doesn’t work, your best bet is to just toss it and buy a new one.

Clean Bath Toys Weekly

Martha Stewart suggests a weekly cleaning of bath toys in one part hot water, one part distilled vinegar and a few drops of dish soap.

Vinegar dissolves soap scum while dish soap removes dirt. Soak the toys for 10 minutes and use an old toothbrush to help clean them, if necessary.

Rinse the toys in warm water and let dry completely.

Store Bath Toys Properly

Store bath toys in a perforated bag or tray to allow for proper drainage. Leave a window open and make sure the room is well ventilated.

We installed bathrooms fans that automatically sense humidity and turn themselves on and off. They have really helped the bath toys dry out.

In most cases, I would rather throw away the toys than use chlorine bleach. If you do use bleach, just make sure you dilute it with water.

How do you clean bath toys?

*Photo credit: istockphoto/hayatikayhan