How do you wash soft puzzle pieces?

Question

I just bought my son one of those soft, squishy puzzle mats at a garage sale (the pieces kind of remind me of styrofoam, but they're not). Should I just use hot soapy water to clean them? Or can I run them through the gentle cycle of the washing machine? Just curious if anyone ever got them and how you cleaned them. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Hi Merifa!

What I have done is just lay them in the bath tub and then get them wet and scrub them with a soft brush dipped in hot soapy water then rinse.  I'm not sure the washing machine cycle would get them clean because they might float too much to the top of the water and parts of them would not even be immersed in the soapy water.

Does your dishwasher have a gentle cycle for crystal and china?  Or maybe a light wash cycle?  If so I feel that would be the eaisest solution---just be sure the heat drying cycle is off so that they will not melt or deform.  I have put the alphabet foam puzzles in mine and they come out squeaky clean.  If there are any scuff marks or crayon and marker spots you might have to pretreat those areas or deal with them when they come out of the dish washer. Try just one in the dishwasher before doing them all to be sure it works.

Hope it works!!!---Tillie