How to clean a unicorn
February 26, 2019 5:29 AM Subscribe
Exactly what it says on the tin. I have a very well-loved stuffed unicorn very much the worse for wear from years as a pillow. She gets a scrub with Woolite on and off, but I'd like to restore her to her former glory, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. What do I do? If it matters, we have a washing machine but not a dryer.
Agreed that there isn't quite enough info here to really answer, but in general, googling "plush toy restoration" will bring up a lot of good resources.
Pretty much you'll need to unstuff her, thoroughly clean her outsides (this Martha Stewart tutorial is about damaged toys, but the advice is pretty sound about care), then restuff and be able to handsew the stuffing point closed. Only air dry the outer plush, never machine try. You also want to use a stiff brush or possibly a plastic pocket comb to "fluff up" the fur (depending on the length and texture of the fur originally).
A photo would be a big help here.
posted by anastasiav at 5:54 AM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
Pretty much you'll need to unstuff her, thoroughly clean her outsides (this Martha Stewart tutorial is about damaged toys, but the advice is pretty sound about care), then restuff and be able to handsew the stuffing point closed. Only air dry the outer plush, never machine try. You also want to use a stiff brush or possibly a plastic pocket comb to "fluff up" the fur (depending on the length and texture of the fur originally).
A photo would be a big help here.
posted by anastasiav at 5:54 AM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Sorry, I tend to imagine all stuffed animals as being made of the same generic materials, I hadn't thought as far as specific fabrics. The label says only "contents: shredded synthetic foam," and I suspect the outside is similarly synthetic plush/fuzzy stuff. (I don't have a place to post a photo online currently...) If that makes it difficult to answer, that's fine; thanks for helpful answers already.
posted by huimangm at 6:30 AM on February 26, 2019
posted by huimangm at 6:30 AM on February 26, 2019
Try your local dry cleaners -- they may be able to do something
posted by mumimor at 7:14 AM on February 26, 2019
posted by mumimor at 7:14 AM on February 26, 2019
In the past I have washed my kids' stuffed toys by putting them in a pillowcase that I tied closed, machine wash on a gentle cool cycle and machine dried - all in pillow case. If the toy has a fake fur surface this works less well than if it's cotton or velour. Depends some on just how grody the toy is. I know you said you don't have a dryer - this is a good time to see if a friend has one or if there is a laundromat that has dryers with temperature control. Many laundromat dryers run extremely hot and I would not use one of those.
Unstuffing, washing and re-stuffing sounds like a lot of work to me - guess it depends on how full a restoration you are after.
posted by leslies at 7:18 AM on February 26, 2019
Unstuffing, washing and re-stuffing sounds like a lot of work to me - guess it depends on how full a restoration you are after.
posted by leslies at 7:18 AM on February 26, 2019
Seconding the pillowcase method! Easy and effective.
posted by Threeve at 7:26 AM on February 26, 2019
posted by Threeve at 7:26 AM on February 26, 2019
If this is really valued, be careful with some of these suggestions. I tried to wash a stuffed bunny in the washing machine - it wrecked the fur and the ears didn't stand up anymore.
Also, no one has mentioned a hair dryer, but I found out the hard way they can melt Cabbage Patch Kids.
Some people do this professionally. Search "stuffed animal restoration" or "doll hospital." This came up immediately.
posted by FencingGal at 7:32 AM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
Also, no one has mentioned a hair dryer, but I found out the hard way they can melt Cabbage Patch Kids.
Some people do this professionally. Search "stuffed animal restoration" or "doll hospital." This came up immediately.
posted by FencingGal at 7:32 AM on February 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
You can buy mesh bags meant for washing delicate things, and I would look for one. Inspect the seams and fabric carefully. If Unicorn is in pretty good shape, I would wash in a mesh bag, a sink with warm water and laundry detergent. Let it sit for a while so the detergent can do its work, swish it gently, rinse several times, gently. Let it drain in the sink for a while. Wet fabric is heavy and moving it while wet may cause damage. Dry on a towel in a sunny spot. Give it a kiss from Ask.Me.
