Cleaning Rubber Dolls

By

karmac

Rubber dolls from the 50's came with movable arms & legs plus opening & closing eyes. Do not immerse these dolls in water or liquid. The movable parts are old and may deteriorate with time. Take a soft cloth, fill a bowl or sink with non-bleach detergent (I use Dawn) and wipe the doll. If she is very dirty from years of neglect it may take a while. To wash the clothes, put them in a lingerie bag and set the washer to silk/gentle. Use a gentle detergent. Do not put in the dryer. Lay on a towel as you would a good sweater to dry. You may iron the clothing with the lowest steam setting on the iron. To clean the hair, which is anchored through holes in the head, gently message with mild (possibly Woolite) soapy water and rinse with a wet wash cloth. DO NOT IMMERSE HEAD IN LIQUID. This will fill the head with liquid and destroy the eyes.

Hope this helps. My dolls are from the 50's. One is hard bodied with rubber arms, legs and head and movable eyes. The other is all rubber with movable arms, legs and eyes. They are from my childhood.

By Jean (Guest Post)

Try rubbing an art eraser over the doll. If you do not mind getting the doll wet, use a Mr. Cean Magic Eraser on it. Just squeeze as dry as possible before you do. Test in an inconspicuous place (bottom of doll's feet) first.