How to Wash Your Child’s Precious Stuffed Toys
Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist, and New York Times bestselling author of My Boyfriend Is Boiling In My Purse … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha About . Her flagship column, Ask a Pure Man, debuted in 2011.
If you have a child, he probably has a precious stuffed toy that is half toy, half friend, and half napkin. When a child really loves a toy, he carries it with him everywhere. Of course, this is cute, but at the same time very disgusting. This means that at some point you will have to wash this stuffed animal. Here’s what you need to know about this potentially dangerous task.
I stumbled upon you while searching the internet for how to peel my stuffed lamb called LambChop. I have an old, old stuffed lamb that belonged to my mother before she passed away 4 years ago. When she was sick for 10 years, she slept with him every night and snuggled up to him. After she passed away, I kept him and slept with him, thinking about her.
Poor LambChop is very, very dirty and worn out. I need to clean it to make it white again and not so gray, but I’m afraid to put it in the washing machine. I wouldn’t care if it was my mother’s, and she loved him, and so did I. How can I clean it so it doesn’t fall apart and still turn white again? It is now untagged, so I can’t read the instructions for it. Thanks for any help you can give me, I appreciate it.
This is very sweet, and as a grown woman who loves my Paddington Bear more than anyone or anything in the world, I completely understand you. (As I write this, Teddy is slung over my shoulder, working from home is a great gift!) I also loved this question because it illustrates so well the differences that can be when washing plush toys; some plush toys are older or more beloved than others, which can influence how you clean them.
In the case of LambChop, we will treat her (him? I apologize if I misinterpreted Ole Lammi!) By gentle hand washing. But in the case of an ordinary plush toy, machine wash is great. Let’s start with these instructions as they are relatively simple before we move on to the hand wash method.
Machine washable plush toys
Most plush animals can be safely wrung out in the washing machine, although of course there is always the possibility of damage to them, and you must take this into account.
With that said, machine washable is a great choice for most parents looking to clean their kids ‘stuffed animals (or kids looking to clean their parents’ stuffed animals!). Here are the best practices for this operation:
- Use the gentlest setting available on your washing machine.
- Wash your plush toys in cold water and a mild detergent.
- If disinfection is a concern, choose warm or hot water and / or consider using a product like Lysol Laundry Sanitizer , which is safe for both white and colored items, unlike chlorine bleach.
- If the size and shape of the toy allows, place it in erasable mesh bags to protect parts. Padding the drum of a washing machine with towels can add another layer of protection.
- Air drying will be the most gentle option, and a hair dryer on low to medium heat can help to ruffle the fur as soon as the toy reaches the almost damp stage (take that as the final touch!).
- A tumble dryer will work too, and it is best to use a low heat setting.
Soft toys for hand washing
Before I move on to the instructions on how to wash your hands, please make a quick note so you don’t see this WORD WORD and think that washing your hands is some kind of crazy job! I like to be careful when I write instructions, but don’t let the number of words scare you: washing your hands is actually pretty painless.
Step 1: Choose a place where hand washing will take place.
A kitchen sink is ideal for hand washing, but a spacious bathroom sink, kitchen sink, bathtub, or laundry bucket will also work. You need space that is large enough for you to submerge an object in the water, and enough space for you to put your hands in there without creating a huge watery mess. And of course, make sure the area where you wash your hands is clean.
Step 2: Add water, detergent and enhancer if needed.
Fill a sink with warm water and detergent and add a small amount of mild detergent. Detergent is easy to abuse and can make rinsing a nightmare; Measuring out a teaspoon and adding more if necessary is a good way to avoid using too much detergent.
On the product side, regular laundry detergent, Dr. Bronner’s shampoo, or even Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo will do – you don’t need a special product, but if you need one, The Sweethome recommends soaking , which is prohibited. rinsing formula for hand wash.
For dirty, stained, or discolored stuffed animals, using a booster like OxiClean, Borax or baking soda combined with prolonged soaking of the toy in a solution of detergent will help brighten up your friend.
Step 3: Wash.
Submerge the plush toy in water with a pumping motion until it is saturated with the detergent solution. Then let it hang and soak well for 15-60 minutes, depending on its condition and how dirty it is. Worrying from time to time can also help remove noise.
Step 4: rinse.
After the garment has been absorbed, drain off the wash water. It will probably be pretty disgusting! It’s okay if you find the water condition oddly satisfactory. (By the way, my longtime readers and podcast listeners send me pictures of their dirty wash water because I have a strange set of interests / condescending audience!)
After the water has drained off, wipe off or rinse the lather off the sink, then fill it with clean water and pump the scarecrow several times while it is in the water to release the soap. Repeat as needed until foam forms on the toy. If the toy is sturdy, you can also rinse it directly under running water.
Step 5: Dry.
Before removing the scarecrow from the drained sink, press down gently to squeeze out as much water as possible. Then transfer it to a clean towel and roll it up by pressing again to drain more water. Then place the item on a towel to dry. If the toy looks a little tangled when it is almost damp and dry, use the hair dryer on the lowest setting to fluff up the fibers again.
This story was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with new information on March 2, 2020.