Cleaning Old Dolls

Do you have some old dolls laying around some where? Instead of letting them sit there getting older, and becoming more and more of an eye sore, why not spend a little time and effort cleaning them up? Often by spending a little time cleaning old dolls, you can give that beloved memory a new lease on life. Best of all, by periodically cleaning your old dolls, you are getting them ready for the next generation to enjoy. Here's how you can go about doing your own doll cleaning.

1. Scrub. The very first thing that you will need to do is remove all the clothing and accessories from your doll. These will be washed later, so set them aside for now. Use a mildly abrasive detergent and a green scrubby and wash the entire doll. The mild abrasive will help to get any stubborn stains, while also cleaning the doll. Be sure that you go over the doll at least twice to be sure that you have gotten every thing.
2. Wash the hair. Just like when you take a shower, you will need to wash your doll's hair as well. To do this, simply wash the hair with regular shampoo. The shampoo will be gentle enough that it will not damage the doll's hair, while also being able to clean it thoroughly. Be careful that you do not get any shampoo into the doll's eyes, as it can be particularly difficult to get the shampoo out of the eyes without damaging them.
3. Curl the hair. Once you have finished washing the doll's hair, be sure that you condition it at least once. After you have done that, go ahead and brush or comb the hair. This will help to keep the hair from getting tangles and snarls. Once you have finished brushing the hair, go ahead and place the hair in curlers. This will help to give the hair a little more volume, while also getting it styled. If you are in a particular hurry, you can also use a regular curling iron, as long as it has been placed to a low heat setting.
4. Wash the clothes. While you are washing the doll's hair and the body, you can also be washing the doll's clothes. These are pretty simple to do, since you can put them into your washing machine like other clothes. However, you will want to wash them on a delicate cycle to help keep them from getting damaged.
5. Put everything together. Once everything has been cleaned and dried, it is time to put it all back the way it was. Simply dress your doll back up. Be sure that you don't forget anything as you are putting your doll back together. After you have finished dressing the doll back up, place it somewhere where it will be kept safe and from any harm. Congratulations, you have now finished cleaning your old doll.

Be aware that this method for cleaning old dolls should not be used on porcelain, or particularly fragile dolls. It is too easy to break those kinds of dolls without special measures being taken.