Last updated on September 14th, 2022 at 09:16 pm
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Last updated on September 14th, 2022 at 09:16 pm
Lego bricks are colorful plastic building blocks, joined together by studs on the top, and holes in the bottom of the bricks. Lego bricks come in numerous shapes and sizes such as wheels, car screens, and plants.
They can be joined together in multiple ways to construct buildings, vehicles, and even robots, it’s all up to the imagination.
One issue that many people have with Legos is that because of all of the tiny crevices in them it can be difficult to keep them clean.
Knowing what you can use to clean your Legos can also be quite difficult which is why I am writing this article, to help you know exactly what can and can’t be used to clean your Legos.
You can use both alcohol and vinegar to clean your Lego bricks but long exposure to running alcohol can begin to cause the bricks to fade. You should not use bleach to clean Legos as it will cause them to become discolored.
Whether it is an old set or a new one, Lego bricks will definitely need to be cleaned from time to time.
Cleaning your Legos is especially important when you have younger children or your children have friends that come over to play with them.
Making sure that your Legos are cleaned properly is vitally important so continue reading and I will go into more detail about how you should clean your Legos properly.
Why Should You Clean Legos?
If you are a parent, chances are that you own a set or two of Legos. Virtually all parents have experienced the pain of stepping on Lego bricks now and then, too.
You can find Lego bricks just about everywhere despite having cleaned a room, as one or two always seem to still be hiding under the bed or another piece of your furniture.
When children play with Lego bricks, they will normally get scattered all over the floor, touched, and stepped on by multiple people.
This is especially true when used in Daycares or Preschool classes.
Cleaning your Legos is important to help protect your children from disease as well as unsanitary play conditions.
Even when that is not the case, the floor is unhygienic, making the Lego bricks unsanitary. In addition to this, the bricks will get filthy and risk being contaminated by germs.
It is always a good idea to maintain proper sanitization of the Lego bricks, if more than one child plays with them.
Therefore, Legos should be sanitized to prevent the kids from getting any infections and illnesses.
How Should You Clean Your Legos?
Most people agree that Legos are an ageless toy, meaning they last for a very long time and chances are that parents have played with the same set their children now play with.
However, because of their size and number, people tend to neglect proper cleaning of Lego bricks, which is a critical factor when you own them.
Simply tossing Lego bricks into soapy water and then rinsing them out isn’t very effective in removing dirt and germs.
Legos require proper and attentive cleaning to ensure that you remove any bits of dirt, food, and bacteria. Proper cleaning is important especially when they are played with by young children who are vulnerable when it comes to getting infections.
Before cleaning, you need to sort the Legos so that it is easier to clean the bricks, wheels, cars, and various other shapes effectively.
Here’s how:
• To ensure that all the Lego parts are cleaned properly, you need to separate the pieces. Take the pieces apart carefully since some Legos tend to be fragile and can break easily.
• Set aside the electric ones. You can’t clean the electrical Legos using water.
• Be careful with the pieces that have stickers.
Once the Legos are sorted, you can start cleaning them. People generally think to use alcohol, bleach, or vinegar to sanitize their Legos but those aren’t always the best option.
Since the parts are plastic and often different colors, you need to be careful with the products you use so you do not damage them in the process.
In this article, I will talk about which product amongst these three (alcohol, bleach, or vinegar) is the safest and the most effective option.
Should Alcohol Be Used To Clean Legos?
For extremely dirty Lego bricks, you can use a bit of rubbing alcohol to remove the dirt. However, you need to keep the exposure to the alcohol brief since a longer exposure can cause the color to fade from the pieces.
The best way to clean Legos using alcohol is to dilute it with water in the ratio of 1:3, so that the alcohol’s strength is reduced.
Make sure you rinse the pieces off properly when you’re done as well.
Should Bleach Be Used to Clean Legos?
Bleach is a potent cleaner and therefore can cause discoloration on the Lego pieces you use it on. Therefore, if you choose to use bleach, it should be diluted, just like the alcohol to reduce its potency.
The suggested quantity is one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water. This quantity is more than enough to disinfect your Legos while retaining their color.
However, if possible, avoid using bleach. Even if you use detergent to clean your Legos, you just have to make sure that it doesn’t contain bleach since it is very powerful.
Should Vinegar Be Used To Clean Legos?
Vinegar is a great choice if you want to clean mold (or other dirt/grime) off Legos. It won’t just disinfect the pieces, but will also prevent the growth of more.
Vinegar also helps in removing bad smells from the Lego bricks, which is possible if you have children or pets around them.
Using vinegar and baking soda together is an excellent method when you don’t have too many pieces to clean, but a lot of Lego-related dirt to clean.
This method cleans and disinfects the Lego bricks and completely removes the bad smell.
Should You Use Alcohol, Bleach Or Vinegar To Clean Legos?
It is really important to take good care of your Legos as if you take good care of them, not only will they look good but will also last longer.
Take your time when it comes to cleaning them when they get dirty.
If you have multiple Lego sets and pieces, sort them out first and then clean them properly. Since many parts are fragile and could easily get damaged, you need to make sure that you are using mild products to clean them.
Using undiluted bleach to clean Legos is completely out of the question since it is a strong cleaner and can harm the color of the Lego bricks and pieces. It is very difficult to be careful about the quantity of bleach in a huge tub of water, as too much would damage the Legos and too little wouldn’t work.
Therefore, alcohol or vinegar are much better alternatives than bleach.
When it comes to alcohol or vinegar, vinegar is the better product to use when cleaning your Legos.
Alcohol can decolorize the bricks while vinegar does not. Furthermore, alcohol needs to be diluted in water before you can use it to clean the Legos while vinegar doesn’t and is a great disinfectant, too.
In addition, vinegar can also remove bad smells from the Lego bricks.
Vinegar is the safest and the easiest option since it is the least potent amongst the three, but just as effective. You don’t have to go through the hassle of diluting it and using a precise quantity when it comes to vinegar.
So, the answer to the question, “Should you clean Legos with alcohol, bleach, or vinegar?” is you should use vinegar.
Last updated on September 14th, 2022 at 09:16 pm
