It will vary as to how much 'work' a Rescued Doll with need. Many only need their hair combed out, washed and the body needs a bath. But some will need a complete 'make over'.

The only Dolls that I do not clean are the High Dollar Fashion Dolls. Those that you can tell sat on someones shelves.

Dolls that have been played with, in my opinion, NEED a bath. You do not know what might be on that doll. How dirty were the hands, the places the doll was, or if the child's <yuk> nose was running when the doll was being played with. A bath takes hardly any time at all and is WORTH it!

Most dolls rescued just need a good scrubbing and their hair washed. I use degreasing Dish Soap and warm water. I soap up a wash cloth and wash the body well, legs, neck, all the body. I then wash the doll's hair well, really well. Many times, if they came with clothing I set the clothing in the sink, so that as I wash the doll the clothes are getting the 'run off'. After washing the doll, I set the doll on a clean towel to air dry; Hand Wash the clothing, then set it on the same towel to air dry.

After washing, with the doll laying flat with the hair up and behind it, I comb through the doll's hair. I leave it for about an hour, then set the doll up, and comb again. Later, while it is still damp, I comb through the hair again. After it dries, I comb and style (if I am going to) the hair.

Keep in mind, that even 'permanent marker' marks on dolls, ink pin and such, CAN BE CLEANED OFF THE DOLLS. It may only take giving the doll a bath with dish soap, or it may need GOOP Hand Cleaner, or Magic Eraser....or even an Acne Product. This is the order of items I try them in for Ink Removal.

GOOP Hand Cleaner is amazing stuff. To start with, I love that it is Biodegradable and Non Toxic! It will remove mildew, dirt, I mean, built up grimy dirt, many ink stains and leave the face paint clean and in tact.

Oh the Doll Hair. We love it. And; we love it LONG!

ALWAYS ALWAYS Start brushing hair, long hair, from the very bottom. If it is knotted, you can untangle IF you start at the very bottom. If you start at the top, up by the head, you can make Tangles into knots that will not come out until a Pro is on the job.

All of the dolls hair should be untangled before the first Shampoo. You might find that if the hair is too tangled, you can soak it in; 1. Laundry Softner. 2. Human Hair Conditioner.

When the Hair if FRIED! Yes, sometimes you CAN save it...but it does take some work. I was amazed, I mean AMAZED at this Tiny Chatty Baby Doll's hair. I had 'slated' her for a Reroot. The hair came out VERY nice. I am glad I tried this method.

You can use Fingernail Polish Removal on MOST of the plastics on the Doll. Hands, Feet and Body removal should go as planned... HOWEVER! If you use Fingernail Polish Removal on the Dolls Face, it will probably take the paint from her eyes and lips and all off the doll.

I have several Videos on Doll Cleaning.

The contents of this page for Cleaning Rescue Dolls is still under construction. Please check back later.

-- The Dolls Rescued Team
Sun, 01 Sep 2019 15:56:16 -0400