Are your stuffed toys dirty?

Stuffed toys can lead a hard life, if they're loved. Whether they tag along to play dates or Day Care, play hide and seek in the back yard, sleep with you as a plush pillow or just cuddle up by the TV sharing your snacks, they can really get dirty. Even the ones we "grownups" have out for "show" will eventually get dusty.

If you're collecting your stuffed animals as an investment, by all means protect them, take good care of the swing tags, and don't wash them.

But for the rest of us, who love on our plush pals, here are some advices on how to get them clean.

There are symbols on the tush tag of many toys that tell you how to clean that toy. They typically indicate whether it can be washed, the temperature for the wash water, whether it can be bleached, and whether it can be machine dried.

If it can be machine washed, the best way we have found is to put it in a pillow case and tie a loose knot in the end. Run it through the washing machine on gentle cycle in cool water, with detergent, but no bleach. We use dye-free and scent-free Tide. Then place the stuffed toy on a large absorbent towel to dry. Occasionally, there will be a need to pre-treat an area of soil, for which we use Shout. Sometimes we find a plush lovey with just a little light soil from being on a shelf. In that case, I usually hand wash it with mild dishwashing liquid and let it air dry.

I do suggest that you wash any toy that you intend to allow a young child to play with.