3 Ways to Wash Stuffed Animals

3 Ways to Wash Stuffed Animals and help keep your kids healthy this flu and cold season.

... and help keep your kids healthy this flu and cold season.

​Every kid loves stuffed animals – they are soft, cute, big, cuddly and easy and fun to play with. But just like any other toy they need to be washed as well. And this is the tricky part because stuffed animals are not always easy to clean. Some of them are too delicate to use a washing machine, some have mechanisms in them and some have details such as glued on eyes or glitter or any other part that will come off if you throw them in the washing machine. But there are some that can totally be washed in the washing machine. And this is the first method we are going to talk about:

​1. Washing machine – first, you need to check if the toy is washable. If it is and there is no danger of some of its parts coming off, go ahead and do it. But make sure you do not use hot water or a dryer.
 
If you are concerned about washing the toys in the washing machine even though their label says it is safe, you can put them in a pillow case or in a mesh laundry bag – it will make washing them more safe.

2. Washing by hand – some stuffed animals are just labelled as non-washable in a washing machine because they have parts that can easily come off, or their material is too delicate for a washing machine. And then there are some toys that are just too old and frail to be put in a washing machine. Here comes the washing by hand – it does not take much to wash a stuffed toy by hand. You will only need some lukewarm or cold water and mild liquid dish soap. Cleaning Services CleanStart Fulham also recommends baking soda to the mixture because it is a natural deodorizer and the smelly toys are easily deodorized by it.

Keep the germs away... 

and feel good knowing that your kids are not cuddling up to the command center for vomit inducing bacteria this cold and flu season.

Truth is that cleaning our children's stuffed animals isn't a chore that we typically think of, but maybe we should. Scientists have found that our children's well-loved stuffed animals as well as other toys can be a breading ground for bacteria. Consider adding regular toy cleaning to your household chore chart or chore calendar. You will feel good knowing that your children are cuddling up to well cleaned loveys during this cold and flu season. ​

Soak the toy in a lukewarm or cold water and squeeze it so that most of the dirt comes out on its own. Then use the mixture to soap and wash the toy. You can use your hands to squeeze or knead the toy, or a toothbrush works great for tricky areas. When you are done washing, rinse until only clear water comes out. Squeeze to remove the excess water and hang dry.
 
3. Spot cleaning plus deodorizing – here you can use the same solution from method 2 – water and liquid dish soap. Only this time you will not soak the toy because it has an electronic mechanism inside of it, or simply because you just need to take care of that one stain. Use a toothbrush to gently scrub the stain or the entire toy if necessary. Soak the toothbrush as often as necessary but try to not soak the toy itself. Let it air dry on its own.
 
Bonus: To deodorize the stuffed toys easily all you will need is a zip-lock bag and baking soda. Put the toy in the bag and sprinkle with a few teaspoons of baking soda. Close the bag and shake well so that the soda is distributed everywhere. Let the toy sit in the bag for an hour then take it out and shake off the baking soda.
 
Regardless of the way you have washed your kids' stuffed animals, you should always hang them dry. It is the safest method even though it might take a while. Make sure you use these methods regularly because stuffed toys can collect a lot of dirt, dust and bacteria in time and can become dangerous to your kids.