How to Clean Stuffed Animals (Including Baby Toys That Can’t Be Washed)

To clean stuffed animals, check the care tag first. If it says the toy is machine washable, put it in a mesh laundry bag or a knotted pillowcase and wash it on the gentle cycle in cold water with a mild detergent, then let it air-dry completely. If the tag says surface wash only, or the toy has batteries or a sound box, don’t put it in water: spot clean it with a damp cloth and a little mild soap instead. Toys filled with beads or foam balls should stay out of the washing machine too.

Below: how to read the tag, step-by-step machine washing and hand washing, what toy brands say about the dryer, how to clean stuffed animals that can’t be washed, what to do after an illness, lice or bed bugs, and the safety check to do before a cleaned toy goes back to your baby. Our sources are listed at the end.

Step 1: Read the care tag

Gund puts it simply: “Before washing, always check your friend’s care tag or sewn-in label for specific instructions.” Many stuffed animals can’t take a full wash. OxiClean says “Most stuffed animals and plushie toys are surface clean only,” and Jellycat says some of its toys “must be surface washed by hand.”

Care tags use short words that have exact meanings. The FTC’s glossary of care terms (written for clothing labels) defines them like this (we use it here only to explain the words):

Tag says	What it means (FTC glossary)
Cold	Water up to 86 °F (30 °C)
Warm	Water from 87 to 111 °F (31 to 44 °C)
Hot	Water from 112 to 145 °F (45 to 63 °C)
Delicate or gentle cycle	“slow agitation and reduced time”
Damp wipe only	“surface clean with damp cloth or sponge”
Tumble dry, low	Use the dryer at low heat (“No heat” means the dryer runs without heat)
Tumble dry (no setting given)	“machine drying at a hot setting may be regularly used”
Dry flat / Line dry	Lay it out flat, or hang it up to dry

A crossed-out washtub symbol means the opposite. Steiff explains it as “Do not wash. This means that you cannot wash the item, not even by hand and certainly not in the machine.”

The “All new material” tag is not a washing tag. Ohio, for example, requires a law label on stuffed toys. Its rule asks for a statement that “All new material” was used and the types of filling inside, plus the name and address of the manufacturer, wholesaler or importer (or a license number assigned by the state). It tells you what’s inside the toy, not how to clean it.

No tag? Maytag says: “For stuffed animals without a care tag, it’s safest to hand wash them.” For a Steiff animal, Steiff says you can look up the six-digit article number on the flag on the button in its ear and find the care information on its product page.

How to wash stuffed animals in the washing machine

Tide says to “Check to make sure you’re dealing with washable stuffed animals by checking the care label.” If the tag says yes:

1. Prep the toy. Take off clothes, accessories and anything detachable. TODAY’s laundry tips say to start “by repairing any loose seams or tears and fastening any loose parts before washing.” Make sure there are no batteries, electronics or foam filler balls inside (Tide).
2. Pre-treat stains. Tide suggests putting detergent on the stain and letting it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Bag it. Gund: “Place your plush in a mesh laundry bag or pillowcase to help protect their features.” Build-A-Bear says to knot the pillowcase closed, and Dreft says to use a separate bag or pillowcase for each toy.
4. Pick the cycle. Gund: “Use cold water, a mild detergent, and the gentle cycle for best results.” Build-A-Bear and Dreft say the same: gentle or delicate, cold water.
5. Go easy on the soap. TODAY, citing Good Housekeeping, suggests “less than the regular amount of detergent.” Tide says HE detergents make “minimal suds.” Maytag says to avoid bleach or harsh chemicals.
6. Rinse well. Dreft: “Run a second rinse on cold to make sure all the suds are out.”

Collector’s items are different. Steiff says its animals made of mohair or alpaca “are not suitable for the washing machine.”

How to hand wash a stuffed animal

OxiClean calls hand washing “the most delicate way to clean a soft plush toy.” It’s also the safest choice when there is no tag.

1. Fill a basin with cool water and a small amount of mild detergent. Dreft uses half a basin of cold water and two tablespoons of its detergent.
2. Put the toy in and gently work the suds through it.
3. Brush out stains gently with a clean toothbrush (Tide).
4. Rinse in clean water until no detergent is left. Dreft says to rinse under plain cold water.
5. Squeeze the water out gently. Dreft says “don’t wring it – this can disfigure the toy.” Maytag adds that you can roll the toy in a bath towel and press gently.

How to dry stuffed animals (and can they go in the dryer?)

This is where brands disagree, so let the tag decide.

