i recently found a doll from my childhood that needs a bath I would put it threw the wash but it has yarn for hair and i dont want to ruin her. How do I get her clean without hurting her hair?
is it a fabric body or plastic? Can you hand wash by using a damp cloth and OxyClean (or another cleaner)? If it is hard plastic, you can use a magic eraser?
if she is in good shape structurally the washing machine should be fine - yarn does great in the washing machine. good luck! (of course you would air dry her, not put her in the dryer...)
If preserving this doll is important to you and I understand that it would be important, I'd take it to the dry cleaners.
If you do want to wash her you need to know what fiber the yarn and the rest of her is made of. If the yarn synthetic (not wool or a wool blend) I think it might work to firmly wrap a lightweight piece of cloth around her head, fasten it so that it won't pull off, put her in a pillow slip and wash her in the machine on gentle. Be sure to put a few lightweight clothes in with her so she is not bounced against the sides of the tub.
You could also hand wash her in a gentle soap/detergent such as Woolite.
If she is stained the stains may not come out after having set in the fabric over years. The best chance of maintaining a good condition is dry cleaning. If she has never been washed before I strongly recommend dry cleaning. The washing machine will be better able to remove stains than hand washing.
I suggest wrapping her head in a nylon knee-high before tossing her in the washing machine. That will keep her hair from being tossed around, and reduce the possibility of the yarn fraying.
Good luck.
I've put yarn hair cabage patch dolls in a pillow case and then into the washer. I haven't put one in the dryer, but the pillowcase (with a hairband to keep it closed) keeps the hair from getting all screwed up and also protects the washer.
I make cloth dolls with yarn hair...and tell everyone...dolls can be washed in the washer...place doll in a pillowcase...tie the pillowcase closed...make knot as close to the dolls head as possible and wash in a gentle cycle...depending on density of doll...you can either dry in dryer still tied in pillowcase or take out of pillowcase and let the doll air dry for a couple of days....
T.
I wash all my girls' dolls and stuffed animals in a mesh laundry bag (made for bras, tights, and other delicates) and have had no trouble. If I decide to dry them rather than just let them air dry, I keep them in that same bag.
