Legos are the best. Most people will agree with this since they are some of the best ageless toys ever to exist. However, due to their small size and the fact that you can have thousands over time, it is easy to forget that cleaning Legos is critical.
One of the things that most people forget to do is to clean them properly, and no, throwing them in soapy water doesn’t cut it. They require proper and attentive cleaning to ensure that you eliminate any bits of dirt, food, and bacteria. This is especially important for young children who are most susceptible to getting infections. Read on to find out the best ways to wash and disinfect your Legos.
How to Clean Your Lego Bricks
Assume that you have just bought a whole bunch of Legos from a garage sale or inherited some from family. The first thing you must do before figuring out what goes where is to clean them. Luckily, there are several ways to do this, and they’re pretty effortless. Before cleaning, you need to do some sorting to give you a bit of order. Here’s how:
- Take the pieces apart. To ensure that all the parts are cleaned properly, you have to separate the pieces. Take some care since some of the Legos are a bit fragile and can break.
- Set aside the electric ones. If you have any Legos that are electrical, then you will want to clean them differently. You don’t want to mix with ones; you may use water to wash them.
- Take care of the pieces with stickers. Some Legos have stickers that you don’t want to damage. Therefore, you will have to be more careful when cleaning these.
All the parts that remain once you have set aside the unique pieces can be cleaned using the methods indicated below. However, this is not to mean that you should be rough when doing so especially with Lego minifigures. Since the parts are plastic and many are probably colored, you need to be keen, especially with the products you use. There are various ways to do this as follows.
Dishwashing soap and Water
This is by far the most straightforward way to get instant results, even when you have many Lego sets to clean. It may take a bit of time, but if you have some time to spare, you are all set. You will require:
- Dishwashing soap
- Container
- Warm water
- A sponge, soft toothbrush
- Toothpick
Put the warm water into a basin or bucket enough to hold your Legos. If you have too many, then you can separate them into several loads. Ensure that the temperature of the water is not more than 40 degrees Celsius or 104 Fahrenheit.
Add some dishwashing soap into the water until it is foamy, then dip your pieces into the soapy water. Allow this to sit for about 20 minutes before using the sponge or toothbrush to scrub away the dirt. This can take a varied period depending on how dirty the parts are. If there are any tiny holes or areas that you cannot clean thoroughly, you can use the toothpick.
Rinse using clean water, then leave out to air dry. Do not leave them under the sun or use a hairdryer since this could deform some pieces. If you would like to dry them faster, you can use a fan for a few minutes as you turn them from time to time.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
This is an excellent method when you don’t have too many pieces to clean, but they are quite dirty. The vinegar and baking soda method is great since it cleans and disinfects. You will need:
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Water
- A soft toothbrush
- Container
Place your Lego pieces into a container and try to spread them out, so they are not in a large pile. Pour a generous amount of baking soda to cover the parts well, and then add the white vinegar. Ensure that all the baking soda gets some of the vinegar. You will see some foaming, which is what you want since it will help agitate dirt off the Legos.
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Allow this to sit for at least ten minutes so the dirt can become softer and easy to clean off. Use the toothbrush to go over the filthy pieces, then put them aside. Rinse them well in water, ensuring no residue since this may affect how well your pieces fit each other. Allow them to air dry.
Common Questions on How to Clean Legos
The above cleaning methods work for most regular pieces, but they may not answer all your questions about getting your precious Legos spotless. The following are some common questions that people have, and we have the answers for you.
How to clean white Lego bricks
When white Legos start yellowing, it needs a different approach from the regular cleaning. It is not advised to use bleach since it may cause further discoloration. The best way to clean white Lego bricks is to use hydrogen peroxide. Put all the white Legos in a container and cover them entirely with hydrogen peroxide, cover and leave in the sun. It will take a few days, so keep checking, adding more peroxide if it goes down and shaking or stirring it up for at least three days.
How to clean Legos with stickers
You need to be careful with these since you will have to look for a replacement if you destroy the stickers. The best way to clean these is to use wet wipes or a damp piece of cloth. Avoid dunking them in water, as this will destroy the sticker, especially when drying. You can use a soft brush to scrub the dried-up dirt and wipe it clean.
How to disinfect Legos
Legos for children need to be clean to avoid any infections and illnesses. There are several ways to do this using alcohol, vinegar, or bleach. Cleaning using alcohol is possible, but you need to act fast since more prolonged exposure may cause fading of the colored pieces.
The best way to clean Legos with alcohol is to dilute it with water in the ratio of 1:3, so you reduce the potency. This method also works for vinegar as well, but since it doesn’t affect the Legos, you can disinfect using undiluted vinegar.
Can you clean Legos in the dishwasher?
Many people recommend cleaning Legos in the dishwasher, but this could damage your pieces. This is because it gets pretty hot in the dishwasher, and while they will probably be squeaky clean, many may be deformed. However, you can put them in a Lego cleaning bag on the gentle cycle using lukewarm water.
Can you use bleach on Legos?
Bleach is potent and can cause fading of the pieces, so if you must use bleach, it must be diluted. The recommended quantity is one tablespoon of bleach in one gallon of water. This is enough to disinfect your Legos while maintaining their color. However, if possible, avoid using bleach.
How to clean mold off Legos
You can use the dishwashing soap method to clean mold and use a brush to scrub off the dirt. Using vinegar is also great since it will disinfect the pieces and prevent the growth of more. Ensure that the parts dry thoroughly before storing to ensure more mold doesn’t grow.
How to clean an assembled Lego set without disassembling
You can soak the pieces in warm soapy water, use a soft brush to remove any stubborn dirt, and rinse them well so there is no soap residue. Ensure that they dry completely to ensure that there is no growth of molds. This is also useful in how to clean minifigures.
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Conclusion
Taking good care of your Legos is essential since not only will they look good but also last longer. Take time to clean them when they get dirty and if you have many pieces, take turns to complete all the sets. Ensure you use very mild products since many parts are fragile and could get damaged.