How to Wash Stuffed Animals

The scene is all too familiar. Your child is sick with a stomach bug and has spent hours snuggling her favorite stuffed animal. Everything's fine until her precious teddy bear ends up in the line of fire and desperately needs a cleaning. But the tag says "Spot-clean only"! Luckily, most stuffed animals can undergo a more thorough cleaning. The trick is to know how to safely wash them.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Zippered pillowcase
• Gentle laundry detergent
• Scrub brush
• Washing machine
• Dryer

1. Do a bit of damage control. Apply a tiny bit of laundry detergent to a wet scrub brush. Attempt to spot-clean the stuffed animal.

2. If the stuffed animal is still dirty, place it in a zippered pillowcase and zip the case closed. There should be plenty of room in the case for the stuffed animal to move around inside the bag. If the toy is too large, you probably won't be able to safely wash it in the washing machine.

3. Place the pillowcase with the toy inside into an empty washing machine.

4. Add some gentle laundry detergent to the machine and set it for the gentle cycle with a cold water setting.

5. When wash cycle is over, take the pillowcase out of the washer place it in the dryer. Set dryer to the lowest temperature setting.

6. Unzip the bag once the dryer cycle is complete and check the stuffed animal. If it's still damp, run it through another cycle in the dryer.

7. Remove the stuffed animal from the bag and return to you child.

Tips & Warnings

• To give your stuffed animal a quick refresh, you can place it in a paper bag with a little bit of baking soda and shake the bag to coat. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then shake off any excess powder. Your stuffed animal will smell better, and you don't have to worry about submerging it in water.
• If you don't have a zippered pillowcase, you can use a plain one, tied closed.
• Inspect your stuffed animal for ripped seams or loose parts before washing. Repair any ripped seams or tears before attempting to wash the stuffed animal.
• Some stuffed animals (those with plastic inserts, joints, sound boxes or attached accessories or those that are overstuffed) are not recommended for washing.
• Most commercial washers and dryers are too harsh for this process.

Resources

• For more stuffed animal tips.