Save The Dolls
CLEANING and REPAIRS

CLEANING  

I wash the dolls in lots of soapy water (dish washing liquid) and scrub them clean with a small soft brush (like a fingernail brush). I scrub even stuffed dolls. They will dry out eventually, especially if you can put them out in the warm sun for a day. Just don't soak the stuffing too long in the water. 

One woman wrote in that she washes all dolls, except porcelain ones, in the washer. She puts two per pillowcase, with a load of towels. It can sometimes take days to drain and dry, but she says it works beautifully.

Now to be honest with you, I have been picky about the dolls I bring home. They are usually in pretty good condition. When I have had stubborn stains. I have tried a variety of things like bleach, acetone, and cleanser, but none of them worked , until I found Remove-Zit (see below).

Fortunately there were some discussions recently on cleaning and restoring dolls on two Internet mailing lists.  Below I have listed some of the cleaning products mentioned. Since the composition of dolls varies, it is recommended that you test these on a small part of the doll, like the back of the neck.

See Cleaning Supplies under SOURCES for some addresses and/or web sites:

  • Remove-Zit (by Twin Pines) (I recently tried this . It is not inexpensive and it has a shelf life, but it is fantastic! After several applications, with a toothpick, permanent ink marks just disappear.)
  • Oxy-10 (bensoyl peroxide, used to treat acne) (Apply with a Q-tip, place the doll in the sun for a few hours to bleach, and wash. Several people swear by this product.)
  • Clearasil (Spread on, let dry, wipe off. Might have to repeat several times.)
  • Cosmetic cleansing cream (like Pond's)
  • Soft-Scrub 
  • Toothpaste
  • Windex (on a swab) to clean glass-like eyes 
  • Denatured alcohol (Some say with a little patience it will remove ink and grease. This is not the same as "rubbing" alcohol. It is purchased from a pharmacist.)
  • Goo Gone
  • Photo emulsion cleaner (Tack 12)

CLOTH DOLLS: 

Someone told me that soft bodied dolls, like Cabbage Patch dolls (and even teddy bears) can be washed in your washing machine. Just place in a pillow case, tie it closed, and wash on gentle cycle in cold water. It works.  (Stubborn stains, however, may not come out.)

Odors:

One lady who had a "smelly" doll wrote me that she put about two cups of Tidy Cats Kitty litter in the bottom of a plastic bag, with her doll, and tied it shut.  It came out with all of the smell gone. Another lady wrote she did it with charcoal.

REPAIRS  

I don't normally "repair" dolls, but there are some things that can be done without a great deal of expertise.

Cloth Covers: If a cloth doll is coming apart, it might be mended by hand sewing.  If the cloth cover on the torso is badly worn or stained beyond repair, it can be covered.  (I make a cover out of white or skin color knit, that can stretch easily over the body.) Cut two pieces of fabric larger than you need. Lay them on the front and back of the doll, with wrong sides out.  Pin fit and mark around the body stretching as your pin. Trim around the pieces in the shape of the doll, leaving fabric for seam allowances. (See Photo 1).  Remove carefully and sew the side seams and the inner leg seam where they were pinned. Trim seam allowances and turn right side out. Slide the cover on again from the feet up. Turn under the raw edges at the shoulders and hand sew them closed, catching the old cover as you sew. Then turn under the raw edges of the neck, arms, and legs, and hand sew them, catching in the old cover as you sew. To finish, either hand sew or glue lace to the hand sewing (see Fig. A). (Sometimes, if it needs more stuffing, I will make a small slit down the back and add some stuffing, sew it back up and then make the cover.)

 

Photo 1

 

Fig. A

Shoes:  Some stuffed dolls have cloth "shoes" sewn on as part of the body. If they cannot be cleaned, I have covered them by making a kind of sock out of colored knit fabric. Just slip it on over the old cover, turn down the raw edge at the top and hand sew it to the doll. Sew or glue on lace around the top making it look like the trim on a fancy sock (see Photo 2).

Eyes: If the doll's eyes do not work as they should, or eyelashes come out, one lady glues the eyes open with epoxy and draws eyelashes on with a permanent ink pen. I tried gluing the eyes open and it works, but you have to use a lot of epoxy to make it stick because of the space between the two surfaces (the eye and the forehead of the doll). I stuck toothpicks at the edge of the bottom of the eyes to keep them open while it dries. I used acetone to wipe off the excess glue, while it was still wet, but was told to be careful because sometimes that will take the paint off as well, so be sure to test it first. 


Photo 2

BOOKS: 

The following book is published by Twin Pines (the company that makes the marvelous cleaner Remove-Zit). The Definitive Book on the Care and Preservation of Vinyl Dolls and Action Figures, by Nicholas J. Hill. (Twin Pines Press, 800-770-3655 or http://www.twinpines.com ) (I have not seen it, but it sounds very good. It is written primarily for doll collectors.)

Another small book (69 pages), that I have not yet seen, is entitled From Worn to Wonderful by Aimee Eckert. It contains information for "fashion doll collectors" on cleaning and restoring dolls, including re-rooting hair and reconditioning original clothing. It is all in color with before and after photos.

WEB SITES:

These sites contain good hints on restoring damaged dolls.

http://www.prillycharmin.com/restore/index.htm
http://www.dollinfo.com/caretips.htm
http://www.adollysworld.com/doll_hair_care.html
http://www.justmagicdolls.com/articles/article_index.htm
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art48817.asp

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