How to Properly Clean Stuffed Animals, Stuffed Plush Toys

If you're the parent of at least one child, then you undoubtedly have some stuffed plush toys at your house. Or, maybe you don't have any children, or, you're an "Empty Nester", but you can't resist collecting some of these cute, soft toys. Whatever the case may be, children and adults alike love stuffed plush toys, or "Plushies", as they are often called. They're cute to look at, soft to cuddle with, and fun to play with. Even if you have just one, you'll need to know how to properly clean your stuffed plush toy.

Ever since 1902, when Morris and Rose Michtom of New York made the first Teddy Bear, they have become the most famous stuffed plush toys. If you collect teddy bears as an investment, for example, you'll never want to place them in the washing machine. You'll need to take good care of them by dusting them off periodically with a clean, soft rag. Use a rag and a mild detergent to spot clean them, if necessary.

Otherwise, to clean stuffed plush toys that your kids play with, check their tags to find out what the recommended cleaning procedure is. There are typically symbols on the tags that will show you if they can be machine washed, what water temperature to use, if they can be dried in the clothes dryer, and so on.

Some of the most popular manufacturers of stuffed plush toys are Ty, Gund, Russ Berrie, Steiff, and Build-A-Bear Workshop. Ty for example, manufactures a wide variety of teddy bears, dogs, cats, horses, crabs, tigers, seals, and much, much more! Authentic Beanie Babies always have tags attached to them. These stuffed plush toys can't be laundered in a washing machine. The manufacturer recommends, to keep them looking good, that you wipe them off with a clean, damp rag. Then, allow them to air dry. Beanie Babies that have long fur can be gently brushed after they are cleaned.

Stuffed plush toys that can be washed in a machine should be placed in a mesh bag or a pillow case first. Zip the bag shut or tie the end of the pillow case shut. Then, follow the instructions on the tags to launder them.

If the care tag is missing on a Plushy, or, if it doesn't give specific instructions on how to wash it, you can usually launder them on the gentle cycle using cold water. Woolite™ is a gentle detergent you can use on stuffed plush toys that are just lightly soiled. But if the toys are really dirty, use Tide™ or another quality laundry detergent. You can pretreat stubborn stains with a product like Shout™.

Some stuffed animals can't be placed in a clothing dryer. So, to dry these Plushies, lay them out on a thick towel in the sunshine. The sunshine will not only dry them, but it will also sterilize them too. A plus if you have small children who like to sleep with, or cuddle with, their stuffed plush toys.

And finally, you shouldn't wait until you actually see dirt on a stuffed plush toy before you wash it. The cloth material can hold a large amount of dust in it. This dust can aggravate Asthma, allergies, and other respiratory ailments.

Therefore, you need to periodically clean stuffed plush toys to remove harmful dust from them. Toys that can't be washed in a machine can be carefully cleaned with a vacuum cleaner that has a hose and attachments.