• Air dry only: Jellycat says “We do not recommend that any of our toys be put in a tumble dryer.” Steiff says “Please do not dry your cuddly toys on the radiator or in the tumble dryer.” Build-A-Bear and Gund also tell you to air dry.
• No heat only: OxiClean says you can use a No Heat, Air Dry or Air Fluff setting, and “Do not use heat.”
• Short and low: Maytag says that if you use a dryer, put the toy in a mesh bag and run “a short, gentle cycle with a low temperature.” It also warns that toys “may be damaged when exposed to the high heat from the dryer,” and that if a toy has no care tag, “it’s safest to avoid the dryer.”

Whichever way you dry it, dry it all the way through. Ask Team Clean says: “Always make sure both the inside and outside of the toy are dry to prevent mildew.” Dreft says air drying can take overnight or longer, depending on the size of the toy. Steiff suggests shaking the toy a few times while it dries and combing it carefully After a spot clean, Build-A-Bear says to let the toy air dry “and then brush the cleaned area.”

How to clean stuffed animals that can’t be washed

“Surface wash only” toys, toys with batteries or sound boxes, and toys filled with beads or pellets should stay out of the washer. Maytag says to avoid machine washing stuffed animals with electronics, sequins or other delicate fabrics, or foam ball filling, and to “spot clean for stains or carefully hand wash” instead.

Spot cleaning (surface wash)

1. Dampen a clean cloth with cool water and a little mild soap (Gund).
2. Gently pat the dirty spots. Gund says “try not to rub, as that can be too rough on the fabric.”
3. “Then, with a fresh damp cloth, pat again to lift away any soap” (Gund).
4. Let it air dry completely before your child plays with it again (Gund).

For mohair or alpaca toys, Steiff recommends “rubbing it only superficially with the foam of a mild detergent.” For stains, Maytag says you can spot clean with white vinegar and cool water, dabbing with a clean towel. That’s a stain tip, not a way to kill germs.

Toys with batteries, sound boxes or music boxes

Build-A-Bear’s care page says: “If your furry friend contains a sound inside and/or is battery operated, DO NOT submerge it in water or place in the washing machine.” Build-A-Bear says to take the toy to one of its stores to have the sound removed before washing. For other toys, Tide says to make sure there are no batteries or electronics inside before machine washing, and Ask Team Clean says to “Use non-water cleaning methods for stuffed animals that have mechanical parts and batteries.” The CDC’s general advice for electronics is: “Follow manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations for cleaning electronics.” We cover more battery toys in how to clean baby toys with batteries.

The baking soda method

Ask Team Clean (Henkel) describes a dry method: put the stuffed animal in a plastic bag, add a handful of baking soda, shake the bag for 10 minutes, then take the toy out and “comb or lightly brush off any remaining dirt!”

Old, heirloom or collector’s plush

Museum conservators at the Canadian Conservation Institute clean fragile textiles by using a soft brush to push dirt toward a vacuum nozzle covered with sheer fabric, on reduced suction. They also say that textiles that are “extremely fragile and fragmented” should not be cleaned.

More ideas for toys that can’t go in water are in how to clean baby toys that can’t be washed.

After an illness, lice or bed bugs

For soft items like cloth toys, the CDC says to launder them “according to the manufacturer’s instructions” if possible, and to “Use the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely.” “Appropriate” is the key word: the toy’s tag still sets the limit.

Situation	What the official source says	Source
Cloth toys, everyday laundry	Launder per the manufacturer’s instructions, warmest appropriate water, dry completely	CDC
Norovirus (vomit or diarrhea)	Wash with detergent and hot water at the maximum available cycle length, then machine dry at the highest heat setting. Wear gloves and handle items without shaking them.	CDC
Head lice	Machine wash and dry items the person used in the two days before treatment, with hot water (130 °F) and high heat drying. If you can’t wash or dry clean an item, seal it in a plastic bag for two weeks.	CDC
Bed bugs	Bag items like stuffed animals (don’t throw them away), then run them through the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes. Items that can’t go in a dryer can be frozen for 4 days at 0 °F.	Nebraska Extension, EPA

Those CDC heat settings are written for laundry in general, not for stuffed animals. If your toy’s tag says cold water or air dry only, high heat can damage it. Maytag warns that toys “may be damaged when exposed to the high heat from the dryer.” In that case, the CDC’s lice advice (seal it in a bag for two weeks) is an option that doesn’t need heat.

Can you sanitize stuffed animals?

