When our son was born, I thought that all of the worries about babyproofing were over when he started crawling. That is until one day; he decided to poop in his bathtub and then lick it up. I know this may not be a problem for every parent, but if your child has reflux or loves to play with their food, you can understand my dilemma.
Not only did I have a poopy tub, but now I had a sick baby! The only thing worse than cleaning up after your child’s accident is having them get sick from it, so today, we are going to talk about how to disinfect bathtub after baby poops.
I’ll share some easy steps on how to clean up both hard and soft surfaces that your baby may have pooped on or in. I will also share some tips and tricks to help you get rid of the smell from hard and soft surfaces.
8 Steps to Follow on how to disinfect bathtub after baby poops
Step One: Determine Area That Needs to Be Disinfected
The first step in disinfecting the bathtub after the baby poops is to determine the bathtub area that needs to be disinfected. If there are only small feces on the side, bottom, or back of the bathtub that does not have a faucet, then only those areas need to be cleaned off with a strong disinfectant.
Disinfecting solid agents such as bleach can easily remove feces from the bathtub and then be cleaned off with a mild detergent and warm water. However, suppose the feces have already been there for a few days. In that case, you will want to use a more potent cleaning agent such as bleach with no detergent, as detergents can leave behind residue that will not allow for complete completion disinfection.
If the area of the bathtub that needs to be cleaned is small, then you can clean it off with a cotton towel and some bleach. If the bathtub area that needs to be disinfected is large, you can remove as much feces as possible using a spatula or plastic spoon and then clean the rest off with towels and bleach.
Step Two: Apply Bleach as Detergent
After you have determined the bathtub area that needs to be disinfected and cleaned off as much as possible with a cotton towel and some bleach, then it is time to apply bleach as a detergent. This is very easy if the area of the dirty bathtub is small and you want to clean all of it off with bleach, then use a cotton towel or rag to apply the bleach.
This will not only disinfect the poop but will also disinfect the bathtub itself. If there are more feces on the bathtub that needs to be cleaned off with strong bleach instead of the towel, you should use a thick layer of newspapers over the newspaper and then apply the bleach on top.
When you remove the newspapers, most of the feces will also come off along with it. After these two initial steps, you can clean the bathtub with a strong disinfectant such as bleach and then rinse it off with warm water. These steps should help you in learning how to disinfect bathtub after baby poops.
Step Three: Hide the Scrub Brush
After you have cleaned your bathtub thoroughly, it is highly advisable to store a scrub brush in the one room of the house where nobody goes. If this step is not done, then there will be a high chance that family members or friends will see the scrub brush and ask why it has been hidden.
At this point, you will not be able to tell them that you had to disinfect the bathtub after your baby pooped in it. So instead of explaining this situation, it is best to keep the brush hidden and wait for some time before you start scrubbing down the bathroom again.
If they ask about why you are not cleaning the bathroom anymore, then say that you wanted to give it a break for a little while. If they get suspicious at this point, then you can say that you thought your bathroom was looking extremely clean and did not want to risk scrubbing anything away from the bathtub or toilet.
Step Four: Replace the Faucet
If you have to disinfect the bathtub after your baby poops in it, you should also replace the faucet. The reason for this is that even if your baby did not defecate in the bathtub or on any other part of the bathroom, but someone else had an accident while they were bathing, then your bathtub will have traces of feces in it.
These traces are still harmful to health, but they are not as potent as actual feces. If you replace the faucet with a new one, then there is no chance that anyone who uses this bathroom again will accidentally ingest any fecal residue that may or may not be in the bathtub.
However, if you keep the faucet and replace all of your cleaning tools with new ones, then there will be a high chance that someone may come back later and use the bathtub right after they have cleaned it to disinfect it for some other purpose.
Step Five: Apply Varnish
If you have to disinfect the bathtub after your baby pooped in it, it is highly advisable to apply varnish on top of it. This will protect the bathtub and kill any bacteria or viruses that might be trapped underneath its surface.
The best varnish that you can use for this purpose is linseed oil and varnish mix. This way, not only will you disinfect the bathtub, but you will also protect it from harsh chemicals such as bleach or any other cleaning agent that you might have used to remove the feces from the bathroom surfaces.
If you want to get rid of the feces residue that you might have missed while cleaning the bathtub, it is best to use a mixture of linseed oil and varnish. If you want to find out more about how to disinfect bathtub after baby poops, keep reading.
