How to Clean Plush Toys
There are two ways to clean plush toys and plush pillows.
The easiest way is to put them in the washing machine and set it to thirty degrees Celsius. It is better to put them in a muslin bag before you get them in the washing machine. If you do not have a muslin bag, you can wrap the toy or pillow in an old curtain. Use a rubber band to tie the bundle. This is crucial especially for toys with big plastic eyes or other plastic parts that might get scratched during the washing cycle. Use a detergent for wool fabrics or a liquid detergent and set the washing cycle to low RPMs.
Another way is to let the children give their favourite plush toys a bath and wash them by themselves. This is both educational as you will teach the children to take care of their personal belongings, and in the same time an entertaining job that will take a good half an hour of fun for their children. Put the bathing suits on, fill a basin or an inflatable pool of water on the balcony or in the yard, put a little bit of children’s shampoo in it and give them a soft brush or a sponge to scrub the toys with. Keep an eye on the water temperature. Do not let it get cold by adding hot water regularly.
When the children are done playing with the plush toys in the water, you can put the toys in the washing machine and run it without adding detergent on low temperature.
You can put the washed toys in the dryer or, if you have that option, let the children hang the toys to get dry. When done with this part of the process, give a comb to the children and let them brush the toys so they look fluffy again.
If you are dealing with plush pillows, and not toys, it often happens that the stuffing sticks together inside, ruining the shape of the pillow. What you have to do in this case is not easy. You have to undo the seam from one of the sides of the pillow, take all the stuffing out, fluff it, put it back in and neck the pillow again.
It is good to get the children involved when we are talking about taking care of their toys. They should learn how to take care of their personal belongings from an early age so that when they grow up they can take care of a household of their own. Although it might seem a bit strange to think of a two year old child as it is a homeowner.