A mum has warned fellow parents to routinely clean their children’s bath toys after checking her son’s colourful inflatable to find the insides covered with black mould, which could be harmful
A mum left people feeling physically sick after showing the stomach-churning contents of one of her’s child’s bath toys.
After checking out one of the inflatables, she shared what happens when she squeezed out the mouldy inner contents of it, leaving people feeling grossed out.
She shared the grim discovery on TikTok, where she warned: “Remember to routinely clean out your kid’s bath toys.”
The parent added in the comments: “Before I get mom-shamed I’ll be honest about not knowing to do this.
“I’m not perfect but he hadn’t used this in a long time just been sitting in his bucket. Being a parent doesn’t come with a manual so don’t feel bad for not knowing it all!”
She continued: “I felt so bad for not knowing this and wanted other parents to be aware so they wouldn’t continue using them if they are filled with mould.”
The video showed the grey gunk shooting out into the bath each time the woman expelled water – proving exactly why it’s important to check and clean bath toys regularly.
The grim video, which served as an important warning, racked up more than 2.4 million views on TikTok and left people feeling rather unwell.
One viewer joked: “I used to drink out of those things,” which sadly, lots of others could relate to.
Another added: “I remember having this stuff come out of my favourite bath toy and it was traumatising to little old me.”
“My mum never let us have bath toys with holes, for this exact reason,” added a third.
According to Children’s MD, flexible soft plastic bath toys and toys with holes in them through which water can get in are the worst for growing mould.
It’s preferable to buy toys made of solid plastic, without any holes, or toys that can be taken apart easily to ensure they’re properly cleaned and dried.
But there’s an easy way to keep your children’s favourite bath toys mould-clean.
The site advises: “You can and should clean bath toys regularly to prevent mould from growing on them or inside them. Ideally, if you see mould in a bath toy, it should be thrown away.
“If it is a special toy that you want to keep, then it can be cleaned by putting the toy in a mixture of ¾ of a cup of bleach and one gallon of water.
“You’ll want to soak the toy overnight and then remove it from the solution and let it air dry completely. If you do not see or smell any mould on the toy, it is safe to go back in the bath, but monitor carefully for any mould regrowth.”