If you’ve got any Beanie Babies that need a bit of TLC, you are probably wondering “What is the best way to clean these guys?”.
I’m hoping I can help you with that in this article.
I would only recommend this method for Beanie Babies that are untagged, are of no particular value and are only intended to be loved.
I found this very unloved, untagged Snip at the bottom of a basket outside in the rain while thrifting in a charity shop and I couldn’t bear to leave her behind! I’ll be giving her a “spa day”, and hopefully in doing so it will show you how to clean your Beanie Babies too!
She was very grubby, her fur felt bumpy and rough and she was in desperate need of a bath! Luckily, she was very compliant and loved the idea of a little pampering!
What you will need
- Washing up bowl
- A baby sponge
- Distilled vinegar (optional)
- Bicarbonate of soda (optional)
- Baby shampoo
- Hand soap
- Toothbrush
- Soft nail brush
- Slicker brush like this one from Amazon (only for Beanie Babies with long fur)
- Hairdryer
Step 1 (Optional)
You will only need to do this step if your Beanie Baby is particularly smelly. It can be skipped if they only need a light cleaning.
Fill a washing up bowl with two parts water to one part distilled vinegar. Add in a few teaspoons (I used three here) of bicarbonate of soda and mix well.
Place your Beanie Baby in the washing up bowl with the diluted vinegar mix but try and get them under the water as much as possible. Leave them in the solution for at least 20-30 minutes.
Step 2
Rinse off your Beanie Baby well with a shower hose, making sure you rinse out all the vinegar solution.
Next, fill your washing up bowl up with warm, but not too hot water. Add a couple of pumps of baby shampoo and a couple of pumps of hand soap to the water. Swish this around to make it nice and bubbly.
Now for some spa treatment for your Beanie!
Place your Beanie Baby into the water and grab your baby sponge. Add a pump of baby shampoo and a pump of hand soap to your sponge and softly scrub your Beanie Baby to remove any visible dirt.
Use your toothbrush to gently brush over the fabric to fluff up the fur to fur to make it soft and to remove any stubborn stains.
Step 3
Next, rinse off your Beanie again with the shower hose, ensuring you wash out all of the baby shampoo and hand soap.
Once your sure all the soap is out, give your Beanie Baby a squeeze to try and get as much water out as possible.
Make sure your toothbrush is clean again and give your Beanie another brush over with it, brushing in the direction of the fur this time.
Step 4
Now it’s time to dry your Beanie Baby!
Grab your hairdryer and blow dry all over on a low setting and try and dry them off as much as possible!
Give them a brush over with a nail brush or a clean, dry toothbrush. Gently scrub the fabric to fluff up the fur a little, then brush in the direction of the fur to smooth it out. Leave your Beanie Baby in a warm spot to dry thoroughly.
Once they have dried thoroughly, give them another last brush with a nail brush.
Step 5 (Optional)
This step is only really necessary is you have a Beanie Baby with long fur. As Snip only has short-pile fabric, I didn’t need to use this step.
Grab a baby brush and gently brush over them to loosen any tangles. You may need to try a slicker brush like this one from Amazon for longer fur, but be gentle!
There you have it! You now have a clean Beanie Baby!
