How to Clean and Freeze Stuffed Animals

Every child has a favorite stuffed animal, and many children have a room full of them. Whether it is just one or 50 stuffed animals, the toys should be cleaned frequently because there could be microscopic mites living inside the stuffed animal. Washing a stuffed animal in a washing machine will get all the outside dirt off, but will not kill the mites that are living inside the stuffed animal.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Washing machine
• Dryer
• Freezer
• Freezer bags
• Vacuum

How To Clean and Freeze Stuffed Animals

1. Vacuum your stuffed animals. Vacuuming the toys regularly will get rid of the mites' waste and avoid any excess waste from collecting in your dryer.

2. Place the stuffed toys inside your washing machine and wash with hot water (this kills the mites on contact).

3. Put the stuffed animals into the dryer on a hot heat. This will kill the mites that didn't die in the washer. Change your lint tray right after this process as the waste will have collected.

4. Many stuffed animals cannot be washed due to the type of material it's made from or its shape. Freeze these stuffed animals instead. Put the toys into a freezer bag, lock it tightly shut and place it in the freezer. The stuffed animals should be kept in the bags for at least eight hours. This will kill and suffocate any mites inside. After the freezing treatment, remove the toys from the bag and dry the animals in the dryer on a high heat to make sure that all the mites are completely dead.

Tips & Warnings

• People with severe asthma should handle stuffed animals closely as they could trigger an asthmatic attack.

References

• How To Safely Wash Stuffed Animals
• Killing Dust Mites