You have washed your favorite stuffies and now you can’t wait to play with them again. Problem is they are still wet. Lets see to dry stuffed animals with ease.
It is always a good idea to ensure your stuffed animals have dried well. It doesn’t matter if they are getting out of the washing machine or have been rained on for example. You want to dry the stuffed animals properly to avoid them forming mildew.
So how to dry stuffed animals
It seem logical that you can simply chuck your stuffies into the dryer and voila. But doing this can result in your stuffies shrinking or even getting some of their plastic parts melted. So before you do that, first check the label of your stuffed animal. There you should see a sign that tells you wheter you can use a dryer and on what setting.
If you can use the dryer, then great. But for some stuffies that is not an option. Especially the ones that say “surface wash only” on their labels. This means their materials are delicate and will not handle both the washing machine and the dryer.
If there is no label or it is not giving enough information, then go with the safe route and dry the stuffed animal using the conventional method. It takes up more time, but the end results are always great.
First place the toy on a towel rack or something similar. You want it to have a place there the water will leak out. Don’t hang the toy, because the weight of the water can deform it. Keep it laying and you could help the water leave faster but gently squeezing the stuffie with your hands.
If the stuffie is furry, take a hair brush and brush the fur a bit. This will make it more fluffy when it dries up and it will also prevent it from matting.
Then you can leave the toy on the balcony in the sunshine to dry completely. This will take a few hours and it is best to check up on the stuffie from time to time and rotate it so that it can dry evenly from all sides. A fan or dehumidifier can also help.
If it cold and/or cloudy then you can keep the toy inside close to the heater. But not on the heater. Set it a couple of feet or so near the heater and again rotate it from time to time.
You also may be tempted to use a hairdryer to speed the process up. It is generally not recommended, especially for bigger toys, as it will dry them unevenly leaving the stuffing moist. For smaller stuffies though it may help, but use low or a medium heat setting, not the most high one.
Keep in mind that the surface of the stuffed animal will dry up quickly but the insides will take some time. So allow at least four or so hours for the stuffie to dry completely. At the and brush the fur again and your stuffie is ready.
