A filthy teddy bear is cleaned following a method shown on TikTok
We all know that children have some favorite stuffed animal or toy to sleep with and spend their days with, usually in the first months and years of their lives. These toys are real treasures that make the infants feel safe and that become very important to them over time. Following the children in their many adventures, those soft toys end up getting very dirty. Sometimes we don't realize it right away, as it's often a very gradual process, but then the day comes when the toy animal's fur has lost its color - and maybe it's even been stained and is sticky to the touch.
This is what happened to a 40-year-old teddy bear that a TikTokker, @lauzydan, owned and which she literally brought back to life with a double-soak baths. She called it "bear soup", but it is none other than the famous "laundry stripping". Laundry stripping is the process of thoroughly cleaning clothes, linens, carpets and almost anything else. It's also a cleaning technique that has become very popular on the internet.
via @lauzydan/TikTok
In the video clip, the woman says that the bear belonged to her brother-in-law as a child, and was given to her by her mother-in-law to be passed down to her son. The bear was still intact, but had been in a dirty condition for decades.
Here's what it took to get this bear to get back to being as good as new:
- The bear was opened up to take out all the stuffing. With stuffings of the past, which contained wood shavings and pieces of foam rubber, one needs to be careful: the smaller pieces can adhere to the fabric and the fur of the bear, and tend to end up flying everywhere. So arm yourself with a large bag to empty everything into it.
- Be careful to extract any electrical components (such as those that make toys talk), and which cannot come into contact with water.
- In a large basin, which has been filled with hot water, dissolve one measuring cup of borax, one of laundry soda and a pinch of powdered laundry detergent.
- Immerse the toy and let it soak for several hours.
You can see the first part of the process by clicking here.
The woman wanted to repeat the whole procedure for a second time, since the bear was absolutely filthy. Laundry stripping (or soaking) is actually considered to be a form of pre-wash, and after the soaking, the bear was also put into the washing machine for a regular wash. Always use a washing cycle that is not too aggressive for items like these.
It will then be time to put all the stuffing back (and maybe you can consider changing an old and synthetic mix for a more modern stuffing - perhaps of organic origin and with hypoallergenic properties). Then make any repairs and give the toy (bear) back to the children. The cleaning will (shoudl have) returned the toy to its original colors, and above all, it is perfumed, cleaned and disinfected!
To see the second part and the results of the "teddy bear soup", click here.