DuPage County Health Department’s child care guide says “You do not need to immerse or wipe toys with a sanitizing solution if they are washed by machine,” and the CDC’s child care guidance says to “Sanitize fabric articles by machine-washing and drying them after each use.”

We did not find CDC, EPA or AAP advice to spray stuffed animals with vinegar or a disinfectant at home. The CDC says to clean soft surfaces with products “appropriate for use on these surfaces,” following the label. Never mix bleach or other disinfectants with other cleaners: the CDC says this “can release vapors that may be very dangerous to breathe in.” OxiClean’s product warning also says not to use it on wool, silk, leather or “fabrics labeled dry clean only.”

How often should you wash stuffed animals?

We found no official number for home use. Here’s what we found instead:

• Child care rules: Oregon’s child care rule says “Cloth toys, if used, must be machine washed at least weekly and when soiled.” Hennepin County’s cleaning table for early care and education programs also says to launder machine washable cloth toys weekly.
• Brands: Maytag recommends washing stuffed animals “on a monthly basis depending on usage.”
• Dust mite allergy: The Mayo Clinic says “Buy washable stuffed toys. Wash them often in hot water and dry all the way. Also, keep stuffed toys off beds.” It adds that freezing items for 24 hours “can kill dust mites. But this won’t remove the allergens.”

Put together: wash when a toy is soiled (as the Oregon rule says), right away if vomit or poop gets on it (the CDC’s norovirus guidance says this for clothes and linens), and more often if dust mites are a problem (Mayo Clinic). For the rest of the toy box, see how often to wash baby toys.

Before it goes back to your baby: a quick safety check

Check the toy once it’s dry. The CPSC says to “Check all toys periodically for breakage and potential hazards.”

• Seams and parts: The AAP says to “Make sure all the parts are on tight and seams and edges are secure.”
• Eyes and noses: The CPSC says the law bans small parts in toys for children under three, including “removable small eyes and noses on stuffed toys and dolls.”
• Filling: The AAP says to avoid toys with “small bean-like pellets or stuffing that can cause choking or suffocation if swallowed.” If a seam has opened and filling is showing, fix it or put the toy away.
• Ribbons and strings: “Take off any loose ribbons or strings to avoid strangulation” (AAP).
• Broken toys: The CPSC says “A damaged or dangerous toy should be thrown away or repaired immediately.”

Not in the crib. A clean stuffed animal is still not a sleep toy for babies. The AAP’s safe sleep guide says “Just be sure that there are no blankets, pillows, stuffed toys or bumper pads in your baby’s bed,” and that its recommendations are for babies up to 1 year of age. The AAP also says “Soft objects and loose bedding can increase your baby’s risk of entrapment, suffocation or strangulation.”

Buying secondhand? The AAP points parents to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website for recalls, and says “Toys that are recalled should be removed right away.” Our guide to cleaning used baby toys covers the rest.

Sources

• FTC Care Labeling Rule, 16 CFR Part 423, glossary of care terms (eCFR)
• Ohio Administrative Code 4101:6-1-05, stuffed toy labels
• CDC: When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home
• CDC: How to Clean and Disinfect Early Care and Education Settings
• CDC: Cleaning and Disinfecting with Bleach
• CDC: Preventing Norovirus
• CDC: Treatment of Head Lice
• Nebraska Extension: bed bug information (PDF)
• EPA: Bed Bugs in Schools, Guidance for Parents (PDF)
• AAP HealthyChildren.org: A Parent’s Guide to Safe Sleep
• AAP HealthyChildren.org: How to Buy Safe Toys
• AAP HealthyChildren.org: Baby registry items to avoid
• CPSC: For Kids’ Sake, Think Toy Safety (PDF)
• Mayo Clinic: Dust mite allergy, diagnosis and treatment
• Oregon Admin. Code 414-305-0850 (child care facilities)
• Hennepin County: cleaning specific items (PDF)
• DuPage County Health Department: Cleaning Toys is Important (PDF)
• Canadian Conservation Institute: Mechanical Surface Cleaning of Textiles
• Gund: care and repair
• Build-A-Bear: care instructions
• Jellycat: safety and care
• Steiff: care and wash
• Tide: how to clean stuffed animals
• Dreft: how to wash stuffed animals
• OxiClean: how to wash a stuffed animal
• Maytag: how to wash stuffed animals
• Ask Team Clean (Henkel): how to clean a stuffed animal
• TODAY: items you can throw in the washing machine

When in doubt, follow the tag: it knows the toy better than any guide does.