I've explained how I rotate our daily toys and the table games, here's how I rotate the toys that are out everyday. These toys stay out on the toy shelf for at least two weeks.
We have no garage, but use a bedroom for storage. I keep these totes stacked in the storage room. I labeled two lids--one says "Use Next" and the other says "Toy Holding, In Between". All the totes are the same type and the lids can be interchanged on them. The third tote, I don't put the lid on at all, I'll explain why later.
On the day I swap out the toys, I take all the toys off the shelf and wipe down the shelf with vinegar and water. The soft toys go into the washing machine and the hard toys go into the dishwasher. There are usually a few mechanical toys that need to be hand wiped with vinegar and water, so I hold those out and wipe them down later.
While the toys are washing, I grab the tub labeled "Use Next". I put those toys on the clean shelf. I put the "Use Next" lid on the tote that had the "Toy Holding" lid on it and I put the "Toy Holding" lid on the tote that didn't have a lid. This ensures I will indeed rotate the toys in order.
As the toys come out of the washer/dryer and dishwasher I shake the water off and toss in the empty tote. I let soft toys that don't go in the dryer air-dry for a few hours, but I don't bother drying off everything. After all the toys are gathered up and put in the tote, I set it on top of my stack and let the toys air-dry for the next two weeks. That's why I don't have a lid for those toys. By the time I rotate again and it's their turn for a lid, they are good and dry.
This makes a great Friday activity to do with the children. They can help gather the toys so you can sort into which washing machine they go into. The toddlers love washing down the shelf with a wet cloth and they love helping to put the new set of toys on the shelf.
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