How do I clean my big cuddly toy?

Question

I have a big cuddly toy dog called Flupo, a 1st xmas pressie from hubby!

He has sat on my bed for 14 years and never really needed cleaning.

However, my "real" dog has fleas, and I am going through the process of ridding my home of the wee buggers! I actually haven't seen them anywhere except on the "real" dog, but all bedding, cushion covers, dog soft toys, etc, are going into the washing machine as a matter of precaution. The carpet and other soft furnishings will be treated with "Acclaim".

The "real" dog loves Flupo. She is very "affectionate" with him, so the odds are Flupo has fleas too!

Does anyone know if there is a specialist cleaning service for cuddly toys? He is too big for the washing machine.

My local Johnsons don't clean cuddly toys, and don't know of anywhere that might.

Answer 1

put it the bath

Answer 2

try to clean the toys once a week. I wash all of the fabric toys in the washing machine. The rest of the toys I fill th esink with water and bleach and let the toys soak for about 1 minute and then rinse them or I put the toys in the dishwasher. I also put the fabric toys in th efreezer cause I was told that it kills the dust mites.  

Answer 3

You could just clean it with a sponge and soap, then spray it with a flea spray.

Answer 4

Is it a stuffed animal? Try putting it inside of a pillow case preferably one that zippers closed. Put it through the wash on gentle cycle, with a small amount of detergent. Put him through the dryer and scrunch around his fluff inside to make sure he gets dry. The heat will kill any of the buggers while the water and soap should sanitize it a bit! I would avoid spraying it with chemicals though.

Answer 5

Jal666's idea is not bad but if I were you I would have taken it to the nearest dry cleaner's to avoid any kind of damages what so ever.

Answer 6

I don't know of somewhere to clean toys but if all else fails and you just want to get rid of the fleas empty the drawers out of the freezer and freeze him in a plastic bag.. That should kill off most of the bugs! Vacuum after.. Be sure to wash out your freezer after too!

Good luck