How to Clean Wooden Toys (Without Ruining the Wood)

To clean wooden toys, wipe them with a soft cloth dampened with warm water and, for sticky spots, a little mild dish soap. Then dry them right away with a clean cloth and let them finish drying before you put them away. Don’t soak wooden toys or put them in the dishwasher: HABA says “Do not ever submerse wooden toys in water or place in a dishwasher,” and Hape says soaking “may cause them to swell or deform.”

Below: how the finish on your toy changes the routine, step-by-step cleaning, what to do on sick days (the honest answer), vinegar, wooden teethers, rough or dull wood, mold, and thrifted or hand-me-down wooden toys. Our sources are listed at the end.

How to clean wooden toys: wooden alphabet blocks, a wooden teething ring and a damp cloth

First, check the finish on the toy

Wood soaks up water. HABA puts it simply: “Wood is a natural material that soaks in moisture.” Tender Leaf Toys adds that too much water “causes the wood fibres to swell, leading to warping, cracking, or the growth of mould.”

How careful you need to be depends on the finish. The German wooden-toy maker small foot explains that “Untreated wood is not sealed,” so moisture “can quickly sink into the wood.” Varnished or painted toys “withstand moisture somewhat better than natural, untreated wood, provided the surface varnish is still intact.” Others are oiled or waxed instead: Blossom & Bear’s wooden teething rings “are polished with organic coconut oil and beeswax.”

Finish	Water	Oil or wax?	Sand rough spots?
Natural, oiled or waxed	Wipe only; moisture sinks in fast	From time to time, with a food-grade oil or beeswax mix	Yes, lightly, with 220–400 grit sandpaper
Varnished or painted	Wipe only; handles a damp cloth a bit better while the finish is intact	No: Wee Gallery says varnished toys “should not require this treatment”	No: small foot says sanding would “damage the surface and the colour”

Oil and sanding advice is from Bannor Toys, Kyte Baby, Wee Gallery and Loulou Lollipop; the varnish rows are from small foot and Wee Gallery. If the toy came with care instructions, those come first.

How to clean wooden toys, step by step

Dampen a soft cloth with warm water. HABA says “the cloth can be simply dampened with warm water.” Bannor’s advice is “a damp cloth (not super wet).”
Add a little mild dish soap for sticky or grimy toys. HABA suggests “a small amount of either water and a mild dish soap or a water & vinegar essence mix,” and Bannor says to use soap “sparingly.”
Go gently on paint. For stuck-on dirt, Simple Green suggests a nylon-bristle brush or toothbrush, “being careful not to damage paint, decals, or stickers.”
Wipe off the soap. Go over the toy again with a clean damp cloth, as Bigjigs Toys suggests (“rinse well with a sponge or damp cloth”).
Dry it right away. HABA says to “wipe the toy dry with a clean cloth,” and PlanToys says to let the toy “dry completely before storing.” Skip the heater: WonderBaby warns that drying wooden toys “too quickly with a heater or hairdryer could cause the wood to split.”

Got a big bin of blocks? KidKraft and Bigjigs both allow a quick swirl in a sink of diluted soap or vinegar for block sets. KidKraft’s rule: “this is a dip, not a soak! Swirl them around, then drain, rinse, and dry immediately.”

Wooden toy care do's and don'ts: wipe with a damp cloth and dry right away; don't soak, use the dishwasher, boil or use bleach

What not to do with wooden toys

Soak them or put them in the dishwasher. HABA: “Do not ever submerse wooden toys in water or place in a dishwasher.” Bigjigs says wooden toys “swell and lose their shape and colour when submerged in water for prolonged periods of time.”
Boil or steam-sterilize them. small foot says to avoid “boiling it off” or a steam sterilizer, and Kyte Baby says “Never use a water or steam-based sterilizer on wooden toys.”
Use bleach or alcohol. HABA says disinfectants “(alcohol or bleach based) should not be applied directly to any wooden early childhood toys,” and Hape says ethanol and bleach “may lead to color fading or paint to flake or lift.” PlanToys also says no bleach.
Leave them in the sun or by a heater. Hape says long, direct sunlight “may cause the wood to crack,” and Tender Leaf says to store toys “away from radiators, heaters or air conditioning vents.”

