How to Clean Plus-Plus Blocks: A Simple Care Routine
By Plus-Plus USA | Plus-Plus Blocks - Empowering Open Ended | Published: 2026-10-13
Category: Tips & Care
A five-step routine for washing, sanitizing, and drying Plus-Plus pieces without warping them, plus how to keep sets like the Hometown Huddle tube game-ready.
Quick answer
Wash Plus-Plus pieces in a mesh bag or colander with lukewarm water and a drop of mild dish soap, agitate for about a minute, rinse until the water runs clear, then air-dry completely on a towel before storing. Skip the dishwasher, boiling water, and harsh disinfectants, because heat and strong chemicals can dull or deform the pieces.
Before you start: sort, check, and set up
Empty every tube, bin, and bundle bag onto a towel so you can see what you are working with. Pull out any piece that is cracked, stretched, or bent, and set those aside rather than washing them with the rest. Small pieces are the ones most likely to escape down a drain, so work over a sink with the stopper closed or use a fine-mesh laundry bag as your washing container.
Fill a bowl or basin with lukewarm water, not hot. Add one or two drops of mild dish soap and swish it around. That is the entire cleaning solution you need. Extra soap does not clean better; it just takes longer to rinse out and can leave a film that makes pieces feel tacky.
How often Plus-Plus pieces actually need washing
For pieces that live on a shelf or a desk, a dry wipe with a microfiber cloth every few weeks is enough. Wash with water when something visible happens: sticky fingerprints, a juice spill, a piece that has been in a backpack, or a set that has been shared around a classroom. Pieces that go into mouths during play should be washed more often, and always rinsed thoroughly afterward.
If someone in your household is sick, wash the pieces that were in active rotation once they are no longer being used, then let them dry fully before the next build session. There is no need to wash an entire collection every time; focus on the pieces that were actually handled.
Drying and storage habits that prevent problems
Spread pieces in a single layer on a clean towel or drying rack and let them air-dry completely. Pieces that still have water trapped in the center holes can develop a musty smell if they go straight back into a closed tube or bin. In humid weather, give them extra time or point a fan across the towel.
Store pieces fully dry, sorted by color or by set, in their original tubes or a breathable bin. Avoid sealing damp pieces in airtight containers, and keep stored pieces out of direct sun and away from radiators or heating vents, since prolonged heat exposure is the main thing that can change how the pieces fit together.
The five-step Plus-Plus cleaning routine
- 1. Empty and sort: Tip every tube and bin onto a towel and separate pieces by set or color. Pull out cracked or stretched pieces so they do not get mixed back in after washing. Checkpoint: if a piece is already damaged, cleaning will not fix the fit. Retire it instead.
- 2. Wash in lukewarm soapy water: Use a basin of lukewarm water with one or two drops of mild dish soap. Swish the pieces with your hands for about a minute, or seal them in a mesh bag and gently knead it. Common mistake: using hot water or a full squeeze of soap. Both make rinsing harder and heat is the bigger risk to the pieces.
- 3. Rinse until the water runs clear: Dump the soapy water and rinse the pieces under lukewarm running water, or refill the basin and swish again. Repeat until no suds remain and the water is clear. Checkpoint: if pieces still feel slippery, there is soap residue left. Rinse once more.
- 4. Sanitize only when needed: For extra hygiene after illness or heavy sharing, soak pieces for a few minutes in a diluted solution of water and a small amount of white vinegar, then rinse thoroughly. Skip bleach, alcohol sprays, and disinfecting wipes, which can dull or damage the surface. Common mistake: soaking overnight. A few minutes is enough; long soaks do not sanitize better.
- 5. Air-dry completely, then store: Spread the pieces in a single layer on a towel or rack and let them air-dry, turning them once if needed. Do not use a dryer, oven, or hairdryer. Checkpoint: a dry piece has no water visible in the center holes. Only then should it go back in the tube.
Sets worth keeping clean
- Hometown Huddle - Navy, White: Hometown Huddle - Navy, White is a 275-piece tube with team colors, 3 skin tones, and instructions for building football, basketball, and soccer players, plus a link to an app for more builds. Because the tube mixes skin-tone pieces with team colors, wash and dry the whole set together so the build instructions still match what is in the tube.
- Build Your Own Bundle: Build Your Own Bundle is a configurable bundle in the BYOB category. If you build a custom bundle, keep the pieces bagged or sorted by set so you can wash only the pieces that were actually played with.
