I am an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego). I LOVE Lego! It is not unusual at night and on the weekend to find me playing with my kids and Lego. Obviously, my love of Lego creeps into the classroom as well. In the classroom, I always have some bricks available for my students to calm down with or use as math manipulatives. As great as Lego are in the classroom, they are bound to get dirty (and for us SpEd teachers a little juicy too). Here is how to clean Lego in your classroom!
I recently bought 20 pounds of used Lego. Somehow my classroom Lego bins get a little less full every semester. Eventually, as you can imagine, the fun of building diminishes because there aren’t any good pieces left in the bucket. This bulk buy was a great way to replenish them. Only one problem; they were super dusty.
I have cleaned Lego in the washer before, but I still managed to lose a few Lego from the mesh bag. They were sucked up into the washer void. A few were found clinging to the side of the machine. They didn’t all stay in the bag as planned. I’ve also hand-washed before, but it always felt like drying took days and days.
My teacher-inspiration took over one day and I tried this method to clean Lego. I loved it and it will be my preferred method from now on!
Wash-Rinse-Spin Dry!
I love this method. All you need to get started are the following:
MATERIALS
10 Steps to Clean Lego
- Start by filling the sink about 4 inches high with lukewarm water.
- Add Dawn dish soap and make some suds.
- Place the colander in the soapy water.
- Add some Lego to the colander and agitate with your hands.
- Once they feel like they have gotten a good splash about, remove the colander from the water.
- Help the excess drip out by shaking it a little.
- Run a little extra water through the colander if the Lego inside still look a little soapy.
- Now, the best part, place the wet Lego into the spin part of the spin mop bucket or salad spinner. Press the spinner and watch the bricks rotate. (P.S. don’t go too crazy, a piece might fly out and seek revenge for the bath!)
- Once the spinning bricks slow to a crawl, stop the spinner and check out how much water was forced out. Amazing!!
- Take those spun bricks and lay them out on a towel. Usually, by the time I finished my last batch, the first few batches are good and dry. Voila! Spinning Magic!
Alternative Cleaning Options
If you are not into my Lego Master Method, then here are 5 other ways to clean Lego in your classroom.
Dishwasher Method
Lego bricks are made of plastic. Anytime you warm them up you run the risk of melting them. Be forewarned if you use this method.
- Load your lego into a mesh bag. Opt for a bag with very small holes or only use this method with larger Lego. Leave all those little pieces for handwashing. Also, if you are going to wash them this way, skip the Lego with stickers on them. They will come off in the wash.
- Wash on a short cycle in cool/cold water. Do Not use heated dry.
- Lay the Lego out to dry overnight.
Ta-Da… Clean Lego!
Washing Machine Method
As above, remember not to use the hot setting. Your Lego can melt or warp.
- Put the Lego into a mesh zipper bag with small holes. You can also use a pillowcase with a zipper or try rubberbanding the open end closed. Remove any super small pieces or pieces with stickers before you wash them.
- Add a bit of mild detergent.
- Wash on the delicate cycle using cold water. Do not put them in the dryer. Besides making a horrific noise, the heat is not good for the pieces.
- Lay them out to dry and Ta-Da… Clean Lego!
Double Eww Method
Okay… it can get ugly in our classrooms and sometimes things need a good stiff cleaning. If you are up against a particularly gross set of bricks that need to be cleaned then it may be time to bust out the bleach.
- Fill a sink or tub with lukewarm water and 1 tbsp of bleach/gallon of water.
- With gloves on, agitate the water for a minute or two. The bleach can fade the color of Lego bricks, so don’t keep them in the bleach too long.
- Drain the water and refill the basin with lukewarm water. Agitate the Lego again to help rinse off any remaining bleach.
- Drain the water again and remove the Lego.
- Place them on a clean towel and let them dry overnight. Ta-Da!
My Lego Need a Drink method
Sometimes Lego gets really grimy or extremely dirty. When this happens, you need to grab some alcohol (for the Lego, not for you). Order some rubbing alcohol on Prime and then follow these steps:
- Pour some rubbing alcohol and slightly dampen a clean cloth. Using just a little bit of rubbing alcohol, wipe off the grime.
- Rinse the Lego bricks. Make sure there is no alcohol left on any of the Lego bricks.
- Note: Make sure you keep the alcohol exposure to a minimum- they can change the color of the bricks. Beware.
Love My Set Method
If you have Lego sets or Minifigs already assembled in your classroom and notice they are getting dusty, then a Swiffer is your best friend. They are not super abrasive, they grab the dust, and they are easy to use.
- Assemble the Swiffer Wand.
- Lightly dust the tops of sets or in between Lego studs.
- Grab a small paintbrush to dust the details. Ta-Da!
How to Clean Lego Bricks
There you have it- My favorite way to clean Lego PLUS 5 more teacher-tested and effective methods to clean Lego bricks for your classroom. I love having Lego in my classroom and my students do too. From one TFoL (Teacher Fan of Lego: I totally just made that up) to another: Stay Strong and Build On!
Materials Used in The 5 Methods:
- Mesh Bag
- Gloves
- Bleach
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Swiffer Wand
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