How to disinfect wooden toys (and whether you need to)

Here is the honest answer: we found no label-approved way to disinfect bare, oiled or waxed wooden toys, and the sources don’t agree on what to do.

The wipe labels we read leave out bare, oiled and waxed wood. The EPA-stamped label for Lysol Disinfecting Wipes (Reg. No. 777-114) says “Do not use on unfinished, oiled or waxed wood,” and its toy directions are for “hard, non-porous surfaces.” The Clorox Disinfecting Wipes label (Reg. No. 5813-79) includes a line that the wipes are not recommended for “unpainted wood” or “waxed, oiled or worn surfaces.”

HABA, Hape and PlanToys rule out bleach. HABA says no alcohol- or bleach-based disinfectants on its wooden toys, Hape says no ethanol, bleach or other harsh chemicals, and PlanToys says no bleach or harsh cleaning products (quoted above). We did not find a wooden-toy maker that names a product to use when a child is sick.

At home, an AAP pediatrician says cleaning is usually enough. When Consumer Reports asked the American Academy of Pediatrics, pediatrician Danette Swanson Glassy said that unless someone sick with fever or diarrhea touches your children’s toys, “at home, cleaning is enough.”

Child care rules are stricter. Georgia’s child care rules say toys for children under 3 must be “Easily cleaned with a disinfectant daily.” New York City’s guide for group child care and camps says “Any toy that cannot be cleaned and disinfected should be thrown away.” Neither names wood, but a toy that can’t take a disinfectant doesn’t fit those rules.

So after a stomach bug or fever, wash the wooden toys with soap and water as above and dry them well. The cleaner brand Simple Green suggests an EPA-registered disinfectant on wooden baby toys after illness; if you go that route, check that the product’s label covers the toy’s finish and follow its rinse directions. For other toys, our guide to what to clean baby toys with compares wipes, bleach and heat.

Is wood naturally antibacterial?

Several wooden-toy and cleaning brands say so. Simple Green writes that “wood is naturally antimicrobial,” but none of the brand pages we read that make this claim cited a study. small foot points to a 2016 study by Bearden and Casanova, but that study’s abstract says it measured a virus “on a nonporous toy” and does not compare wood. So we don’t count on the wood itself to keep a toy clean.

How to clean wooden toys with vinegar

Several makers suggest diluted vinegar for wooden toys, and the strengths differ: KidKraft uses 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water, Kyte Baby uses “1 part vinegar and 10 parts water,” and Wee Gallery says “1:1 or less.” HABA mentions a “water & vinegar essence mix” without a ratio. Put the mix on the cloth, wipe, then dry the toy fully.

Vinegar cleans, but it isn’t a registered disinfectant. The EPA says it “does not review effectiveness of common household ingredients like vinegar,” and Consumer Reports, citing the same AAP pediatrician, says vinegar “does not disinfect or sanitize.” More in our guide to cleaning baby toys with vinegar.

How to clean wooden teethers

Wooden teethers, some with silicone beads, get the gentlest routine:

Wipe, don’t submerge. Babymori’s beechwood teether says “Wipe clean with a damp cloth, do not immerse in water,” and Bannor says silicone parts “can be easily wiped clean with a damp cloth or baby wipe.”
No boiling or sterilizer. Lovevery’s teething toy care is “Wash in mild soapy water. Do not boil or sanitize.”
Skip wood cleaners. Loulou Lollipop says not to use wood cleaning products on wooden teethers “since they can be toxic.”
Check it before every use. Bannor says to “Inspect teether and silicone before every use and discard if damaged or beads come loose.” Blossom & Bear says if a wooden ring “develops a crack at all please do not give it to your child.”
Don’t freeze it. The AAP says “Don’t let your baby chew directly on anything that’s frozen solid, since hard objects might hurt tender gums.”

One more: teethers are not teething necklaces. The FDA says it has received reports of death and serious injuries, “including strangulation and choking, caused by teething jewelry, such as amber teething necklaces.”

Rough, dry or dull wood: oil and light sanding

Bare wood can turn rough over time. Bannor says soaking “will raise the grain,” and Kyte Baby says a teether “may start to feel a little rougher due to exposure to your baby’s saliva.”

