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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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1Start with clean hands whenever cleaning a toy.
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2Check 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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3Decide 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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4Hair 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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Method 1
Method 1 of 2:
Cleaning glass or plastic eyes
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1Make 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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2Use 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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3Polish using a soft tissue.
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4Done.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:
Toothpaste clean for plastic eyes
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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Warnings
- Do not use alcohol, alcohol-based or acetone products on the toy's eyes. These can fade, etch or melt the eyes.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Water stuck inside or behind the eyes can cause mildew––take care to prevent this from happening.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- 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.⧼thumbs_response⧽
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Things You'll Need
- Soapy water
- Soft cleaning cloths
- Soft tissue
- Sewing machine oil (optional)
- Toothpaste (any flavor)
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