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How To Wash Plushies/Stuffed Animals:
There are a lot of ways to wash plushies. Reading the manufacturer's tag is a good place to start. Ultimately heat and unnecessary roughness are the enemies of plushies. The above pictures are the before/after of the same bear with about 3 trips through the washer/dryer.
Some Don'ts:
Dryer
Heat
High Spin Settings
Bleach
My Method:
1. Check Plushy for durability:
a. Electronic? (If Yes, do not wash!)
b. Weak stitching? (If Yes, do not wash!)
c. Really old? (If Yes, do not wash!)
NEVER EVER put a natural plushie (as in not synthetic) in the wash! (only really expensive 50+ year old plushies...)
2. Put Plushy in a pillow case and tie it shut or safety pin it shut.
3. Set the washer to "COLD" and the most delicate/low settings possible. Use half of the regular detergent. Use a cup of white distilled vinegar if you want.
4. Wash
5. NO DRYER! Air dry only. A fan is helpful for preventing mold.
A dryer works by heating its contents. Plushies are composite works of fabric. This means that the different pieces of fabric/stitching react differently in the presence of heat. The stitching might shrink in the dryer and deform you little friend :(.
There are a lot of ways to wash plushies. Reading the manufacturer's tag is a good place to start. Ultimately heat and unnecessary roughness are the enemies of plushies. The above pictures are the before/after of the same bear with about 3 trips through the washer/dryer.
Some Don'ts:
Dryer
Heat
High Spin Settings
Bleach
My Method:
1. Check Plushy for durability:
a. Electronic? (If Yes, do not wash!)
b. Weak stitching? (If Yes, do not wash!)
c. Really old? (If Yes, do not wash!)
NEVER EVER put a natural plushie (as in not synthetic) in the wash! (only really expensive 50+ year old plushies...)
2. Put Plushy in a pillow case and tie it shut or safety pin it shut.
3. Set the washer to "COLD" and the most delicate/low settings possible. Use half of the regular detergent. Use a cup of white distilled vinegar if you want.
4. Wash
5. NO DRYER! Air dry only. A fan is helpful for preventing mold.
A dryer works by heating its contents. Plushies are composite works of fabric. This means that the different pieces of fabric/stitching react differently in the presence of heat. The stitching might shrink in the dryer and deform you little friend :(.
