How to clean a plush pig

February 12, 2006 3:00 PM

Our collective household has a cute little plush toy (6 inches or so tall), a little like a beanie baby in form. Our apartment however, is a dust magnet so he tends to get a little dirty, any ideas on the best way to clean a small plush pig?
posted by nickehsmith to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

I've used a washing machine to clean dirty plush toys.
posted by Julnyes at 3:40 PM on February 12, 2006

If you don't want to use the washing machine, I suggest you vacuum the creature and then clean him as you would a carpet. Whisk some soapy water to create a lot of suds. Scoop up the suds on a damp cloth and use them to massage the fur to cleanliness. Finally, wipe the whole thing with fresh water to remove dirt and soap.
posted by wryly at 4:39 PM on February 12, 2006

I've used a solution of Oxi-clean and water, scrubbed on with a toothbrush and hand dried with a dry towel. It takes a little while, but it works pretty well.
posted by kyleg at 5:05 PM on February 12, 2006

This seems like it might be overkill, but you can always Scotchgard the thing which might help it be not so dust-prone.
posted by jessamyn at 5:58 PM on February 12, 2006

I always gather up an armful of chewed up plush toys from the dogs, spot clean the particularly nasty bits, and dump them all in the washer. They dry out nicely in the dryer.
posted by Roger Dodger at 4:43 AM on February 13, 2006

If you're worried about washing him, try rubbing him with cornstarch and a small brush. That was what some book recommended when my kids were small and it works surprisingly well. However, if he's seriously dirty, as in ground in applesauce or dog spit, only the washing machine will work.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:55 AM on February 13, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks for all your help people, I'll be trying these out later and will post the results ;)
posted by nickehsmith at 2:53 PM on February 16, 2006