How to Clean Stuffed Animals After Someone Is Sick

A favorite teddy bear may be a big comfort when your child has a miserable cold or the aches and pains of the flu, but that plush fur and soft stuffing is an ideal environment to harbor germs and other bacteria. You can use several methods to sanitize stuffed animals and other plush or soft toys after your child has been ill. Your child's illness will determine which method is the best one for cleaning cuddly toys.

Things You'll Need

• Laundry detergent
• Household bleach
• Plastic bag

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Instructions

Cleaning Stuffed Animals After an Infectious Illness

• 1

  Collect all stuffed animals and soft toys that were touched or used by your child.

• 2

  Place the plush toys into pillow cases if there's a chance that their stitching may come loose or pieces may fall off. Don't overstuff the cases, but feel free to put a few stuffed animals into each pillow case. The pillow case will keep stuffing and fur from clogging up your washing machine if you have a mishap.

• 3

  Fill the washer with hot water. Add the amount of laundry detergent and household bleach you would use for a regular size load of laundry.

• 4

  Run the washer through a regular cycle.

• 5

  Dry the stuffed animals in a dryer on high heat, still in the pillow cases, or remove the animals from the pillow cases and allow them to air dry.

The Freezer Method

• 6

  Use this method recommended by the makers of Clorox bleach for stuffed toys that are not washable or if your child has had scabies or a skin infection caused by dust mites.

• 7

  Seal each stuffed animal in a plastic bag.

• 8

  Place the plastic bags containing the stuffed animals in the freezer overnight. The mites that cause scabies can't survive the freezing temperatures.

Quarantine Stuffed Animals

• 9

  Use this method recommended by the Mayo Clinic as part of the treatment for parasitic infections like lice or scabies.

• 10

  Wash stuffed toys in water that is at least 130 degrees F. and dry them in a hot dryer for at least 20 minutes.

• 11

  Seal any toys that can't be washed in airtight plastic bags for at least two weeks.