Plush Knowledge
<This sharing is applicable to how to wash a plushie cotton dolls sized between 20 - 40cm.>
Express Version:
For 20cm dolls, use plush toy cleaner or fabric sofa cleaner. For dolls around 40cm, you can use a washing machine or wash them by hand. For small stains, choose cleaners. If there's dyeing on the doll clothes, paint stains, or glue marks, use thinner.
Will the cotton lump together or shrink?
Most of the cotton used in dolls nowadays, such as PP cotton and pearl cotton, are synthetic fibers, not the cotton planted in the fields. A mass of cotton will clump together when it gets wet, but it will return to its fluffy state once it's dried. Synthetic fibers are not hydrophilic and are less likely to shrink.
If you're worried about lumping, just pat it gently after it's dried to make it loose. Sometimes, the doll may seem to become shorter. This is because some types of cotton are soft but not good at maintaining shape, rather than because of shrinkage. You can choose the appropriate type of cotton like pearl cotton or PP cotton according to their characteristics.
———Detailed Introduction Below———
▶️Daily Cleaning:
【20cm】
It's not recommended to wash this size in water! Over time, the surface of the doll's face might get dirty, but usually not with major stains. In such cases, using a plush toy cleaner will do (fabric sofa cleaner can also be used as it has the same effect).
⭐️Usage Method: Most of these cleaners are in the form of foam or liquid sprays. ①Squeeze the cleaner onto the area you want to clean. ②Wait for a while to let the stain dissolve. ③Use a towel, sponge, or wet wipe to wipe it off (check the product instructions to see if it should be wet or dry). ④Dry it with a tissue. ⑤Let it dry in a cool and ventilated place (some can be dried with a hair dryer, but don't keep blowing hot air on one spot).
【40cm】
This size can be washed in water. Let's talk about daily cleaning in several situations.
When the doll just arrives home:
I highly recommend washing the doll in water when it first arrives home! Due to the factory environment, after the dolls are made, they are put into sacks and thrown on the ground, which makes them covered with dust. Many doll moms like to hold the dolls and even sleep with them, and they will inhale the dust on the dolls. So just cleaning the surface is not enough.
☆ Cleaning methods: (1) Washing machine (2) Hand washing and changing the stuffing
(1) Washing machine
Many people think that hand washing is better than using a washing machine. But after washing dozens of dolls, I found that there's no difference between these two methods. In fact, using a washing machine is even more time-saving and convenient. Now, the cotton used by doll factories is also very white and clean, and most of the time, there's no need to change the stuffing.
Cleaning process:
① Empty the washing machine. Don't wash the doll with clothes together.
② Put the doll into a large laundry bag (the laundry bag is not essential, but it's better to have one) and then throw it into the washing machine.
③ Put at most two dolls in the drum washing machine.
④ Pour in laundry detergent. If possible, add fabric softener. These two should not be poured into the same compartment.
⑤ Select the normal cleaning mode (if the stitches on the doll are loose, choose the gentle mode).
⑥ After washing, put it on the balcony to dry in the sun for three days to make sure the cotton inside is dry. (I've tried drying in the sun and in a cool and ventilated place, and there's not much difference. You can choose as you like.)
⑦ If the fur is not smooth after drying, you can use a toothbrush to brush it along the direction of the fur.
(2) Hand washing and changing the stuffing
When washing by hand, you need to take out the cotton by opening the stitches. Use the hidden stitch method to sew it back. Pay attention to your safety when doing it yourself. The process is quite time-consuming.
☆ Cleaning process:
① Find the stitches on the back, use a knife or scissors to pick them open. The length should be about 8cm. Take out the cotton from the opening, and make sure to take out all the cotton from the hands, feet, and head.
② Put it into a basin. Pour water at 40 degrees Celsius to cover the face fabric and add laundry detergent. Soak it for ten minutes.
③ Rub it gently a couple of times and then wash it clean with clear water.
④ Add fabric softener to the water, soak it for three to five minutes and then wash it clean. The specific time depends on the product instructions. (This step is not mandatory, but it can only be done after the doll is washed clean with laundry detergent.)
⑤ Wring it out, clip it with clips and then dry it. Generally, it will be dry in one or two days.
⑥ If you want it to dry faster, when it's about 80% dry, use a hair dryer with warm air to blow along the face fabric. Don't keep it in one place. (It takes about 20 - 30 minutes for one face fabric.)
⑦ After drying, use a toothbrush to brush the face fabric.
⑧ Put the cotton back in. Pay attention to the roundness. Use tools to stuff more cotton into the hands and feet. Sew the face fabric with the hidden stitch method.
For daily small grayish stains:
Use cotton doll cleaner or fabric cleaner. The specific method is the same as the cleaning method for 20cm dolls.
【30cm】
Special-shaped dolls follow the method for 20cm dolls, while dolls like fufu follow the method for 40cm dolls.
‼️No matter what kind of doll it is, frequent cleaning is not recommended. Dolls are not like human faces. There's no need to clean them with wet wipes or lint rollers every day as it can damage the doll's face fabric! And don't believe the rumor that mites will bite and damage the face fabric!
▶️Stains like dyeing, paint, pen marks, and glue marks
When these stains can't be removed by cleaners or laundry detergent, use thinner to remove them. It should be noted that thinner has a strong smell. If you're sensitive to the smell, you can spend some money and ask others to handle it for you.
⭐️Usage Method: ①Apply the thinner directly onto the stain. ②Seal it in a bag for half an hour. It'll be more convenient to remove the stuffing for large-sized dolls. ③Use a brush to scrub it. For small areas, use a cotton swab dipped in thinner and rub hard. ④If the stain is severe, you may need to repeat the steps several times. ⑤For large areas, repeat the steps several times and then soak it in hot water with laundry detergent and wash it clean.
▶️In case of chili oil stains (supplementary)
This method is only suitable for fresh, small stains. For large or long-dried stains, it probably won't work and you may need to seek professional help.
⭐️Method: ①Dry-rub the oily area with dishwashing liquid or makeup remover. ②Put a dry tissue underneath to absorb the oil. ③After rubbing, soak it in laundry detergent water for a while. ④Once it seems okay, let it dry in the sun.
(It's said that thinner can be used, but I haven't tried it. The above are the methods I use to deal with oil stains in daily life. My dolls don't often get oil stains so I haven't cleaned them in other ways.)
▶️Small Reminders:
If you don't play with the dolls for a long time and just leave them aside, remember to put them in bags. They can easily get dusty. When I put my dolls in bags for two months, there was obvious dust on the bags, and this was in a bedroom with relatively little dust.
Dolls are not as fragile as you might think. Just clean them normally and don't worry about damaging them. If the normal cleaning steps can damage them, then it's inevitable that they'll get damaged sooner or later.
Bellen Hou has built the company in 2015, but the factory has been exported custom plush toys for 13+ years. Factory is located in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, eastern part of China.
