If like my boys, your children have a beloved thousand or so teddy bears dotted around their room you'll want to pay close attention!
New laboratory research conducted by Dettol has revealed cuddly toys have the highest levels of bacteria in the family laundry basket!!
• Almost 50% of mums worry about germs on soft toys
• Nearly half of parents mistakenly put teddy bears in the wash with contaminated items such as dirty underwear and tea towels.
• 1 in 5 teddy bears have never been washed.
• Almost 25% of teddy bears contained bacteria linked to faeces.
• 3/4 of teddies are not washes after a child is ill!
The Dettol Care For Your Bear campaign, supported by hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley, aims to raise awareness of germs and bacteria found on teddies and soft toys.
I have to say I'm pretty good at washing teddies when they get grubby or when the boys get sick, but I do just chuck them in with what ever else needs to be washed at that moment in time. Cross contamination has never really crossed my mind!
Until now.
After listening to the lovely Dr Ranj over breakfast in a fancy London hotel I came home and shoved Jon's old Mr Scotty dog straight in the wash on low with a cap full of Dettols Anti-Bacterial Laundry Cleanser!
The twins found him the last time we went to Nana's house and was then sneaked home by Jon and the twins.
Naughty boys!
Jon is nearly 30 so this poor dog hasn't seen love for some time and god knows what germs were crawling around on him!
Washing on a low temp will protect the teddy but it won't kill the germs so adding Dettols Laundry Cleanser to the wash will do just that!
Before :
After:
As you can see, he's amazingly white and I now have no issue with Oscar taking him to bed.
Scotty also smells 1000x better!
1. Wash at a low temperature with an anti-bacterial laundry cleanser - to prevent damage. Dettol Anti-Bacterial Laundry Cleanser kills 99.9% of bacteria.
2. Avoid cross contamination - avoid washing teddy bear with regular laundry, especially dirty tea towels and underwear.
3. Dry teddy naturally - when possible dry teddy naturally, tumble dryers can be too harsh on most soft toys and increase the risk of damage to the shape, fur and smaller parts like the eyes.
4. For extra protection you can pop teddy in a nettled bag or pillow case before he goes in the wash to provide a protective layer.
5. Give teddy a sponge bath - small smudges and build ups of dirt are common and expected for a well loved teddy. For a quick wash dilute 1 cap of Dettol Anti-bacterial laundry cleanser to 2.5L of warm water and sponge clean.
If you want to join in with this campaign share pictures of your little ones teddy on the Dettol Care for Your Bear Twitter page @dettolteddy #careforyourbear.
All entrants will automatically be in with a chance to win a Dettol Antibacterial laundry Cleanser.
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