Why This Exists
I went searching for a cleaner I could trust on my toys, and I found none that I could truly trust.
Most cleaners aren’t made for soft vinyl. In fact, many contain ingredients that can extract plasticizer to some degree, degreasers, solvents, oils, lotions, essential oils, and more. They’re built for dishes, hands, or general surfaces, and we’re left hoping they’re “good enough.”
But soft vinyl is sensitive. What you clean it with matters.
So I made something specifically for it.
Squeaky Clean is designed to:
- Clean without aggressively pulling plasticizer
- Be gentle on prints and surface finishes
- Work with the material, not against it
- Remove the guesswork from your routine
Because when you care about your toys, “probably fine” isn’t good enough.
How to Use:
- Spray lightly onto the surface.
- Wipe gently with a microfiber cloth or sponge.
- Lightly rinse with clean water, then dry completely before storing.
Simple, gentle, and made for vinyl.
Squeaky Clean FAQ
How to Use
How to Use
Step 1 - Apply
Spray directly onto your toy, or spray the cloth and dab the surface. Both methods work equally well. Work gently across the vinyl.
Step 2 - Wash
Use a soft cloth and gentle pressure. There's no need to scrub. Let the formula do the work.
Step 3 - Rinse
Using a spray bottle filled with clean water and a fresh cloth, rinse the surface thoroughly. Keep going until the water runs completely clear with no soap residue remaining.
Step 4 - Dry
Dry thoroughly before storing or displaying. Complete drying helps protect the vinyl long-term.
Concentrate note: Mix 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water. There is no cleaning benefit to under-diluting, and in some cases can be more aggressive.
What’s currently available on the market?
Right now, most of what people reach for falls into three buckets.
1. Dish soap and general household cleaners
This is still one of the most common go-to solutions because it is cheap, familiar, and already sitting by the sink. The problem is that dish soap was designed to remove heavy grease and soiling from cookware and plates, not to repeatedly clean a plasticized surface that depends on long-term material balance. These harsh cleaners are optimal for removing oils, and will remove plasticizer right with them.
2. Bleach-based sanitation
Bleach is fine for sanitation when that is the goal. If you need to disinfect something, that is a different job. But bleach is not especially good at removing body oils, and body oils are one of the main drivers of plasticizer loss in our community. So while bleach may help sanitize, it does not really solve the core routine-cleaning problem most collectors are dealing with.
3. Hand soap, body wash, and other skin-care cleansers
These can seem gentler than dish soap, but they come with many of the same issues. They are still designed for skin, not vinyl, and many of them contain extra ingredients that simply do not belong on a pool toy long term. Things like moisturizers, oils, lotions, lipid-based skin conditioners, fragrance components, and other skin-feel additives may be great for hands and body, but lipids readily extract plasticizer, so these conditioners carry much of the same concern as the skin oils themselves.
That gap is exactly why Squeaky Clean exists.
Why Squeaky Clean is a safer choice for soft vinyl than dish soap
Most dish soaps are built to cut kitchen grease, not care for plasticized vinyl. Common dish liquids on the market use stronger detergent systems such as sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, and some also include alcohol, fragrance, dyes, or other additives chosen for dishes and sink performance rather than long-term material care. Dawn Ultra lists sodium lauryl sulfate, alcohol denat., fragrance, methylisothiazolinone, phenoxyethanol, and colorants. Palmolive Pure + Clear lists sodium laureth sulfate, lauramidopropyl betaine, lactic acid, and fragrance.
That does not mean dish soap is automatically “bad.” Plenty of general cleaning advice for pool floats still recommends mild soap and water, and some sanitizing advice even points people toward diluted bleach. But those are broad household solutions, not products built specifically around soft inflatable vinyl and repeated material exposure over time.
Squeaky Clean was built from the opposite direction. Instead of starting with a dish detergent and hoping it is gentle enough, it uses a purpose-built surfactant system based around nonionic glucosides and a mild amphoteric surfactant, along with a chelator, preservative system, and buffer chosen to keep the formula stable and predictable. The goal is simple: clean effectively while being a better fit for soft vinyl, printed surfaces, and regular use. That is why it is a safer choice for this material than reaching for whatever happens to be under the kitchen sink.
What’s in Squeaky Clean?
What’s in Squeaky Clean?
Squeaky Clean is built from the ground up for soft vinyl. Each ingredient is selected for compatibility with soft vinyl and long-term material safety.
No harsh solvents, no unnecessary additives, and nothing included that would intentionally strip plasticizer from the material.
Base
Water (Aqua)
Cleaning System
Decyl Glucoside
Coco Glucoside
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
Lauramine Oxide
These are gentle, water-based, non-ionic & amphoteric surfactants that lift dirt and oils without aggressively pulling plasticizer out of vinyl.
Preservation
Phenoxyethanol
Sodium Benzoate
Prevents microbial growth and keeps the formula stable over time.
Stability & Performance
Disodium EDTA
Improves cleaning consistency by binding minerals in water.
pH Balance
Boric Acid
Sodium Borate
Maintains a stable, slightly alkaline pH that supports cleaning while remaining gentle on vinyl.
No solvents.
No harsh degreasers.
No guesswork.
Just a cleaner designed specifically for vinyl.
Is Squeaky Clean actually safe for vinyl?
Yes. Squeaky Clean was designed specifically for soft vinyl.
Any effective cleaner will remove surface oils, and with them, small amounts of surface plasticizer. This is unavoidable. However, plasticizer loss is often accelerated much more by not cleaning at all or by using the wrong cleaner.
Squeaky Clean is formulated to minimize plasticizer extraction, help maintain long-term vinyl integrity, and offer a safer option for vinyl than many of the cleaners commonly used by pool toy enthusiasts, such as Dawn dish soap, Fairy, and similar products.
Squeaky Clean can help slow vinyl degradation, but unfortunately, nothing can stop it entirely.
How is this different from using dish soap or other cleaners?
Most cleaners weren’t made for vinyl.
They were made for dishes, hands, or general surfaces, and we just kind of hope they’re fine.
Squeaky Clean was built specifically for how vinyl behaves, so you don’t have to guess.
Will this remove or damage printed areas?
Squeaky Clean is designed to be gentle on prints and surface finishes.
As with any cleaner, avoid aggressive scrubbing and always test lightly if you’re unsure, but under normal use it should not harm printed areas.
Will this pull plasticizer out of my toy?
No aggressive extraction.
Squeaky Clean is designed to clean without stripping plasticizer from the surface. It works with the material instead of against it.
Do I need to rinse after using it?
Yes, a light rinse is recommended after cleaning.
This isn’t because the cleaner will damage the vinyl if left on, but because it can leave a light surface residue if not rinsed.
For best results:
Rinse with clean water and dry completely before storing.
A rinse-free version for light cleaning is something I’m actively exploring for the future.
Can I use this on all inflatables?
Squeaky Clean is intended for soft vinyl inflatables.
If you’re using it on something different or unfamiliar, test a small area first.
Is this ready to use or do I need to mix it?
Both options are available.
– Ready-to-use spray: use directly
– Concentrate: dilute before use according to instructions
Why is this a beta launch?
Because real-world use makes better products.
Squeaky Clean works, but feedback from the community helps refine things like scent, feel, and overall experience.
If you use it, your input helps shape what it becomes.
What should I clean with (cloth, sponge, etc.)?
A soft microfiber cloth is recommended.
Avoid anything abrasive. Gentle contact is all you need.
Can I use this as a regular maintenance cleaner?
Yes. It’s designed for routine cleaning as well as occasional deeper cleans.