Your stuffed animal comes with a music box inside. It’s very old, fur or limbs are falling apart, or it’s fragile to hold. There are items that have been glued on like plastic eyes, legs, arms, ears, or sequins. The animal is wearing delicate clothing that is sewn permanently on and can’t be removed like a glittery dress or an easily broken crown. The animal is stuffed with small foam balls instead of batting.
Instead of using a top loading machine, you could take a large load of laundry to a laundromat and wash your stuffed animal with that load.
Don’t just spot clean in case the stain has penetrated beneath the surface. If a stain gets into the stuffing, germs and odors can linger. For example, if a child is potty training and urinates on the toy, the insides may be soaked despite rinsing any visual signs of the stain away.
Don’t use too much soap or it may be difficult to rinse off.
You may gently ring out your animal depending on its condition. Older animals may easily fall apart if mishandled.
Your child may place the toy in her mouth so be sure that any cleaning agent is safe. There are numerous cleaners that are marketed specifically for cleaning stuffed animals. Find a cleaner that’s safe and works for you. You may also use unscented baby detergent with a damp cloth to spot clean.
You may use a vacuum if you feel your animal will not get damaged. Do not shake the bag too vigorously if you feel your animal will come apart.
The sun is a natural stain remover and sanitizer. Spot cleaning doesn’t require a lot of water, so you probably won’t need to hang out an animal that has been spot cleaned.
While heat dries the animal quickly, it can also damage the animal or mat the fur. If your dryer has a fluff air setting, use this to help maintain the fur.
