Sanitizing our teddy bear post-COVID

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet the freezer thing works. Germs can't survive well at those low temps.

Actually they can.

[Anonymous]

What about pillow case in a hot dryer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lysol should work well, but you can also put him in a pillowcase then use a hairband to close the end of the pillowcase. Make sure he has plenty of room to move. Then wash on delicate in cool or eco warm water. He’ll be fine - I regularly wash my kids’ most precious stuffed animals and dolls like this.

+1

My daughter currently has my teddy bear from when I was a kid, so nearly 40 years old, and we regularly run him through the wash this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Lysol.

I'm actually too disgusted that you let your kid play with a 35 year old teddy bear to offer any helpful advice. I bet that thing is saturated with mold spores. Ick.

The melodrama lol. Sounds like the thing is washed frequently. It's fine.

I don't think it's gross, but to be fair, it's obviously NOT washed frequently, or OP wouldn't be on here asking how to wash it.

[Anonymous]

Research on the impact of temperature has shown that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is sensitive to elevated temperatures, with over 99.99% inactivation in only a few minutes at 70°C (158°F). However, this temperature is far outside the limits of human comfort and could damage some building materials.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html#:~:text=Research%20on%20the%20impact%20of,damage%20some%20building%20materials.

A drier usually is about 125-135 and will kill 99.99% of the virus after 20 minutes.

If you heat a material up to 130 degrees F, which is the high setting on a dryer or a very low oven setting, you only need about 20 minutes to kill greater than 99.99% of the virus,” said Glenn. “If you’re heating up to 150 degrees F or higher, then you only need about five minutes to kill greater than 99.99%.”

https://news.uga.edu/heat-key-killing-coronavirus-surfaces/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Research on the impact of temperature has shown that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is sensitive to elevated temperatures, with over 99.99% inactivation in only a few minutes at 70°C (158°F). However, this temperature is far outside the limits of human comfort and could damage some building materials.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html#:~:text=Research%20on%20the%20impact%20of,damage%20some%20building%20materials.

A drier usually is about 125-135 and will kill 99.99% of the virus after 20 minutes.

If you heat a material up to 130 degrees F, which is the high setting on a dryer or a very low oven setting, you only need about 20 minutes to kill greater than 99.99% of the virus,” said Glenn. “If you’re heating up to 150 degrees F or higher, then you only need about five minutes to kill greater than 99.99%.”

https://news.uga.edu/heat-key-killing-coronavirus-surfaces/

I did this after my parents cleaned their house and brought me my 50yo teddy. The wash went fine, but his eyeballs melted together in the dryer. Now he’s kind of creepy.

[Anonymous]

Hand wash and air dry. Seriously, Teddy needs some tlc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Lysol.

I'm actually too disgusted that you let your kid play with a 35 year old teddy bear to offer any helpful advice. I bet that thing is saturated with mold spores. Ick.

The melodrama lol. Sounds like the thing is washed frequently. It's fine.

I don't think it's gross, but to be fair, it's obviously NOT washed frequently, or OP wouldn't be on here asking how to wash it.

OP here. You are wrong. We wash Mister Teddy Bear as needed in a Woolite bath in the sink and then air dry him outside. Obviously that sort of cleaning doesn't sanitize hence my question. He is kept quite clean so please nobody think we aren't good caretakers of him.

[Anonymous]

Burn it to the ground, like all the child's belongings in the Velveteen Rabbit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Burn it to the ground, like all the child's belongings in the Velveteen Rabbit.

That idea would give our house nightmares. Teddy isn't just a toy, he's a member of our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Lysol.

I'm actually too disgusted that you let your kid play with a 35 year old teddy bear to offer any helpful advice. I bet that thing is saturated with mold spores. Ick.

The melodrama lol. Sounds like the thing is washed frequently. It's fine.

I don't think it's gross, but to be fair, it's obviously NOT washed frequently, or OP wouldn't be on here asking how to wash it.

OP here. You are wrong. We wash Mister Teddy Bear as needed in a Woolite bath in the sink and then air dry him outside. Obviously that sort of cleaning doesn't sanitize hence my question. He is kept quite clean so please nobody think we aren't good caretakers of him.

Actually, if you wash him and dry him thoroughly, and then isolate Mister Teddy Bear for a couple of days, he's good to go. Soap and water are pretty effective at killing coronavirus, and any remaining virus will die after two or three days on a dry surface.

[Anonymous]

You don't need to do any of this. It's not like replacing a toothbrush after strep. COVID doesn't live long on any surface and especially when everyone in the house has had it, no "sanitization" is required.

[Anonymous]

Hand wash in blue dawn. Dry in sun.

[Anonymous]

it amazes me that we are in year 3 of the pandemic and people still think covid is spread through fomites. I worry about this country- I really do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Covid particles inactivate themselves naturally when left for 3- days on inert surfaces.

Freezing for 4 days kills certain pests such as clothes mites. However certain mold and bacterial spores resist such cold temperatures quite well.

Washing and drying on hot will kill most bacteria and certain molds, as well as all viruses.

For a venerable teddy, I would put him out in strong sunlight. Make sure to expose all parts of him over several days. This used to be recommended for Covid masks as well, since sunlight can inactivate viral particles, however it is not recommended now, because scientists found that the disposable mask fabrics could be damaged by repeated exposure to sunlight.

- microbiologist, whose own beloved teddy is going on 40.

I ♥️ you
(NP here.)