A sandbox is a great source of amusement for kids of all ages and it is one of the best ways for kids to engage in unstructured play in the outdoor environment.
There are endless learning and play opportunities in a sandbox and it’s incredibly beneficial for developing motor skills and problem-solving skills.
However, if you’ve owned a sandbox, you know that over time, they lose their cleanliness.
Sometimes, you almost expect to find cockroaches or another insect or parasite, or even a not-so-pleasant gift from an animal that has visited.
When your sandbox gets to this stage, you might think about just dumping it and starting over.
This is an option, but did you know you can actually clean sandbox sand and even sanitize sandbox sand?
In this article – we will walk you through the steps of cleaning and sanitizing your sand and provide some tips on maintaining sand.
Sandbox Cleaning Step 1: Remove Objects
The initial part of the cleaning process is taking objects out of the sandbox.
This involves picking up every toy, any natural debris like stones or sticks, and – hopefully not – animal waste.
Animals droppings contain harmful bacteria and parasites.
Some droppings, and especially bird droppings, can lead to the development of a mold, Rhizopus stolonifer.
This mold is also referred to as black bread mold. It is a fungus that can lead to a dangerous and fatal human disease called zygomycosis.
If you are going to sanitize your sand, you need to get rid of anything that could possibly contaminate the sand.
If you have a big sandbox, you can use a garden rake to fish out the bigger objects, making sure to dig all the way to the bottom of the box.
Doing this won’t catch any leaves or animal waste, but it will make sure you got out the bigger items.
What to expect? You will need to use something like a little box scoop or sand sifter to get up the smaller items like yard debris. If your sandbox is larger, prepare to take your time! A good way to do this is to sift your way across the sandbox.
Remember, any buckets, shovels, or other sand toys that you remove will also need to be cleaned before you put those back in the sanitized sand!
Sandbox Cleaning Step 2: Sand Sanitizing
After cleaning the sand to remove all debris, we can disinfect and sanitize the sand.
This will remove any fungi, bacteria, or other contaminants.
There are either two ways to disinfect:
- with bleach
- or with vinegar
1. Sanitizing with Bleach
When it comes to sanitizing, bleach has no equal.
Bleach is a highly effective disinfectant that kills 99% of viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. For a germ-free sandbox, bleach is the best disinfectant!
To sanitize the sand, you will need about a gallon of household bleach and a 2–3-gallon spray bottle (a garden sprayer pump is perfect).
Be sure to wear clothes that are okay to be stained just in case.
The method:
- Mix the bleach solution 50/50 with tap water into your bottle.
- Spray the top layer of sand until it is wet but not pooling.
- Once the top layer is covered, use a shovel or rake to turn and mix the sand and expose the dry layers.
- Repeat steps 2 & 3 about five times. After the last spray, allow the top layer to dry with no more mixing or turning.
- Approximately one hour later, when the top layer of sand is dry, turn the sand again.
- Allow the sand to dry thoroughly over the course of two days or more—be sure to turn it periodically.
- Your sand is now ready for children to play again!
If you can, try to let the sand dry without debris or animals falling into it.
This is easily done using a breathable cover. The breathable covering allows the sand to dry but keeps the bugs away.
It is always good practice to check the weather forecast and plan to do this during a dry period!
2. Sanitizing with Vinegar
If you are apprehensive about using a strong product like bleach to clean and disinfect your sandbox, a good and effective alternative is white vinegar.
White vinegar is quite useful and inexpensive as a cleaner and disinfectant.
You may have heard acetic acid used to describe vinegar.
While it is not as effective or strong as bleach, it will kill a lot of bacteria and other pathogens.
For this method, you are looking for about a gallon of distilled and pure white vinegar.
The method looks basically the same as the bleach method, but you do not have to worry about staining clothes or take as many precautions with the solution.
The method:
- Sift and clean the sand as previously mentioned.
- Mix and fill the bottle with vinegar about a 50/50 solution with tap water.
- Spray the sand with a spray bottle until creating a damp layer on top.
- Once the top layer is layered with damp sand, use a shovel or rake to mix and turn the sand to expose dried layers of sand below.
- Spray and mix the sand until cue repeat 4 or 5 times. After the last spry leave the top layer without turning or mixing.
- Wait one hour or more for the top to dry and turn it again.
- Allow the sand to dry completely for two or more days where you can turn the sand sporadically.
- It’s ready for the children to play again!
Even if you use the vinegar technique, you still need the sand to dry before you can let the kids play.
Playing in it before it dries is perfectly fine. The smell may not be pleasant (which I am guessing the kids won’t appreciate).
Once the sand dries, the smell disappears. It lingers with sensitive noses (like animals), which may help to keep the neighborhood cats to use it as a litter box.
If that bothers you, you can always add an essential oil to the solution ( like lavender oil) or mix in some cinnamon (a large amount).
Both of these also repel insects naturally as well!
Sandbox Cleaning Step 3: Keeping It Clean
Once your sandbox has been disinfected and cleaned, it is now time to do your best to maintain it to the level it is currently in for as long as you can!
Here are some suggestions to help keep your sandbox clean:
- Cover it – The best way to maintain a neat sandbox when you’re not using it is to cover it. A durable, snug waterproof cover is best because it keeps animals (and their ‘gifts’), debris, rain, and insects from getting in.
- Don’t allow drinks or food in the sandbox – Spilled drinks or crumbs will attract ants or other bugs into the sandbox. Food and drinks also increase mold and bacteria growth.
- Don’t let your pets in – Although it might be fun and cute to see your dog playing in the sand, it’s not a good idea hygiene-wise. Even if they don’t use it as a toilet, they still bring bacteria in.
- Keep insects away – In addition to covering your sandbox when not in use; using essential oils or cinnamon; and to planting natural insect repellents like mint, citronella, or rosemary around the sandbox to keep insects away, consider spraying the perimeter of the sandbox with a plant-based, non-toxic bug-repellent frequently.
- Don’t allow the sand to get wet – When sand is wet, it creates a breeding ground for pests like mosquitoes, mold, mildew, or bacteria. Keeping a cover on will keep rain out, and you should also try to turn over the sand at least once every 1 – 2 weeks so the sand at the bottom gets a chance to dry out.
- Watch out for leaky diapers and runny noses – Unfortunately, children also can be a source of contamination! As long as you’re armed with tissues and monitor to make sure no one is in a full (or no) diaper, you should be ok.
Sandbox Cleaning Frequency
The frequency of cleaning your sandbox will depend on how often it’s being used:
- If you use it frequently, sanitizing it a few times a year is needed.
- If you use it infrequently, cleaning it once or twice a year should be sufficient.
If you notice a clear source of contamination (such as animal feces), you will also want to sanitize the sandbox.
If you notice mold, mildew, or a musty or strange odor emitting from the sand, you will want to clean and sanitize the sand, as this is an indicator of bacteria.
For everyone living in humid areas, you may have to clean and sanitize your sandbox a little more often.
Final Thoughts
You cannot completely rid your sandbox of germs, but sanitization is better than no sanitization!
No matter which method you prefer, you can expect to need a few hours to complete the sanitization process.
But it will be worth it as you’ll have peace of mind when you allow your children to play in the sandbox.
A bleach solution is more effective than vinegar, but there is a chance of staining your clothes with bleach, and bleach is more harmful for the environment.
White vinegar is much safer for the environment as well as young children and pets in the home, but it does kill less bacteria.
As with a lot of things, it is better to prevent than to cure – in other words, if you take care to maintain your sandbox well year long (by keeping it covered and so on…) it will require much less frequent cleaning.