By Renée Onque -
CNBC
If your kids have released toys this holiday season, now may be the best time to get rid of the old ones, especially when you think about the amount of germs they can accumulate.
Cinch Home Services, a home warranty company, has tested popular toys of all kinds and found that
most contain significant amounts of germs
, especially when compared to other household objects.
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For the study, colony-forming units (CFUs) were used to measure the number of germs present on the surface of toys like building blocks or
slime
.
In this case, a CFU represents a group of bacterial or fungal cells that multiply together.
However, it is important to note that no statistical tests were performed during the analysis.
When Cinch Home Services surveyed 1,000 adults in the United States, it found that "approximately 1 in 10 American parents don't think it's necessary to sanitize their children's toys."
You can clean the toys using a little bleach, vinegar or soap, experts recommend.klebercordeiro / Getty Images/iStockphoto
The data suggests that they, and many others, could be exposing their children to
the same number of germs,
or more, than those found on household surfaces, such as
toilet seats
or kitchen sinks.
🧸 Eight toys you should clean regularly or throw away
Here are eight toys you should consider disinfecting or just throwing away, and how many germs were found on them:
Building Blocks Set:
31 million CFUs, which is equivalent to 13 times the bacteria in a toothbrush holder.
Slime
(plasticine): 30 million CFU, three times the amount of bacteria in a kitchen sink.
Doll
: 13 million CFUs, nine times more bacteria than a pet's food dish.
Small toy car:
40,000 CFU, about twice the bacteria on a bathroom faucet handle.
Video game control:
34,000 CFU, double the bacteria than a pet's toy ball.
Kitchen set:
17,000 CFU, four times the bacteria on a counter.
Rubber ball:
1,400 CFU, triple the number of bacteria than a toilet seat.
Stuffed toy
: 70 CFU, twice as many bacteria as those in a wallet.
Just over a tenth of those surveyed acknowledged cleaning their children's toys every two weeks or less, with 42% of parents choosing to do it weekly, while 44% favor daily cleaning of these germ-laden items.
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No matter where they rank on the list, it's clear that, given the amount of germs toys can harbor, toys need to be sanitized or thrown away when necessary.
"Although it is known that children are sources of germs, the chances of them being in contact with viruses and germs must be reduced to prevent them from getting sick," the company explained.
“A little bleach, vinegar or soap from time to time can help protect your family's health,”
he added.