Alcohol wipes handle most school supplies. Skip the bleach.

Most school supplies come clean with a 70% alcohol wipe or warm soapy water. Bleach is the thing that actually damages them.

Here’s the breakdown. Hard plastic stuff — rulers, pencil cases, binders, lunchboxes — wipe down fine with alcohol wipes or a dish-soap-and-water cloth. Same for calculators, just don’t get the screen wet; alcohol on a microfiber cloth for the body, and a tiny drop of dish soap on the screen is enough.

Crayons and