Please help me save a favorite doll in need of emergency care!

October 10, 2015 5:30 PM

A favorite doll (Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl, to be specific) was lost for quite some time, but newly discovered in a box out in our shed. After almost a year of being exposed to a lot of moisture, she is a moldy mess.

Normally I would just throw her in the washing machine, but she has a pull-string and a battery-powered voice box which is still functional. I'd like to try to salvage her somehow, but I'm not sure what to do. I'd like to avoid buying a new one, if possible, as she was somewhat expensive. Any suggestions??

posted by I_love_the_rain to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

Try wiping with a sponge soaked in vinegar.
posted by brujita at 5:43 PM on October 10, 2015

When I was a kid there was a little blue house in my neighborhood with a sign that said Doll Hospital. Looks like there is still such a thing, just online now. I have no experience with this one but it couldn't hurt to call. Doll Hospital. Probably not cheap though.
posted by BoscosMom at 5:49 PM on October 10, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'm off, now, to look for Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl.
posted by BoscosMom at 5:50 PM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you look for how to clean a moldy doll online you get this. Looks like there is another vote for vinegar.
posted by BoscosMom at 5:57 PM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You may have to do some doll surgery. See if you can find the seam that was sewn from the outside, where the voice box was put in. You'll need a seam ripper, or an exacto knife, or those pointy little manicure scissors to carefully cut that seam open and remove the voice box. If you cut the pull cord near the ring(?), you'll be able to pull it out frohet he back, through the grommet that it probably runs through and reattach it later.

I'd remove all the (presumably also) moldy stuffing, and then wash the unstuffed doll. Refill with a new pag of polyfill, place the voice box back inside, thread the string back through the grommet, tie the pull back on the string, and stitch it back up.

That's the process I used for an old childhood stuffed toy of mine. Except mine had parts stuffed with shredded newspaper (seriously, wtf?), and a broken wind-up music box. I hand-washed mine (SO MUCH green dye and grime came off) and removed the music box permanently.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 6:03 PM on October 10, 2015 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks all! Looks like I'm scheduling Ol' Jessie for surgery. It's worth the effort, since my kids love her so!
posted by I_love_the_rain at 6:15 PM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]

Ooof, the typos, sorry.
... pull it out FROM the back ...
... a new BAG of polyfill ...

Here's Goatie, the stuffed animal I mentioned. He was already pretty threadbare, but lost more in the wash. I also remember now that I took out WIRES from his front legs. (Again, how was this an okay toy for an infant, Mom and Dad? LOL.) He was obviously a seriously low-quality stuffed animal to start with (but with a lot of sentimental value). Here's hoping Jessie fares better than Ol' Goatie. :)
posted by mon-ma-tron at 6:45 PM on October 10, 2015 [4 favorites]