Stuffed animal hospitals can assist minor to critically injured stuffed animals.

Well loved stuffed animals are often well worn also.  This is where a stuffed animal hospital can come into play.  Stuffed animal hospitals will normally help to restore the plush patient to as close to his former self as possible by performing such tasks as cleaning, restuffing, stitching or replacing such parts as eyes, noses, fur or sometimes even limbs.

The hospital that specializes in stuffed animals will usually ask you to fill out a form listing the problems that need corrected. Costs can vary for these services, but there is normally an office visit or evaluation fee charged to look over the stuffed animal and to offer an estimate of the final hospital bill. In some cases, this fee is applied toward the repair if the service is accepted after a review of the costs.

A stuffed animal hospital might be available where you live, but more likely, you will be able to find one online.  Keep in mind that, just like physicians for humans, stuffed animal doctors sometimes specialize.  A stuffed animal hospital might specialize in only teddy bears, for example, so be sure to ask a lot of questions before having any work done.

Be certain to make prior arrangements before mailing the patient to the potential stuffed animal hospital.  Some of them have very specific requests about the way that the animal is shipped, sometimes depending upon dollar value of the stuffed animal.

If your stuffed animal has monetary or sentimental value to you, sending him to a stuffed animal hospital might be a good choice.  Here’s hoping that your best stuffed animal buddy stays physically fit and healthy!

Another way to clean stuffed animals is to wash them by hand using regular detergent without submerging them. Care should also be taken as to what kind of detergent to use. Bleach can wash away the colors and also affect the context of the fur material. The water needs to be medium heat as opposed to cold or super hot. Woolite detergent is normally preferred but others that are not too harsh on the fabric can do just fine. 

Sometimes, depending on how the stuffed animal is made, you can cut the seams and remove the stuffing then do laundry on the fabric material the same way you would a regular heavy-duty fabric. Then you would re-stuff the animal either with the same stuffing or with new stuffing.

Another way to clean stuffed animals is to use baking soda. Again, read the label or manual that came with it to see whether there are any restrictions. Baking soda can be used inside a paper sack. In this technique, there is no need to use the washer.

Some people also use hair brushes to clean stuffed animals. This is done by applying gently bath soap or gel and then brushing off. Care should be taken to ensure the brush is not too hard (steel-brushes should be avoided). After brushing off the stuffed animal one can use a hair dryer to dry it. This works if the dirt is not severe or if the stuffed animal is not very old.

Perhaps the most popular way of cleaning stuffed animals is to stuff them into a pillow case and then use the washing machine. The pillow case protects them from the washing machine’s rotor which may otherwise damage it. Regular washing detergent can be added but again, read the label to see whether there are any restrictions.

Repairing a stuffed animal can sometimes make him as good as new

Over time many stuffed animals can lose pieces, become stained, or rip at the seams and need to be repaired. This is normal, considering that many children will carry their favorite stuffed animal with them everywhere they go. Luckily most of these things can be easily fixed using things that are probably around your house.

Stuffed animals will commonly lose eyes, buttons, and ribbons that are attached to them. If you have the original piece that has fallen off it can usually be easily repaired by either gluing or sewing it back on. If the piece has been lost you can probably find a suitable replacement at a craft or hobby store. Make sure that small pieces are attached extremely well so there is no risk of it being pulled off and swallowed by a child. Also make sure if you use glue to let it dry fully before giving it to your kids to play with. Using non-toxic glue is also a good safety measure.

It is very easy to stain a stuffed animal that is constantly being carried around by a child. One way to make sure that stuffed animals do not get permanently stained is to wash them every once in a while in a washing machine. To make sure that this does not damage your stuffed animal, first put the stuffed animal inside of a pillow case and use the most gentle setting on your washer. You can treat specific stains with a small amount of detergent before washing, but remember that bleach will wash the color out of most stuffed animals. After washing you can either place them in the dryer on the lowest setting or hang them on a clothes line and let them drip dry. Be careful when using a dryer as this has the possibility of ripping the seams. Make sure that the animal is completely dry before giving it to children, as wet fabrics can mold and cause potential health problems.

If your stuffed animal has lost an arm or a leg or ripped at a seam you can usually fix this with simple sewing techniques. If any stuffing has fallen out of the hole that has been created you should replace it before sewing it back together to help ensure that your end result will be closer to the original. Carefully sew the pieces back together, making sure to stitch it tight enough that it will not come apart in the same place.

Repairing stuffed animals using these techniques can help you keep them in good condition for longer, which means that you and your children can enjoy them for many years to come.