Over time, with lots of love and cuddles, a stuffed animal's eyes can start to look scuffed, dull and lackluster. To clean the eyes of a stuffed animal, choose a method that best suits your toy.
Steps
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Start with clean hands whenever cleaning a toy.
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Check what the eyes are made of.
- Plastic eyes can be damaged by abrasive items removing ink or gouging into the plastic, and heat can melt it.
- Glass eyes can chip, crack or break if mishandled.
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Decide whether to spot clean or wash the toy completely. If just the eyes are the issue, simply spot clean them with one of the suggested methods.
- If washing the toy as a whole in the washing machine and it has plastic eyes, place the stuffed toy in a pillow case before putting in the washing machine. The pillow case will protect the eyes.
- It is not recommended that any stuffed toy with glass eyes, moving eyes or eyelashes be washed in a machine. Doing so will likely harm these areas of the toy.
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Hair dry on low if you have had to wash the stuffed animal as well. Alternatively, wash on a lovely warm day and air dry outside, under a porch or shaded area (being careful to avoid birds that might leave a mark).
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Make a weak solution of warm soapy water. Use gentle dish soap or baby shampoo.
- Note: You may like to see whether water alone is sufficient before using any detergent.
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Use a soft cloth to dip into the soapy water. Wring out the water so that the cloth is only damp, then use it to wipe the eyes.
- Avoid getting water behind or in the eyes. The cloth must only be damp, not saturated and wet.
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Polish using a soft tissue.
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Done.
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This method will clean plastic eyes. It can also help to restore light surface scratches on plastic toy eyes as it acts as a soft abrasive but don't expect a miracle, especially not if the scratches are deep.
Community Q&A
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QuestionWill the toothpaste damage the eyes in any way?Community AnswerNo, it won't. Just be careful not to get it on the fur.
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QuestionWill it burn the eye?NoraCommunity AnswerNo! wikiHow would not tell you, "This is what you should do" if it would burn the stuffed animal's eyes!
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Questionwhat if i accidentally dropped my stuffed animal in the toilet? do i just let it rot there? how do i clean it cause i dropped it in my pooNoraCommunity AnswerGrab some gloves and get the stuffed animal out of the toilet, wipe or rinse off the poop, and put the toy through the washer. Or dunk it in water and clean thoroughly. Don't take it into the bathroom anymore.
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Tips
- Regular, quick cleans can be done using a warm, moist tissue wiped over the eye. This will remove dust and debris. It can also be used on eyelashes, if any.Thanks
- Use an eraser on rubber eyes.Thanks
- For glass eyes, an optional addition is to squeeze a tiny amount of sewing machine oil onto a clean, soft cloth. Wipe this over the dried, cleaned glass eyes to finish the clean. Keep away from the fur, or it'll get greasy. This can be helpful where the eyes are of the open and close shut type.Thanks
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Warnings
- Do not use alcohol, alcohol-based or acetone products on the toy's eyes. These can fade, etch or melt the eyes.Thanks
- Water stuck inside or behind the eyes can cause mildew––take care to prevent this from happening.Thanks
- Don't get toothpaste or oil in the toy's fur. Use a laundry detergent water mix to get any toothpaste or oil out of the fur.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Soapy water
- Soft cleaning cloths
- Soft tissue
- Sewing machine oil (optional)
- Toothpaste (any flavor)
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 32,740 times.
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