how do you wash a carebear?

Question

ok i have a care bear and on it says surface washable only.... what does that mean?

Answer 1

Hi there,
i also am a collector of stuffed animals, and have found that using the washing machine is ok. There are a few things to remember - put each toy in it's own pillow case, use only pure soapflakes or a gentle powder (the ones designed for baby clothes or allergy sufferers are best) and wash on gentle cycles. You can dry them in a dryer on gentle warm settings, or lay them out on a towel on a clothes horse/airer.

Hope this helps...just try not to wash them too often as it can cause fading or early wear & tear.

Answer 2

Surface washable means you shouldn't put it in the washer. I find that with stuffed animals the best thing to do is put a little bit of Tide and water in a small container and mix it up at a ratio of 3 parts water, 1 part Tide. Use an old toothbrush to dip in the water and scrub the spots on the toy that are the worst. For the other areas, use a sponge to wipe it down. Once you have done that put the toy in a pillowcase and put it in the dryer on a low setting. It should be good as new!

Answer 3

Totally agree with Sue F and sarobdy... We do it ALL THE TIME in this house. We put them in a pillowcase and do it on the gentle cycle. We have to use Dreft on everything anyways since my little ones have allergies and eczema, so that is what we use on the carebears. Then we dry them on low heat (our old dryer only had no heat, med. heat, or high heat, so we used med. and never had a problem - I use low now since I have the option). They always turn out fine. My sis-in-law told me how to care for them, and she has three of the originals from when she was little and they still look near perfect (20-something years can put a little stress on them!).

Answer 4

Unless the stuffed toy has some kind of a noisemaker or computer chip in it, you can safely wash them in the washing machine inside one of those sweater or lingerie bags.

Use cool water and a gentle cycle.

I have dozens of stuffed animals from my childhood and I also have rescued many from thrift shops and yard sales that I clean and donate to local shelters and police departments (the police give out stuffed animals to children who have survived fires or violence, and most police departments do not have any budgeted amount for extras such as this.)

You just have to make sure that the bear does not have any pins or bows that need to be removed before washing. You can then dry them/it on a low heat setting.

Have a good night.

Answer 5

we used to put the carebears in a pillowcase and wash them in the washing machine...I'm not sure what difference it made, i'll ask my mom