It took us a minute to realize what was wrong with Bunny! After our visit with
Ray-Ray we were a bit used to seeing animals who were purposely missing limbs! But, sadly, Bunny's arms fell off years ago, and so we created two brand new paws to get it back to full health.
Bunny's owner also requested a shampoo, so we did a nice head to toe cleaning - something that's not too difficult if you take it carefully. The following is our step-by-step deep cleaning process for synthetic fur stuffed animals.
Note! Clean your animals at your own risk! If you fear that the fur is too thin or delicate, or you're not sure you can get it back together, then please don't attempt. And certainly this is not a method for your prized antique bear, or anything with actual fur.
Also note! We totally understand the need to sometimes throw that lovey in the washing machine! Know that your animal may never quite be the same after any wash, but that this method is a better way to really get a good clean, and is more gentle than the machine.
Step 1: Open a small 1-2 inch seam somewhere inconspicuous - we tend to choose back of next or rear end!
Step 2: Remove all of the fluff. If it's old or matted, throw it away. Removing the fluff is the key - otherwise you may get a moldy, soggy mess.
Step 3: Now that your animal is "empty" GENTLY wet the fur and massage in some dish soap. Don't scrub, just let it soak and rub gently.
Step 4: Submerge the fur into clean water, and swish until the soap/dirt is gone.
Step 5: Gently press the fur to remote water, and then sandwich between 2 towels and press again. The goal is to dry the fur as much as possible without rubbing.
Step 6: Let the fur air dry - we like to set it in front of a fan.
Step 7: When the fur is completely dry, re-stuff with fluff and sew up the hole.
Step 8: Using a brush (we like using an actual pet brush) fluff up the fur!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us!
