Washing stuffed animals?

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 2:47 PM

Okay, so I know this is a completely random topic but I need to know. I've recently moved into a dorm for college and I brought one of my stuffed animals with me. Problem is, she's kinda dirty and I was planning on washing her. Can she be put in the washing machine and dried in it? Or does she need to be hang dried? I'd really appreciate any help/advice on this! Or else I'll have to wait til I go home for vacation to wash her.

lykhaos117 • 7 October 2016 at 2:50 PM

@fairy_tail

I think it depends on what sort of plushie she is. They usually have instructions on the tag. I recommend wiping her off with a wet paper towel if you're not sure. 😊

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 2:54 PM

@lykhaos117

She's actually so old that her tag came off (I think because she doesn't have a tag anymore haha) so I can't check.☹️ She's a plain stuffed rabbit, nothing special about her (like shiny fur, accessories, clothes, etc). I can try wiping her with a towel, but she's pretty dirty so I don't know if it will be enough.XD

lykhaos117 • 7 October 2016 at 2:56 PM

@fairy_tail

You could spray some stain remover on the towel then. I'm not really sure if that'll clean her up completely though. >_<

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 2:59 PM

@lykhaos117

Gonna have to go to the store for that then - we don't have any around at the dorm. I'd hand wash her if I could but the problem is, I don't have time for that nor do I have any bar soap lying around. I'll try the towel trick though once morning comes around. I'm scared that the dryer will shrink her if I leave her inside.^^;

lykhaos117 • 7 October 2016 at 3:00 PM

@fairy_tail

Good luck! *hugs*

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 3:01 PM

@lykhaos117

Thanks! *hugs* ❤️


If anyone has any other suggestions/experience/knowledge, I'm open to them!😃

promise • 7 October 2016 at 3:29 PM

@fairy_tail

Make sure it doesn't have a lot of bleach in it because it will take out all color. Even if it is white it will be super white.

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 3:31 PM

@promise

What if it's just regular detergent? It's the powder type that doesn't have bleach.

What I'm most concerned about is the dryer. Is it okay to dry it in the washing machine? Or is hang dry preferable?

promise • 7 October 2016 at 3:33 PM

@fairy_tail

One, the washer is rough and if it is an old stuffed animal, it can rip. If it has cotton stuffing I wouldn't wash it because it will bunch up.

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 3:40 PM

@promise

Ah. I see. Even if you set the spin setting to 0?

promise • 7 October 2016 at 4:19 PM

@fairy_tail
I wouldn't risk it, I think hand washing is the way to go.

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 4:20 PM

@promise

Alright, thanks!

momokie • 7 October 2016 at 4:29 PM

@fairy_tail

I would put it in the washer if you can spin on 0 with cold water and I heard putting her in a pillow case first may help. Google it lol and hang dry it c: ♡ The heat from the dryer could dissolve anything maybe glued on.

fairy_tail • 7 October 2016 at 4:35 PM

@momokie

I have a clothes net and yes, I can set it to cold water and 0 spin.😊 Thank you! This really helps.^^

I did Google it lol. I just wanted a second opinion and maybe some advice from someone who did it before.XD

shirona • 7 October 2016 at 7:34 PM

@fairy_tail

I use a steam cleaner on mine. It's over a decade old, and personally wouldn't risk cleaning it any other way. Used the brush attachment that came with the steam cleaner and lightly misted with 50/50 cleaning vinegar solution. Smells great, feels clean, still looks brand new 😊

Not sure how dirty you mean by dirty, but like lykhaos117 said, spot treating with a stain remover should help. The combination of steam and vinegar solution will dissolve any dirt trapped in the stuffing, plus get rid of odors once dried.

Sometimes what goes into a washer doesn't come out the same...

fairy_tail • 8 October 2016 at 2:05 AM

@element

The dorm is very limited, so I don't have a steam cleaner.^^; But I will try the stain remover if I have the chance to buy some.

Thanks for the advice!😃

shirona • 8 October 2016 at 8:57 AM

@fairy_tail
You could buy both the cleaner and remover online? It'll come in useful for other things later on.

You're welcome 😉

fairy_tail • 8 October 2016 at 10:57 AM

@element

Haha, I don't think the dorm will allow me to drag the cleaner in.XD Plus, our dorms are very tiny so I wouldn't have a place to put it in anyway.((: But the remover I can buy in the grocery nearby, hopefully.

shirona • 8 October 2016 at 11:35 AM

@fairy_tail
Steam cleaners come in all sizes now. Bought one from conair recently that's roughly the size of a blow dryer and it's doing a great job so far.

anne • 8 October 2016 at 1:18 PM

When I wash my cats stuffed animals I usually tie them in a pillow case and dry them in the dryer. I haven't had any issues!

fairy_tail • 8 October 2016 at 1:35 PM

@element @anne

I actually put her inside a net and placed her in the washing machine. Set the spin to 0 and dried her for 40 minutes. She's okay.^^

So thanks everyone for help! I'll keep the advice in mind for the future.

cats4purrs • 15 October 2016 at 4:51 PM

I love stuffed animals
I don't wash them because they can be mildew smelling

puggirl • 14 November 2016 at 9:41 PM

my sister washed a stuffed animal with big eyes and the eyes got scratched

jello • 14 November 2016 at 11:21 PM

I just hand wash stuffed animals, just to be precautionary.

bingo • 15 November 2016 at 12:33 AM

Good to hear nothing bad happened to her! I have had so many stuffed animals over the years but don't like to wash them. If anything the furthest we've done is put them in a mesh bag to wash (and only wash with super soft things like blankets, nothing with zippers/buttons) and then air dry. Usually though I prefer to just try to dry wash them with paper towels as best I can.

There is apparently a thing though where you can get them professionally cleaned, so there's that!

emi804 • 18 December 2016 at 5:32 AM

I washed one of my plushies in a washing machine and nothing happened, but for others it may not turn out so well.

playdate • 11 January 2017 at 1:34 PM

I like just hand washing them I'm to scared to put them in a washer some of mine are15yrs old lol.

valeriem205 • 30 January 2017 at 12:25 AM

If no one has said this before, hand wash the stuffed animal and then put it in a pillowcase. Then put the pillowcase in the dryer and turn it on. The pillowcase should protect the stuffie.





I have a hammock full of stuffed animals hanging over my bed and a 5 ft tall stuffed bear. My mom says that I could make a mattress out of the stuffed animals. I tried once. It didn't work.

vos • 30 January 2017 at 12:34 AM

If stuffed animals can't tolerate a washing machine then there's no point to them. Wash in the machine on a hot day and hang on the line to dry.

Mostly toys are stuffed with polyester which can tolerate machine washing.