Step Six: Use Push Pins
If you have to disinfect the bathtub after your baby pooped in it, then there is nothing that you can do about the stains that are already on your bathroom floor. Fortunately, if this situation occurred to you, there are still ways to hide these unsightly stains.
The best way for you to hide these stains is by using push pins. If you place them underneath the edges of the bathtub, then nobody will be able to notice any foul smells or stains that might be on your bathroom floor.
If you want to make sure that nobody will notice any stains underneath your bathtub, then you should use push pins in combination with linseed oil and varnish mixture that you have used before.
Step Seven: Disinfect With Alcohol
The final step you can take if you have to disinfect the bathtub after your baby pooped in it is to disinfect your bathroom floor using alcohol. This will help kill any bacteria or viruses that may still be present in the area and ensure that nobody will get sick from accidentally ingesting them.
To perform this step, first, clean your bathroom floor using some cleaning agent. Then all you have to do is sprinkle alcohol on top of it and scrub for a few seconds before rinsing it away with some pipe that will take the water outside and into the drainage system.
As you can see, there are still ways for you to disinfect your bathroom floor after you have used it for bathing your baby. It is just a matter of knowing the proper steps you need to take to remove any traces of feces on top of your bathroom floor. This will help in how to disinfect bathtub after baby poops.
You Can Check It Out to Use Bath Salts Without Bathtub
Step Eight: Maintain Proper Hygiene
The final step you need to do if you want to disinfect the bathtub after your baby pooped in it and prevent it from happening again is by maintaining proper hygiene when bathing your baby. This means, when bathing him, make sure that he isn’t standing on the floor when you are filling up the tub with water.
Make sure that he is sitting on a tub chair or standing near the side of your bathtub while you are filling up the water. Once you have filled up the water enough to cover his entire body, then you should let him stand in the tub without any shoes on so that he won’t be able to step on any feces that may still be present underneath the surface of your bathroom floor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use Lysol Spray on Bathtub?
As Lysol spray can be harmful if ingested. If you decide to use the Lysol spray on your bathtub, it is recommended that you test a small area first just in case. Also, make sure to read the directions carefully and avoid inhaling the chemical’s fumes.
Can You Clean a Tub With Clorox Wipes?
It depends on the strength of the Clorox wipes used and the type of tub. In general, however, Clorox wipes are not recommended for cleaning tubs as they can leave behind residue that can damage the tub and its finish. Instead, use a mild soap or a bucket and water to clean the tub.
What’s the Difference Between Disinfecting and Sanitizing?
Disinfecting and sanitizing are two different processes that you can use to clean your environment. Disinfection is typically used when there is a concern about the presence of harmful organisms, such as bacteria or viruses. Sanitization, on the other hand, involves killing all forms of microorganisms (including bacteria) whether there’s a concern about them or not.
Generally speaking, disinfection is more effective at preventing the growth of unwanted organisms while sanitization may be more effective in removing any existing contaminants. Both processes require specific equipment and should be performed according to manufacturer guidelines.
What Are the Two Most Common Methods for Sanitizing?
There are two main methods for sanitizing: chemical and bactericidal. Chemical sanitization uses chemicals such as chlorine, which kill micro-organisms. Bactericidal sanitizers, on the other hand, use agents that inhibit or destroy bacteria. They include quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), hydrogen peroxide, Lysol wipes, and ozone generators.
It is important to choose a method of sanitation that is effective against the types of micro-organisms that may be present in your environment. For example, if you work with food items or beverages that may contain harmful bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella typhimurium, then using a bactericidalsanitizer would be a better option than chlorine because it will kill both these organisms effectively. However, if you only need to clean areas where people will not be directly exposed to potential contamination (like kitchens), then using a chemical Sanitizer like bleach would be more appropriate.
Remember to time your exposures so that you don’t expose yourself unnecessarily to hazardous substances!
Conclusion
After reading this post, you should be able to disinfect your bathtub after a baby poops in it. This article gave helpful tips on cleaning the tub with an anti-microbial cleaner and then using bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Make sure that all of these steps are taken before using the bathtub again for personal hygiene purposes.
If you have to disinfect the bathtub after your baby poops in it, then there are still ways for you to get rid of any unsightly stains that may come from this type of situation. The conclusion paragraph is informative and provides information on how to disinfect bathtub after baby poops.
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