Sand (unpainted wood only). Kyte Baby and Bannor both suggest “220-400 grit sandpaper” rubbed over the surface a few times. Don’t sand varnished or painted toys.
Re-oil. Bannor suggests “a 50/50 mixture of beeswax and any food grade oil such as olive oil, coconut oil, or our favorite organic flax seed oil”: wipe it on, let it soak in, then wipe off the extra. Blossom & Bear says to re-polish its wooden teething rings “every so often to avoid them drying out.”

Bannor also says a toy that has lost its shine isn’t unsafe: “It is ok if you don’t re-apply a finish.”

How to clean mold off wooden toys

Wood is “much more porous than plastic,” as Bigjigs puts it, and the EPA says “Absorbent or porous materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they become moldy,” because “the mold may be difficult or impossible to remove completely.” The EPA guide doesn’t name toys, but we’d apply the same logic and replace a moldy wooden baby toy rather than scrub it.

To prevent mold, keep wooden toys dry. Hape says to “store wooden toys in a dry place,” and if a toy gets damp, to “air dry in a well ventilated area.” That’s also why wooden toys don’t belong in the bath (see our guide to cleaning bath toys).

Thrifted, used and vintage wooden toys: check for lead first

Cleaning a secondhand wooden toy is the same as above. The bigger question with old painted toys is lead paint:

The CDC says “Painted toys or collectibles that are passed down through generations may contain lead,” and that “toys made before 2009 might contain more lead.” Its advice: “Do not let children play with toys made before 2009.”
Children’s products sold in the US now must not contain more than “90 parts per million” of lead in paint or similar coatings, according to the CPSC.
Don’t rely on a home test kit. The CPSC’s guide for resellers says “Lead testing kits sold commercially are generally unreliable and should not be used.”
Don’t sand old paint. The Minnesota Department of Health says “Do not dry scrape or sand lead-containing items.”

How often should you clean wooden toys?

The AAP has no official policy on cleaning toys at home, Consumer Reports noted in December 2024. One AAP pediatrician quoted in that article said “As needed, and once per week is reasonable advice, but there is no evidence (no studies done) that show this is necessary.” KidKraft says you’ll mostly clean wooden toys “when your child has been sick or when you notice some build-up of dirt,” while Bigjigs says “favourite wooden teethers should be cleaned daily.”

For soft toys, see how to clean stuffed animals.

FAQ

Can you put wooden toys in the dishwasher?

No. HABA says never to submerse wooden toys in water or put them in a dishwasher, and Bigjigs says wooden toys swell and lose their shape and color when submerged for a long time. Wipe them with a damp cloth instead and dry them right away.

How do you disinfect wooden toys?

We found no disinfectant label that approves bare, oiled or waxed wood: Lysol's wipe label says not to use it on unfinished, oiled or waxed wood, and HABA and Hape say not to use bleach or alcohol on their wooden toys. At home, an AAP pediatrician told Consumer Reports that cleaning is enough unless someone sick with fever or diarrhea touched the toys.

How do you clean wooden toys with vinegar?

Mix vinegar with water (makers suggest anywhere from equal parts vinegar and water up to 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water), dampen a cloth with it, wipe the toy and dry it fully. Vinegar cleans, but it isn't an EPA-registered disinfectant.

How do you clean wooden teethers?

Wipe them with a damp cloth or mild soapy water and dry them. Don't soak, boil, steam-sterilize or freeze them. Check the wood and any silicone beads before every use, and stop using a teether that is cracked or has loose beads.

How do you clean mold off wooden toys?

Wood is porous, and the EPA says porous materials may have to be thrown away if they become moldy because mold can be hard or impossible to remove completely. We'd replace a moldy wooden baby toy rather than scrub it. Store wooden toys dry to prevent mold.

How do you clean wooden toys from a thrift store?

Wipe them with a damp cloth and mild soap and dry them, the same as new toys. Painted toys made before 2009 may contain more lead, and the CDC says not to let children play with toys made before 2009. Don't sand old paint, and don't rely on home lead test kits.

Sources

A damp cloth, a dry towel and a quick look for cracks: that’s most of what wooden toys ever need.

How to Clean Wooden Toys (Without Ruining the Wood)

First, check the finish on the toy

How to clean wooden toys, step by step

What not to do with wooden toys