What I did was wash the plant in a soapy mixture for about a min and then rinsed it off. I did this about three times. Then I re-potted it in a clay pot with stones at the bottom and used an organic fertilizer free soil that DID have perlite so I covered up all the dirt with a layer of 1" to 4" stones. At this point do you think it should be safe for my little boy to start playing in? It was next to his cage and he keeps climbing on the screen where it is so I am thinking that he really wants it in there haha.