Cleaning of Toys

You can hand wash stuffed animals and dry in the machine i say hand wash because the agaitation in machines can cause the seems to rip..and if drying in the machine put it on delicate low heat cycle

I would soak them and hand wash. You have no idea how well they are made. I've done several repair jobs thinking something would hold up in the washer & it didn't.

Hi D.! I put my kids stuffed animals in pillow case and tie the open end in a knot. I wash them in cold water on a short cycle. I then let them air dry or put the stuffed animals in the closed pillow case in the dryer for a short time and then let them air dry.

Hope this helps! D.

Looks like I'm a loner here - Ha ha ha! "Clean freaks" will love me - I never really washed my kids stuffed animals. None of us have allergies and we're rarely sick... I keep up on all the basics. the stuffed animal thing was never an issue. My kids each have some - 4? that they like to sleep with and most of the others just hang out, collecting dust. I know, I know... dust mites and the like... but it's never bothered us. You can't possibly get rid of all of it. Why worry unless it's causing a problem. Like someone else I read here, I spray them with lysol every once in a while. I've just recently started putting them in the dryer on fluff (no heat) a couple times a year to get some dust out. I'm actually afraid to start washing them now b/c I'll feel like I have to keep doing it and to tell you the truth, I have enough to keep up with cleaning without worrying about all those stuffed animals. There are plenty of other things around here that need my attention more! =) Now, if your kid is chewing on them, dragging them around the house on the floor and outside, dipping them in the toilet - absolutely stick 'em in the washer! If you feel the need to wash them - sounds here like you can probably get away with the washing machine! Good to know!

Put them in a pillow case and knot the top and you can run them through the washer and dryer (on low), I've been doing this for years and never had a problem.

I don't think it's ok to wash most stuffed animals. I would try putting them in a pillowcase and washing them on the gentle cycle. I've done that with a few stuffed animals and they come out ok. I've never tried to dry them though. I just let them air dry. You could try to dry them in the pillowcase too. Maybe on low?

My MIL suggested going to the store and buying one of those self dry cleaning kits located in the laundry detergent section. I personally haven't done it but she has and said it works quite well.

Hi D.,
Just put the animals in a pillow case and then, wash them in your machine. Either put them in the dryer or air dry.
M.

My mom always put ours in a pillow case and fix the end with a rubberband. Washing the machine and then lay them out in the sun to dry. Don't forget to rotate! I still do this for my son's favorites. he has horrible allergies. They may have a couple lumpy areas, but not as bad if you lay them to dry...Good Luck!

I have always washed and dried my son's stuffed animals just like regular laundrey. You want to make sure you have a safe detergent so if they don't get 100% rinsed it won't cause any issues for your children. I use laundrey detergent from Melaleuca.com and it works great.

I have also washed stuffed animals that used to play music when their belly was squeezed... needless to say when those go through the wash they don't play music any more :) I just spot clean those!

Hope this helps!

I was my kids' stuffed toys in the washer all the time. Simply tie them into a pillowcase and let them go along for the ride, in cold water of course, and dry them like regular. They'll be fluffy and smelling like springtime!!

I have machine washed all the stuffed animals. I figure if it can't make it throught he washer then it needs to go. I tumble dry it in the dryer so it does not over heat the dryer. But I feel better when they have been machine washed

I would wash them in the machine, but sit them out to dry.
Some of the fur will "melt" and not look nice once coming out of the dryer. ;o)

I've washed and dryed my sons' sutfed toys with no problems. I put them in a mesh bag to make sure other items to not pick the fabric or scratch the plastic eyes or buttons. I have also handwashed stuffed toys in dish soap and dryed in the dryer machine. Sme fibers do not react well to intense heat from the dryer, so I suggest doing a fluff dry and letting the rest of the wetness air dry in the sun.

I used to wash them inside of a pillow case. It would prevent them from tearing and leaving lint traces inside of the machine. I would then dry them with a tennis ball.

I have always washed in the washing machine, but will hang dry or set in a warm sunny spot to dry. This way the dryer won't ruin the "fur" or singe it.

Put all the stuff animals in a pillow case and wash in cleft baby detergent.
M.

We wash all we can on hot in the gentle cycle. For those toys that you cannot wash, seal up (I use a vacuum sealer) in a bag and put them in the freezer for 48 hours. It kills all bacteria and allergens.

i wash my childs stuffed animals. and they come out fine. i have even dryed some in the dryer. i just wash them on delicate cold water

Hi, D. -

I’ve had really good luck with just submerging the stuffed toys in water (even though it usually says not to). I’ve washed a lot of stuff in the sink with liquid Ivory soap, and there have been a few times where I’ve thrown a few small things in a (tied) pillowcase and just tossed them into the washing machine with my son’s clothes. You may want to watch some of the brighter stuff – obviously a new stuffed Elmo may bleed a bit of color, so maybe just do the more bold colors in the sink at first. It’s possible that I’ve just been lucky so far and I would hate to give bad advice, so you may want to stick with just wiping any especially precious lovies with a damp cloth. Good luck!

I tie them in a pillow case and throw them in the washer and dryer. If they have Barbie-type hair, don't dry them, though. It melts the hair together into a big clump.

Depending on the type of "fur" they have...I usually put them in a pillowcase and wash them, I've had a few that I probably shouldn't have dried, but try to tumble them on low or no heat (air dry in dryer)

I've always just laid out the stuffed animals and sprayed them with Lysol on each side. Let it dry, of course, before allowing children to play with them. And then any visible stains, I spot clean. There are a few I've thrown in the washer, but this has always seemed to be a faster, easier way for me to get rid of germs. With 3 boys, I have A LOT of toys!!!!

When my kids (3 boys) were little I would put their stuffed animals in a pillow case and secure it with a rubber band to keep it closed. Then I would just toss it in with a load of clothes and dry it the same way.

I do it all the time. Sometimes "surface clean only" just doesn't cut it for me. You know what kids do to those animals? Ick! I realize that some of the toys may fall apart in the washer, so keep that in mind. Wouldn't want to ruin a favorite! But I usually just throw them in and put it on a gentle wash cycle. I have also heard that it is a good idea to put them all into a pillowcase and tie it up before putting them in the washer. That's probably a more gentle way to wash them, but I've had good luck being lazy and not using a pillowcase. Be careful drying them too. Put the dryer on the lowest heat setting and maybe put a couple towels in with them to speed up drying time and to cushion them a little. I've gotten scuffed eyeballs on a couple toys so ones with hard parts are probably good to put inside a pillowcase too!

Hi D.,
I wash all my kids stuffed animals. Some are delicate, so we put it in delicates. Some can be heavy washed. As for being dried, we dry them if they are heavy cotton with normal clothing, if they are delicate, than on a lower setting with shorter time. So they don't get burned or catch on fire. Good Luck!