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My daughter has these animals that hang on her backback through the school year that definitely needed a wash so let’s go through how to wash stuffed animals together.
The main difficulty when it comes to washing stuffed stuffed animals is actually in drying them quickly so the stuffing inside doesn’t get moldy.
Supplies Needed to Wash Stuffed Animals
There are a few special supplies that I like to use when I wash stuffed animals:
- OxiClean: I like Oxi as a general cleaner for stuffed animals because it can deal with a lot of different stains and general grime. If you don’t have it (you should!) you can use liquid dishwashing soap or shampoo.
- bucket: I soak my stuffed animals in a bucket but you can use the sink if they will fit. I use these for hand washing all the time and actually have three of them used just for laundry/stain removal.
- small fan: To get the animals dry as quickly as possible, I like to set them up in front of a fan. Bonus points for one you can sit on the bathroom counter and adjust so it’s pointing right at them.
Then of course you need your stuffed animals that need washing!
How to Wash Stuffed Animals
If the toys have anything removable such as a hook or clothing, take them off. Clothes can be washed by hand separately (you can even get your kids to do it).
Fill your bucket with warm water and half a scoop of OxiClean or a squirt of dish soap.
Add the toys and push around so they get evenly wet. If they float, stick the dirtiest side down. Let soak for 15 to 30 minutes, or longer if they’re really dirty.
Remove toys from bucket and rinse well.
Squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands.
Wrap the stuffed animal in a towel and press on it to remove even more water. You really want to do this aggressively so you can get as much water out as possible from the beginning.
Sit the stuffed animal in front of a fan to dry. I flipped these every 30 minutes or so and it took a few hours to get them completely dry.
If you have more stains that need attention you can spot clean with your favorite spot remover. I think these are fine as they are.
They may not look completely like new, but these stuffed animal charms are looking a lot better now and ready for a new school year. (Note: I also cleaned up the clip on Totoro with a Magic Eraser, and if I’d had a bleach pen handy I might have tried it on the string on the dinosaur. But still a lot better than it was!)
