How to Clean Stuffed Animals

You just walked in from a trip to Build-A-Bear when your 5 year old spills juice on the brand new bear. You've heard nothing but how much she wants a Build-A-Bear for months and now it's totally ruined, right? Don't throw it out yet, if you follow some simple steps you should be able to restore stuffed animals to their former glory. After all moms work miracles, don't they?

The first thing you'll want to do with any stuffed animal that needs cleaned is check for any tears or rips in the seams. If there are any types of rips or tears then we need a more gentle way of cleaning the stuffed animal. After you have looked for tears and/or rips you need to check and see what the stuffed animal is made out of. We are looking to see if it's made out of natural fibers or not.

If the stuffed animal either has small rips or is made from natural fibers, the last thing you want to do is put it in the washing machine. Putting the toy in the washing machine could ruin it forever. Instead we are going to do a simple hand wash. You will need two wash clothes. Wet the first one and add a gentle soap to it. Hand soap should work just fine. Go over the area that needs cleaning by gently blotting at the stain. Once you feel the stain it gone, take the other wash cloth and just add water to it. Again, blot at the soapy area to rinse the soap out of the stuffed animal. Repeat this process until the toy is completely clean and then let air dry.

Now, let's say you have a stuffed animal that isn't made of natural fibers and doesn't have any rips or tears, what's the easiest way to clean it? You can put it in the washing machine. However, you don't just want to throw the toy into the wash unprotected. Instead place the stuffed animal into a pillowcase first. Then tie a knot in the open end. This will protect it from getting snagged on something. You can also put the stuffed animal in the dryer to dry. However, before putting the toy in the dryer make sure you thoroughly check for any plastic parts like eyes or nose. If the toy has plastic parts on it then you will need to let it air dry because the dryer would melt the plastic.

Lastly, if the animal isn't stained or dirty and you're just looking to freshen it don't bother with the steps above. Simply place the stuffed animal in a paper bag. Then add a little baking soda and shake. This will make the stuffed animal fresh without all of the hassle.