Dave Cole

How To Clean Stuffed Animals

Keep your stuffed animals in the best of condition with these tips and pointers for keeping them clean.

How To Clean Stuffed Plush AnimalsBy: Tippy & Alfred

Do you have a stuffed animal and are wondering how to keep it clean?

Stuffed animals are a lot of fun to have around andgreat for kids, but sometimes even they need a bath.

With the proper care, your stuffed animal can provideyou and your children with many years of joy and happiness.

Here's some tips and pointers on how you can clean yourstuffed animals and keep them in great shape.

Most stuffed animals have an outer covering of fake fur,usually synthetic materials (polyester, acrylic or modacrylic) or natural materials (wool, wool/cotton, mohair, or alpaca).And, most stuffed animals come from the manufacturer withinstructions on how to clean them, follow those first.

• Toys stuffed with styrene foam, foam beads or excelsior must Not be washed. Things stuffed with synthetic fiber (usually polyester fiber) or plastic beads can be putin a washing machine.
• If the animal is stuffed very firmly and you put it ina washing machine, it may never dry out, or the stuffingmay shift and cause the stuffed animal to lose it's shape.
• If the stuffed animal has cardboard or hardboard stiffenersor joints, these can be destroyed in a washing machine.
• If the stuffed animal has a sound box: Do Not put itin a washer or dryer.
• To keep your stuffed animal fresh, give it a dry bathon occasion with baking soda. Just sprinkle the bakingsoda on the stuffed animal and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then simply brush it off.
• To keep dust off your stuffed animal, once a weekuse your vacuum cleaner. Most home vacuum cleaners havea hose and brush attachment. Just go lightly over thestuffed animal with the brush. Make sure that itemslike eyes on the stuffed animal are secure beforedoing this.
• You can wash most stuffed animals in your washing machine,however this should be used as a last resort. Before doing this, make sure that there are no loose seamswhere the stuffing can float out.

Put the stuffed animal in a pillowcase and close with a safety pin or two. Then wash as you would any delicateitem. Fabric softener can be added to bring out a fluffy and softer stuffed animal.

Bleeding can occur from other clothes in the washingmachine, so be careful what you wash the animal with.Bleeding can also happen from the fur onto the animalsclothes. If this is a possibility, then remove clothingfrom the animal before washing.

• If the stuffed animal is not badly soiled, you can clean it using a mild, all purpose cleaner and sponge.Spray the cleaner on the area to be cleaned and spongeoff.
• Use a soft scrub brush for badly soiled or stainedareas along with the all purpose cleaner.
• Use rubbing alcohol to remove spots or stains fromplastic parts.
• An upholstery cleaner can be used for stuffed animalsthat cannot be put in a washing machine.
• To get mats out, use an old hairbrush.
• To remove dust mites put the stuffed animal in a plastic bag and then place in the freezer overnight, or outside if the temperature is below freezing. The next day use the vacuum cleaner to go over the animal.

Dying a Stuffed Animal

If you have put your stuffed animal in a washing machine,or it has gotten very wet....it is Not recommended touse a clothes dryer.

Hair dryers can be used for quick surface drying being careful not to get too close to the surface.

However the best thing is to let the stuffed animal air dry. While this may take several days to dry the stuffing, it is the safest method.

If liquid is spilled on the stuffed animal, then shakeas much liquid off as possible, just like a real dogthat gets wet shakes off the water. Then use a dry sponge or paper towels to dab off the remaining liquid.

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