A plush pet can host a whole colony of dust mites. So close to allergies. What to do to avoid getting sick and throwing away your favorite toy?
After the New Year holidays, the army of stuffed toys in the house has replenished. To the family of friendly bears were added a touching hare, a head taller than me, and a fox-sister, who occupied almost the entire sofa. Friends-buddies know how to please a man who, on his last yuan on vacation in China, bought an adorable cat in pajamas for his little daughter. But somehow unexpectedly, with another soft toy in the house, it became very hard to breathe. The nose itches, you sneeze in bursts.
“Mother, when did you last wash your soft army?” – Katya’s friend is strictly interested.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but never. Never after an unsuccessful attempt to deal with stains on a snow-white fluffy bear, which after the washing machine turned into a sticky piece of plush.
“Now I’ll tell you what to do,” Katya promised, and I believe her, she is the mother of restless twins, while cleanliness and order always reign in the house.
So, we write down Katya’s recipes.
If your arms grow out of the wrong place. Or from that, but time is sorely lacking for anything, you can use the simplest way: take the bear hares to the dry cleaner. On average, for ten centimeters of “living” growth, experts ask for about 80-100 rubles. The plush animal will be returned to you clean, combed and smelling fresh.
But! There is always a but in everything. If you have three bears living in your house with a total length of 4,8 meters, then cleaning them will cost you a pretty penny, at least 3,8 thousand rubles. The hostesses advise to arrange bathing days for soft toys at least once a month, since all possible bacteria and parasites settle on the villi. Both you and your child should certainly not breathe the same air with them. But not everyone will be able to shell out almost four thousand from the family budget for a month.
Let’s start with the home light option. Let’s try to do without washing. By the way, dry cleaning should be done once a week. Especially if there are kids at home. You will need a large plastic bag. For large toys, special garbage bags of 120 or even 240 liters are suitable. Choose “extra strong” – they can be used several times, save an extra penny. Also, stock up on soda for one large bear the size of a human, one 200-gram glass.
We send a toy or a few small toys, then add the required amount of soda, tie the bag and shake it vigorously for several minutes. We untie the bag, sweep the soda with a brush, and then go through with a vacuum cleaner. Choose a medium power to avoid “sucking in” plastic parts. A nozzle for upholstered furniture is suitable for processing.
Winter is a great time to clean stuffed animals. When will there be an opportunity to thoroughly freeze all the parasites that have settled in your beloved bear? Well, do not send a shaggy monster to the refrigerator.
As soon as the temperature outside the window drops to minus 15-20 degrees, and forecasters predict such frosts in many cities of Russia this week, take a plush animal, vacuum it thoroughly, pack it in a bag and outside the window. Let it “freshen up” for a couple of days. If the toys are small and still fit into the freezer, you can carry out the procedure in the summer.
Dust mites after washing will only be a horror story.
Toys can be washed, this is not a whimsical down jacket for which you need a special approach and a ten-point instruction. Send small hares and bears without a twinge of conscience in a basin of warm water. Wet it, lather it with baby soap, wait ten minutes, if stains remain, go over them with a brush. It is better to rinse it several times in a row, and for fidelity, take a shower on the washed skin.
Remember a few important points. Do not use powder for washing. Why do you and your child need extra chemistry? If you really want to, choose options for children’s clothing. Second: do not add conditioner when rinsing, its antistatic properties on a soft toy are rather doubtful, according to experience, dust, on the contrary, is attracted with greater force. Well, again, why do we need extra chemistry?
After rinsing, the toy should be squeezed out as best as possible. Long periods of drying can result in your hare smelling bad and needing to be washed. It is better to hang the plush fur farm on the balcony, and it will dry out and freeze. The second option is a battery, but stains may appear on light-colored toys. Pre-wrap each in a clean white sheet, this will save you from trouble.
Plush toys look sad in the washing machine, but they are the most efficient way to deal with dust. Wash bears and hares in a special net, if suddenly some part falls off, it will not disappear and will not inadvertently ruin the washing machine. Use only baby powder or shampoo for washing, also baby. Add an additional rinse immediately, or better just set the “rinse and spin” cycle separately at the end of the wash. The mode is delicate, the temperature is 30 degrees. Spin at minimum speed – 400 or 600, then blot the toy with a terry towel and send to dry according to the hand wash scenario.
- Do not wash toys with anti-stress fillers and fine motor balls. Only vacuum cleaner and wipe with a damp cloth.
- If the toy is mechanical, you will have to rip it open and pull out all the filling, and then sew it up well.
- Treat greasy stains with wet wipes or a swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.