Can I use it to sterilize my baby's toys? A small bottle in the diaper bag would do the trick when we're out and she drops her soother for example. This may be a stupid question but is there any harm in this? Would a rinse and a spray be safe?
How safe is starsan?
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Brewsit
Well-Known Member
Starsan doesn't sterilize, it sanitizes. It does so by turning water into an acidic liquid that bacteria can't survive, basically. Not to pry, but is there a reason for needing to sterilize the toys, medically? The reason that starsan works well for beer making is that it keeps bacteria from growing on surfaces that come in contact with the beer. It's not a cleaner.
Safe for an adult? Yes. Safe for a baby? That I'm not so sure.
I use it to sanitize in the kitchen. I do believe there's at least one thread on here about using it with baby toys (and one about sex toys even). I don't know why couchy "hell no'd" the idea. It's a food and dairy safe sanitizer. If you use an iodine, alcohol or a diluted bleach sanitizer, there's no reason why you wouldn't use an acid based one. like starsan. It's meant to prevent what you comes into contact with stuff you put in your mouth safe. AND at proper dillution is can be and has been drunk. I would trust it over bleach as a sanitizer any day, especially since it is no rinse.
Best answer is to ask the source. Nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth. (where the heck did that saying come from anyway?)
Five Star Chemicals (the makers of StarSan) 800.782.7019
Five Star Chemicals (the makers of StarSan) 800.782.7019
Last year Knecht_Rupprecht on here contacted poison control asking about it, and they weren't concerned about Diluted starsan coming in contact with a baby.
Presumably you're going to sanitize the object in question and let it dry or even rinse it off after and let it dry before returning it to the child, right? If that's the case, I wouldn't worry. I'd be more hesitant to let them touch wet sanitizer than dry and rinsed.
Presumably you're going to sanitize the object in question and let it dry or even rinse it off after and let it dry before returning it to the child, right? If that's the case, I wouldn't worry. I'd be more hesitant to let them touch wet sanitizer than dry and rinsed.
boscobeans
Well-Known Member
For a safe and truly no rinse sanitizer which can be used on surfaces (high chair trays, toys and the like) as well as on brewing equipment look into a product called Alpet D2. Once the spray dries the surface is safe to eat off or brew with. Cruise ships have now switched to a similar product and have found it to be much more effective (even kills Noro-virus) that the traditional chlorine based sanitizers with no bleaching or other harmful side effects.
I also go along with the use of Starsan for everyday sanitizing, but think a quick rinse would be wise. There is a spray bottle in my kitchen and I use it on fruits that will be eaten unpeeled or uncooked as well as water bottles and the like. I do rinse the items off before using them.
OMO
bosco
I also go along with the use of Starsan for everyday sanitizing, but think a quick rinse would be wise. There is a spray bottle in my kitchen and I use it on fruits that will be eaten unpeeled or uncooked as well as water bottles and the like. I do rinse the items off before using them.
OMO
bosco
Thanks for the responses. The reason why I asked this question is b/c we were at a restaurant last night and my daughter dropped several spoons and all her toys, so we were left with nothing clean to put in her mouth. I joked with my Wife about using Starsan, but then i started to wonder if it was a possibility.
I tried the Five Star but they're closed for the weekend. I'll report back during the week. At the very least, I think the rinse, spray and second rinse might be a good idea.
I tried the Five Star but they're closed for the weekend. I'll report back during the week. At the very least, I think the rinse, spray and second rinse might be a good idea.
I called Five Star and they recommended that I not use starsan for children's toys. They said they had concerns about children's immune systems being able to process it. Adults are not supposed to drink starsan but it's not harmful to us in small amounts when we do. The tech I talked to didn't know about babies, but smartly suggested not to take chances. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.
i caught my 2 yr old spraying star san into her mouth from a spray bottle. normally it's out of her reach but she did get it that one time, no ill effects. then again this little girl drinks out of our fish pond or any mud puddle she can get to before i do.
First kid isn't it?
By the time the next one comes along, they'll be lucky if you blow on it before you pop it back in their mouth.
What that guy said! 
Is she mobile yet?
You can't imagine all the stuff she is going to try and eat. For whatever reason my kids always wanted to eat the mulch, yes, mulch. Even if you were watching them like a hawk they would still manage to find a piece.
tszetela
Well-Known Member
By the time you get to four you don't even have time to blow it off.......:cross:
Kids need all of those germs so the germs and their body can work out their mutual agreements.
Not sure you can trust Starsan for a correct answer. They only have FDA approval to market the product for the purpose it was intended. If they wanted to market it to parents of young children, they would need to do a bunch of testing and get approval for that. They are only going to tell you that it's safe for the intended purpose.
Not sure you can trust Starsan for a correct answer. They only have FDA approval to market the product for the purpose it was intended. If they wanted to market it to parents of young children, they would need to do a bunch of testing and get approval for that. They are only going to tell you that it's safe for the intended purpose.
had to be first child. On kid #2 you wipe it of on yer britches and stuff it back in their mouth pronto! Doesn't anybody remember the "5 second rule"?
Quit worrying I know you heart's in the right place but you have to expose those little yard apes to that stuff. They are gonna get into it all anyway!!
Quit worrying I know you heart's in the right place but you have to expose those little yard apes to that stuff. They are gonna get into it all anyway!!
