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Over in the comments of “dust your home with a lint roller,” Homie LXV had a great idea for cleaning your stuffed animals.
If you’ve got a pile of stuffies or plushes, a compressed air can is the perfect thing for getting all the dust off of them.
Any other great ideas for cleaning stuffed animals, or other fur-covered things?
A slightly damp washcloth has worked for me. This was inspired by how we get cat hair off of our slightly velour-like couch. You’ll need to let the plushies air dry afterwards, but it took my collection from being covered in dust to cuddleable!
Would a no heat tumble dry cycle be enough to knock the dust off the toys but cool enough to not damage them?
Not tried this, but the thought popped into my mind
I stick them in the dryer and it works great. However be careful with any that have noses or other parts made out of special material. My big Totoro has a fake leather nose that got damaged in the dryer. 🙁
But I definitely use compressed air to dust my knick knacks that have lots of crevices and details.
To wash stuffed animals, I always stick them in a pillowcase secured with a rubber band. This protects them from getting scratched or losing parts. Wash them normally in the washer and dryer along with your regular clothes. Just be sure not to fill the washer too full. Stuffed animals get really heavy when wet.
I have not used the dryer alone, (I figure that if it is that dusty, I may as well wash it thoroughly.) But if I did use only the dryer, I would cover the eyes and other vulnerable parts with masking tape beforehand.
Carisa, I feel your pain. My Totoro lost a nostril from washing! Since then I have always used the pillowcase method.
I think compressed air is good, but it doesn’t kill germs or wash off drool. =)
I love the pillowcase idea! I have some amazing shoes I need to wash and dry.
As for masking tape, I would worry about it melting in the dryer onto those plastic parts, even on a no heat setting (which still gets warm).
YES!!!! My plushies are the worst about collecting dust! I’ll definitely have to try this! (Which is why I actually store most of my favorites in a china cabinet – yes china cabinets are used primarily for plushies in our house and it’s AWESOME!
http://www.teddyneedsabath.com/
I saw this on shark tank, but have never used it. I have not washed my stuffed dog for a few years since he is getting ratty (he’s 23!), but I plan on sending him here at some point:
http://www.fuzzyrepairshop.com/
I used to put him in the washer, but never the dryer. I’m a terrible friend. 🙁
Thank you for that second link. I’ve been wondering what to do with my much loved stuffie from childhood.
Thanks for the second link. I have a Goodnight Moon bunny that I would love to give to my step-daughter when she’s a bit older (she’s about four weeks right now), but my bunny has gone through some serious loving in the past 15 years. This is a great chance for me to pass on a well-loved friend
My family always brought my stuffed animal collection outside, then we would use the leaf blower on everything. 😀
Oh MAN, I would love to see a photo of this.
Great idea! I think this might work on of our action figure collection so I can dust them without having to repose every one!!
most canned air now has a bittering agent in them to people from huffing them to get high..
I’d love to know if anyone has any suggestions for statues and figures? Right now I use a combination of an air duster, keyboard cleaner, and q-tips (both dry and moist) but humidity really cakes that dust on good