How to Machine Wash a Gotz Doll
Both children and doll collectors enjoy Gotz dolls. Gotz manufactures companion dolls similar in design and quality to American Girl dolls. Gotz dolls are slightly more durable because the rooted hair holds up better to rough play than a wig. For many parents the decision to buy a Gotz doll instead of an American Girl doll was decided by two factors—an affordable price and the ability to machine wash the doll. Yet even though the doll can be machine washed, you need to be careful not to damage the doll.
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Things You'll Need
- Two soft wash cloths
- Small pail
- Mild laundry detergent
- Doll brush
- Doll comb
- One hair elastic
- Mesh wash bag for delicate laundry
- King size white pillow case
- One towel
- Laundry drying rack
Instructions
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Remove the doll’s clothes. Make a solution of mild detergent and warm water in small pail, following the detergent manufacturer’s instructions for measurements. Dip a soft wash cloth into the cleaning solution and wipe off any surface debris.
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Examine the doll’s hair. If her hair is soiled, use the detergent solution to remove excess dirt. Comb out any tangles with a doll comb and braid it to prevent tangling during the wash. If the doll’s hair is not soiled, detangle her dry hair with a doll brush and braid it.
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3
Place the doll in a mesh wash bag (lingerie laundry bag). Make certain the doll’s arms and legs are in normal position and not bent. Put the doll in a king size white pillow case. Shut the pillow case and tie the end in a knot to prevent the doll from falling out during washing.
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Select the delicate cycle, cold water and small load options on your washing machine. Choose an extra rinse cycle. Allow the cold water to begin filling the machine tub.
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Add mild dye-free and fragrance-free detergent to the cold water.
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Put the doll in the washing machine. Add dirty doll clothes, if they are light colored. Do not add clothes that may have dyes that can run.
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Remove the doll and doll clothes from the washing machine after she has completed a full wash and two rinse cycles. Wrap the doll in a towel to soak up excess water.
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Lay the doll flat and face-down on a laundry drying rack to air dry. (Dry the doll clothes on the rack too because a dryer may shrink them.) The doll may take two days to fully dry. Make sure the doll is completely dry before dressing her and resuming play to prevent the formation of mildew.
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Dress the dry doll in clean clothes and style her hair as desired. Your doll should now be ready for play.
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Tips & Warnings
The Gotz doll’s hair should still be soft and shiny after machine washing. If not, spray leave-in conditioner in her hair. Brush the conditioner through her hair to distribute it evenly and style as desired.
Hair spray can remove ink stains on the doll. Apply hair spray directly to the ink stain and let it sit for 5 minutes. Wipe away the hair spray and ink residue with a clean wet cloth.
Substitute a hair net for an elastic to keep the doll’s hair neat and tangle-free during a wash. You can leave the hair loose when you use a hair net. Doll specialty shops carry doll-size hair nets. You can also cut and sew a regular hair net to fit your doll.
Use the brush that came with your Gotz doll for all detangling and styling. However, if you lost the brush, use a brush with a cushion base and metal bristles such as a wig brush. Vent brushes with the ball-tipped bristles also work on the Gotz doll because she has rooted hair. (Wig brushes without ball-tips are safer for dolls with wigs such as the American Girl dolls. Ball-tipped bristles can damage doll wigs.) Plastic, nylon and boar bristle brushes and plastic combs snag and tangle plastic doll hair. Metal combs are also the safest choice for plastic doll hair. You can find doll combs and brushes at doll specialty shops and on-line.
