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

  1. 1
    Start with clean hands whenever cleaning a toy.
  2. 2
    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.
    Advertisement
  3. 3
    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.
  4. 4
    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).
  5. Advertisement
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Cleaning glass or plastic eyes

  1. 1
    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.
  2. 2
    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.
  3. 3
    Polish using a soft tissue.
  4. 4
    Done.
  5. Advertisement
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.

  1. 1
    Put a tiny dab of toothpaste on your finger.
    • Use mint toothpaste, for a crisp, clean smell. Use proper toothpaste, not the gel.
  2. 2
    Gently massage it on your stuffed animal's eyes.
  3. 3
    Wipe off the toothpaste with a wet towel.
  4. 4
    Pat the eyes dry.
  5. 5
    Done.
  6. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    Will the toothpaste damage the eyes in any way?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    No, it won't. Just be careful not to get it on the fur.
Advertisement

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⧽
Advertisement

Things You'll Need

  • Soapy water
  • Soft cleaning cloths
  • Soft tissue
  • Sewing machine oil (optional)
  • Toothpaste (any flavor)

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 26,320 times.
36 votes - 80%
Co-authors: 5
Updated: November 5, 2020
Views: 26,320
Categories: Cleaning Toys
Advertisement