Keep Your Child's Soft Toys Clean and Healthy Without Washing

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Turning imagination into crafts - crafts for preschoolers

My kids have such wild imaginations. They can always look at the world around them and not only see what's in front of them but also what could be within them. It's fun to create crafts that capture that imagination like making superhero masks and capes for their teddies. It's amazing what adventures these teddies have, and it's so much fun to capture their hijinx with crafts like scrapbooking, painting and making clothes. I am always looking for new crafts and I like to keep a track of what works (and what doesn't), so I started this blog to talk about different crafts projects. I hope it's useful for other parents and carers looking for craft inspiration.

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Keep Your Child's Soft Toys Clean and Healthy Without Washing

26 May 2016
 Categories: , Blog

As a parent it is natural to want to protect your child from coming into contact with the germs and debris that can accumulate on those much loved cuddly toys. But do not despair if the label on your child's favourite soft toy states that it is non-machine washable. Follow this easy and economical method to restore any soft toy to a fresh and clean condition without involving the washer.

Materials

You will need just a few items found readily around the house:

  • Baking soda
  • Plastic garbage bag
  • Vacuum cleaner
  • Fabric safe disinfectant spray

Preparation

Use about a half cup of baking soda and pour into the garbage bag. Try to avoid releasing any baking powder into the air as it can irritate the eyes. The bag should allow enough room for the toy to tumble around freely inside it when shaken. A extra large toy for example, will require a larger bag and more baking soda for full coverage.

The Cleaning Process 

Follow these simple steps:

  • Rest the soft toy in the bottom of the bag and squeeze out the excess air.
  • Use a twist tie to secure the bag or alternatively twist and knot the top.
  • Give the bag a good shake using an up and down motion as well as rotating it right and left for a few minutes.
  • Allow the toy to sit in the bag for a short time to let the baking powder act as a natural deodorizer and also help release the grime and dirt from the fabric.
  • Open the bag and shake of as much excess baking powder as possible into the bag.
  • Carefully run the vacuum cleaner hose, or hand-held vacuum, over the toy to remove all baking soda, which takes all the dirt and grime along with it.
  • Finally, spray the toy with a fabric safe disinfectant to help eliminate germs and viruses as well as other unpleasant organisms which create odours.

This really easy procedure will give you peace of mind in knowing that even soft toys that have been manufactured with non-washable inner or outer materials can be easily maintained in healthy, clean condition. You can rest easy if your child takes a fancy to that toy with a "do not wash" label. Likewise, you can also take good care of those stuffed friends that have been loved and cuddled for years but are now too frail to make it through the wash cycle.

For more information and options, talk with a soft toys distributor about maintenance instructions.