Tips on How to Disinfect Playing Cards

What is it about these types of cards that make them so challenging to clean and disinfect?  Well, playing cards are delicate in nature and due to its line of work often attracts grime, dirt, and germs. Cleaning, disinfecting and properly caring for playing cards isn’t just about maintaining its condition, either. Grimy and grungy cards get worn and sticky quite fast and don’t play as they should.

Disinfecting playing cards can kill germs and viruses obtained by every person that uses them and lowers the risk of spreading infection. Flu viruses are very common and contagious, so routine cleaning and disinfecting of playing cards are sufficient to remove or kill them.

Tools for Disinfecting Playing Cards

  • Disinfectant Surface Wipes
  • Vinegar (optional)
  • Mild dish soap (optional)
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Cornstarch (optional)
  • Baby Powder (optional)

Here’s How to Disinfect Playing Cards

  1. Gently wipe playing cards using disinfectant surface wipes. Clean in bundles.
  2. Spot clean. Playing cards often encounter finger marks and grime buildup.
  3. Try wiping the tough spots with a damp sponge. Never immerse playing cards in water.
  4. Then, gently wipe dry with a microfiber cloth. This cleaning needs to be done after every use and for both sides of the card.
  5.  Allow playing cards to air-dry.
  6. Store in a cool dry place.

Whiten dirty and dingy playing cards

On many playing cards, dinginess can become a problem. If cleaning doesn’t help, try using cornstarch to whiten cards. Baby powder can also be used to loosen sticky cards. It’s a good whiten trick that will help hide most of the off-color areas and make your playing cards feel like new.

Homemade Disinfectant for Playing cards

For spot cleaning and disinfecting, you usually only need vinegar with very little water to clean your playing cards effectively. If you want something that is a bit stronger, add one drop of mild dish soap to the mixture. It is always best to pre-test an area of the card before proceeding with the cleaning and disinfecting process.