Cleaning and safety

We created Whirli as an alternative to customer-to-customer marketplaces as we believe a centrally managed service offers far superior quality control and better customer experience.

We source our toys directly from toy manufacturers and toy distributors, in exactly the same way as any high street retailer would. We only choose toys that meet UK and ECC safety standards, and all our toys contain a CE Mark or a UKCA Mark, showcasing the highest standards in toy safety in the UK and Europe. We also preference toy brands that produce well-made, durable toys that are built to last. Lastly, we strictly adhere to manufacturer age guidance on all of our toys, ensuring our community can easily find a toy that is suitable and safe for their family to use.

Our community appreciates the value of a pre-loved toy and we work hard to ensure each and every customer receives our toys in a great and safe condition. To maintain such strict standards, we have checks in place:

1. When toys are returned to us, we check they are in safe working condition. If they fall short, we send them to our Whirli Workshop. A specialist team assesses each toy and any broken or unsafe parts are removed and replaced with original manufacturer parts. If a part cannot be removed entirely and replaced as a whole, it will not remain in circulation and will be recycled.
2. Every toy undergoes a rigorous cleaning and sterilisation process, and details of this can be found below.
3. When preparing your order, we double check each toy again. We send toys in "ready to play" condition, meaning no significant assembly (unless specified) is needed before it can be played with. This also allows us to check the toy functions safely before it is dispatched.
4. Whilst we do everything to ensure the toys arrive in a safe working condition,damage can occur in transit. We always recommend that parents double check the toys are safe before letting your children play with them.

All returned toys undergo a rigorous cleaning and sterilisation process. Each toy is assessed, checked and graded, according to the material it is made from and the condition it has been returned in.

We choose cleaning products that are perfect for the job, and safe for children's toys. We use brands that are readily available in supermarkets to best replicate how you would clean a toy at home, yet do so to a highly professional standard.

Air dusting, brushes and tweezers are used to remove debris and dust from every toy.

All plastic and wooden toys are wiped with an anti-bacterial liquid which kills 99.9% of bacteria including E. coli, salmonella, MRSA and viruses, including Coronavirus and flu.

Fabric toys are machine washed using a laundry detergent and are tumble dried or line dried depending on the weather.

Stubborn stains such as limescale or crayon marks are removed using a suitable cleaner. They are then rinsed thoroughly to remove the solution before being left to dry. We follow up with anti-bacterial liquid to complete the cleaning process.

Once cleaned, all toys are placed inside a bag to keep them fresh.