We all love to maintain our stuffed animals nice and clean. But as with anything, with time they get dirty, especially if you often play with them or move them around.

Luckily you can maintain your stuffed animals in great condition for years and years. You just need to give them some proper care from time to time. Let’s check out a few basics that are proven with time.

How to maintain your stuffed animals

Washing

Of course this seems obvious when it comes to how to maintain your stuffed animals. Just pop them in the washing machine for a cycle and done, right? Well, it depends.

First check if your stuffed toy has a label on it that will give some instructions on what programs and temperatures to use in the washing machine cycle. If such information is not present, then go with the sure bet with mild detergent and low temperature.

This way your stuffie will not come out deformed or shrinked but just wet and clean. Then leave it to dry naturally from the air. Don’t use dryers because you again run the risk of shrinking them. A day or so in the air will be enough to get them fully dry.

Also keep in mind that some stuffed animals have glued eyes, eyebrows or some accessories. Their glue might go weak from the washing and the items may fall off. If that happens, search for them in the washing machine and reglue them after the stuffed toy has dried.

Of course don’t wash stuffed animals that have talking speakers in them or other small electronics as they will be damaged by the water. For these toys is our next tip.

Maintaining stuffed animals with electronics

As we said above, some of our stuffed friends can talk, sing or do other stuff thanks to small electronics that are in them. Because of that they can’t be taken for a bath in a washing machine or any other way. If you want them to keep talking that is.

For these toys you have to use a more gentle approach. You can give them a good dusting by shaking them a little to get most of the dust off.

Do that on the balcony or near a window. You can also use a vacuum cleaner on a medium setting to get the rest of dust off.

Next take a damp cloth or sponge and clean the stuffed animals gently. It may take a few rinces of the sponge and taking turns with soapy water and clean water.

Dealing with injuries

From time to time the maintenance of stuffed animals requires some surgeries. Some of our stuffies get torn. This is also a part of the life when you maintain your stuffed animals. Happily you can fix them with relative ease. Use a needle with the appropriate thread to sew the tear. The thread should be in the right color while the thickness is according to the material of the stuffed animal and the place where the tear is.

Sew by hand and don’t hurry. Try to keep the stitches close to prevent another tear at the same place. Start a bit further from the tear with a couple of stitches on good material to give the whole sewing some extra foundation for strength.

Also sometimes some of the stuffing will fall out. Return it back through the tear before you sew it up. If it’s lost then you can substitute it with cotton, foam or other soft material that is with the same or similar consistency as the one already in the toy.

Some stuffed animals have wire in them to keep their shape. With time the wire can tear the stuffing and surface material and show through. You can reposition it and also put a tough padding on the place where the wire came through, then sew the animal. A nice padding would be a neatly folded cloth for example.

Those are the basics in how to maintain your stuffed animals in top shape.