posted by theora55 at 7:45 AM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 7:45 AM on February 26, 2019 [4 favorites]
I'd try a corner of the fur and see what happens before you immerse the whole thing - it might matt or go strangely stiff after washing. If it's OK and you then wash the whole thing, you might still find the stuffing goes stiff and lumpy if you get it wet, in which case you could then open it up, buy new stuffing, and restuff it.
posted by penguin pie at 7:58 AM on February 26, 2019
posted by penguin pie at 7:58 AM on February 26, 2019
This thread might have some helpful info, plus it's worth reading for geek anachronism's hilarious response.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:25 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:25 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
My kid’s beloved Ty beanie baby has gone through the washer and dryer a few times mixed in with a load of clothes and been fine, but it is definitely robustly made. We also have replaced it with backups from eBay once or twice over the years, which is a good plan B, but only because it gets lost, not because of washing damage. If you tumble dry any plush or fleece thing do it on low temperature or it might stop being fluffy.
posted by w0mbat at 9:05 AM on February 26, 2019
posted by w0mbat at 9:05 AM on February 26, 2019
Syntheic foam degrades over time and becomes sort of shrunken and burnt looking like old paper. If the toy has an objectionable shape, replacing the stuffing with new material will give it more body and structure.
I would not recommend washing it stuffed, as the original foam will further degrade, dry slowly, and deteriorate from exposure to heat and detergent, as both degrade plastics.
I would take a stiff brush (a toothbrush is ideal since it's made for small areas and still soft) and gently brush the fur, and vacuum the toy with a small, gentle nozzle attachment. I would do a test swatch and look carefully for effects of the vacuum, and if it lifts fur, just brush it.
posted by effluvia at 9:15 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
I would not recommend washing it stuffed, as the original foam will further degrade, dry slowly, and deteriorate from exposure to heat and detergent, as both degrade plastics.
I would take a stiff brush (a toothbrush is ideal since it's made for small areas and still soft) and gently brush the fur, and vacuum the toy with a small, gentle nozzle attachment. I would do a test swatch and look carefully for effects of the vacuum, and if it lifts fur, just brush it.
posted by effluvia at 9:15 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
I've had good luck superficially brightening up things like stuffed animals, throw pillows, cloth-covered shoes etc using Oxy Clean diluted in hot water and terrycloth shop towels, wetting the towels in the solution and then cleaning the surface with them. Then more towels with just hot water to get rid of the solution and released grunge, and then dry towels to pat dry.
This doesn't clean the stuffing, but rather avoids cleaning the stuffing, so if you're trying to get rid of some internal funkiness or improve its shape it won't help.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:19 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
This doesn't clean the stuffing, but rather avoids cleaning the stuffing, so if you're trying to get rid of some internal funkiness or improve its shape it won't help.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:19 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
I collect vintage toys, and I would not personally ever run any plush animal through the washer unless I was ok with the possibility that it might come completely apart.
posted by anastasiav at 9:32 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by anastasiav at 9:32 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
I put them in a mesh washing bag and throw them in the washer. They come out fine. Dry cleaning chemicals can change synthetic fur's texture, so I'd stick with a washing machine.
posted by quince at 10:43 AM on February 26, 2019
posted by quince at 10:43 AM on February 26, 2019
depending on how big the unicorn is, I've also washed smaller stuffed animals in the top rack of the dish washer with just a vinegar rinse, on the gentle cycle.
posted by alathia at 11:08 AM on February 26, 2019
posted by alathia at 11:08 AM on February 26, 2019
Yeah, be careful with the washer/dryer suggestions. They will (probably) get your unicorn clean, but they definitely will not restore her to anything close to her original condition. My beautiful pillow pet Stitch had a run-in with the washing machine a year ago (in a pillowcase as suggested here), and while it did remove the gross stuff from his fur, it left him looking a bit worse for the wear -- the fur is now (slightly) matted, the little tuft of hair is less puffy, etc.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 2:20 PM on February 26, 2019
posted by goodbyewaffles at 2:20 PM on February 26, 2019
Response by poster: You guys are great, thanks very much. Will go over the various possibilities and figure out which seems likely to work for me. Maybe I'll even manage to post a picture if I get successful results :)
posted by huimangm at 5:39 AM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by huimangm at 5:39 AM on February 28, 2019 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:40 AM on February 26, 2019