Wooden Toy Cleaning

No matter how careful you are, sooner or later your nice looking truck will need a good cleaning just like the real ones.

Cleaning unfinished wooden toys can be a bit of a challenge but we will share some tips that should make the job easier. The first thing to remember is not to use any water or water based products as they will tend to cause the wood grain to swell and raise. The following are some useful techniques for cleaning unfinished wood toys:

Microfiber cloths can be used to remove surface dirt and grime. Just wipe in the direction of the grain and that should take away dirt that is not heavily embedded.

If the gunk doesn’t budge then you can try products such as a "magic eraser" sponge. These are 2-sided sponges with a synthetic scrubber on one side. Make sure there is no soap built into the sponge. You can find magic erasers in your local supermarket cleaning section. Test the scrubber in an inconspicuous spot like the undersides of the truck and go lightly until you get a feel for how aggressive the eraser is. This should remove food, light stains and other gunk.

If the material on your wooden toy is really stubborn then you will need to bring out the big gun. That is, some fine grit sand paper. Start with 400 grit and work your way up to a more aggressive grit like 320 if the grime is worked in. Try to sand evenly and be careful not to sand off any of the features of your toy. Again, make sure you always sand with the wood grain. Oh yes, do not use water!