How To Clean Stuffed Animals

While cleaning today, I found a box full of stuffed animals that had been stored in the garage, uncovered for a few years.  Gross.  I can't even give them to charity  (who really don't need them) because who knows what has been crawling in the box.  I braved the box and there was no evidence of rodents, no mouse tracks, just sawdust and regular dust.

Wash Me

I found some worth keeping so I decided to clean them up.  Here is my method:  Place the animals in a pillow case, tie the top with string or baste across the open end.  Wash them in a gentle cycle with warm water and a soap with some perfumed fragrance.  It will make them smell better.  (Don't do this if the owner is allergic to additives in the soap.)  

Use the soak cycle first if the animals need it then a gentle cycle.  Place the pillow and animals in the dryer and dry on cool for two or more long cycles.  Note:  don't put felt clothes (like Winnie The Pooh), or ribbons that won't wash.  Replace worn ribbons and put new eyes on any that have felt eyes that have fallen off or are ruined. Notice, the Olympics bear that I made has no eyes because they were glued on and made of felt. They disappeared?? He was never a baby toy, by the way. Don't panic.

Some dirty stuffed animals that are like new now.

The rest of the animals in the box went in the gabage except for a red bear that went out for Valentine's Day and a bunny for Easter.  The Care Bears are like new so I will give them to my daughter's girl.  They were her mother's toys--she loved Care Bears.

Still cleaning the craft room.

Happy Cleaning.
 

Spring Cleaning

Today is the beginning of Spring Cleaning.  Theoretically, my new cleaning schedule should eliminate the need for Spring cleaning, but I haven't implemented it yet.  There is too much catch-up work to do still.  

After a basic bedroom cleaning job, I decided to continue washing all of the bedding.  I had to do two rooms that the cat messed up, so continuing that job will eliminate it later.  It is almost time to think about doing it anyway.  When the temperature is in the mid 60's on February 5th,  it feels like winter is over.  We are basking in sixty degree weather all month so far.  I keep waiting for the snow and it just doesn't come.

Today I finished up washing the pillows.  It has been a long day with the washer and dryer going all day.  See February 2nd for my pillow laundering discussion.  In the addendum added I showed the disaster of the day.  

My husband's memory foam pillow puffed up more than the retaining stitches and tore the cover leaking out batting bits. This fiber-filled part is inserted in the other memory foam cover. It is bits of fiber instead of layers and just expanded more than I expected.  Not to worry, however, he doesn't use it any more.  It is a very stiff foam.  I don't care for it either.  Since he bought the foam wedge for GERD, he uses this pillow behind the wedge to fill the space.  

My memory foam did not fare too well, either.  I just soaked it a while in my pillow clean formula without the bleach, but left the agitation on normal.  This is what I found when I opened the washer:

Mount. St. Helen's!  I am so sad.  I must have my pillow or I cannot sleep well.  Help!  I am going to get some spray on glue and see if that will hold it together for a while.  I don't even remember where I got this pillow.  Sniff, sniff!

The rest of the day went downhill from there.  The Flounder I bought with which to post my favorite baked fish recipe was nasty. Yuck!  I see why it was cheaper.  It is worse than Pollack.  My white fish of choice will be Cod or Halibut, if I could afford it. I almost  went to McDonald's, but we gagged it down the fish with a ton of tartar sauce.  Someone called to chit-chat while I was fixing dinner so I didn't get the Quinoa made.  We had crudites and drug out the tortilla chips and salsa. Some days just go down the toilet like that.

Cheer Up.