School is back in session, and for many parents, that means preparing a bagged lunch. From planning out your student’s meals to adding a sweet note for a finishing touch, we know that you put the effort into your kid’s lunch. However, few parents think about cleaning lunch boxes, and, since it’s the place where food residue and school germs meet, it can get pretty gnarly. 

If you’re looking to manage bacteria and germs this school year, regularly cleaning the lunch box is a great place to start. Don’t worry—it doesn’t have to take up a ton of your time. With just a few spare minutes (and some help from Charlie’s Soap) you can get your kid’s lunch box in tip-top shape. 

How Often Should You Clean a Lunch Box? 

Like any container for food, lunch boxes can be a breeding ground for tons of nasty bacteria, mold, and strange odors. If you know kids, you know that a lunch box can quickly get stuffed full of crumbs and sticky residue. Even if you wrap up your kid’s PB&J in plastic wrap, it’s sure to spread during meal time. To stay on the safe side, it’s a good idea to do a surface clean on your child’s lunch box every day. Nipping bacteria in the bud is the best way to prevent mold growth. When it comes to deep cleaning, you should be able to keep it to once a week. 

How to Clean Lunch Boxes

When it comes time to deep-clean your child’s lunch box, don’t sweat it. Thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting a lunch box doesn’t have to be complicated—you just need powerful cleaning agents.

1. Rinse and Submerge

First, rinse off all surface-level residue. Then, you’re ready to fully immerse the lunch box. 

Fill a tub, bucket, or sink with warm water, then add a powerful cleaning agent. When it comes to choosing the right cleaner for a lunch box, it’s important to remember that it will come into close contact with food. Even if you’re looking to lift that lunch box odor, you’ll want to avoid harsh cleaners that linger.

Although you should steer away from that chlorine bleach, you don’t have to sacrifice a true clean. Charlie’s Soap has your back. Simply add one full dose of our powder or liquid laundry detergent to your soak, along with one scoop of our chlorine-free oxygen bleach. Like all-things Charlie’s Soap, these products are free of artificial fragrances, perfumes, caustic chemicals, and zeolites. Instead, they work through natural, biodegradable ingredients—-all while delivering a deep clean you can trust. 

2. Scrub 

Using a sponge, scrub brush, or microfiber cloth, clean the lunch box from top-to-bottom, keeping it submerged in the cleaning solution. Take a moment to do some detailing. Be sure to target zippers, latches, and corners where bacteria and mold can hide. For a deep clean, use a cleaning toothbrush to target the seams, nooks, and crannies. 

3. Dry 

If you close the lunch box without drying it completely, it can dangerously attract the mold and bacteria you’re trying to ward off. When you deep-clean a lunch box, make sure to give yourself enough time to allow it to air-dry completely before you need to use it again. 

Use a cloth to dry the majority of the water from the interior and exterior of the lunch box. Then, simply set it out, lid-open, and allow it to dry completely. 

Charlie’s Soap: For All Your Back-To-School Cleaning 

For both parents and students, school can be a lot to handle. Don’t sweat it—Charlie’s Soap is on your side. Whatever back-to-school cleaning you’ve got on your plate, we’ve got a powerful green cleaner to match it. Since we stick with hypoallergenic formulas, you can trust that our products are kid-friendly, even for those with sensitivities. Whether you need a powerful pretreatment to take on soccer season stains or an all-purpose cleaner to make chores a snap, we’ve got you covered. Explore more from Charlie’s Soap.