I have a doll that has been in a cardboard box for years, in our garage. Once I opened it, I saw that there are light brown stains on the doll's clothing. How can I carefully get these out? The doll's dress is mostly black and white (nun doll). I don't feel comfortable putting it in the washing machine.
If the doll clothes are white, I would try hand washing it in bleach, but if it is all different colors, I would use pinesol and hand wash the stain out.
I used to work in a doll repair shop, so I hope I can help.First, check a hidden area of the black part to see if the dye will run. Many older doll clothes are not colorfast and will bleed, especially dark colors like red, black, blue and purple. If it is not colorfast, do your best to work around that part, or take it to a professional doll repair store. If it is colorfast, start with the least invasive and work up. ALWAYS rinse well with cool water between steps. Here's the order I would try: Baking soda/water paste toothpaste (non peroxide formula) baby shampoo denture tabs hydrogen peroxide If none of those work, you may have to try a commerical grade cleaner such as Perk from Twin Pines of Maine (www.twinpines.com). We used their products all the time! I hope this helps.
My mom swears by biz, it is an oldie but a goodie and I remember her soaking items like that in a basin. I am pretty sure you can find it in a larger supermarket.
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