Sometimes cleaning stuffed animals can leave a bad smell of mildew. Thus, even clean, stuffies are not ideal for cuddling. With a couple of tips you can change that.
Mildew smell usually forms when clothes and fabric haven’t dried up properly. If you keep the laundry in the washing machine after it’s done for example, there’s a very high chance it will start smelling of mildew.
Fluffy stuffed animals are more prone to such events as they have more fabric. They can also more easily soak up other smells as well. With the following tips you can remove most types of bad odors.
So how to remove mildew smell from stuffed animals
Mildew smell is not the easiest to remove. Especially if it has been left untreated for a while.
First we start with the obvious treatment. Simply run another wash cycle but add a little bit more detergent.
But that may not be enough. Wait for the toy to dry completely. Then prepare another washing cycle. But add a cup of white vinegar or baking soda to the water and detergent.
Watch as the machine mixes the soap and vinegar (or baking soda) with the clothes. Stop the cycle just as this is done. Leave the toy to soak in for a few hours.
Then continue the cycle to the end. Afterwards get the stuffed animal out and leave it to dry out in the air. You can also put it close to a radiator or leave it in the sun for a couple of hours.
With this same trick you can also remove the smell of cigars or some from the stuffies.
There are also off the shelf sprays and odor removing detergents. You can give them a try too, but first read their labels and make sure they are suitable for the fabric your stuffie is made.
When setting the washing machine, take note of the label on the toy. This will show you how many degrees the fabric can handle
If there are no labels, then play it safe and run a cycle with lukewarm watter. The reason for that is if you use water that is too hot, this can shrink the stuffed animal.
