What to do with a dirty teddy bear

Most antique and vintage teddy bears carry a very special past and are filled with years of love and plenty of stories for sure.  Along with all the tea parties and adventures outside comes years of dust and dirt as well.  With a bit of a clean-up an old teddy bear can absolutely shine but special care must be taken in the process.  The materials used to construct bears in the early 1900’s don’t withstand much exposure to water.  When Ludlow the Steiff from the earlier post arrived at my door he was just as adorable as his photos but could certainly use a bit of a clean. I consulted several teddy bear books written by experts on the matter.  I have compiled what I learned below in hopes it will help others who are beginning to collect these special old bears. After receiving his clean-up treatment, Ludlow is certainly ready to charm!

1)      Place in freezer

There are small critters that are attracted to teddy’s mohair coat and excelsior stuffing.  It is advised that your new antique teddy be set in a plastic bag and placed in a freezer for 24-48 hours to rid him of any pests. Alternatively, you may also fumigate your bear by placing him in a plastic bag over night with moth balls or flea powder.

2)      Oat bath

A very effective way of drawing out years of grease and grime is to give him a bath in raw oats.  At first I thought this sounded crazy but gave it a try and it works! Fill a plastic bag with raw oats and rub the oats liberally but gently into teddy’s fur.  I also covered Ludlow with the oats and let him sit for a while. He really thought it was some sort of spa treatment and came out with a much brighter and cleaner coat.

3)      Good brushing

Especially after a nice oat bath, teddy could use a good, gentle brushing. I ran a fine toothed metal comb through Ludlow’s fur to remove any oat remnants and dust.

4)      Vacuum

Vacuuming your teddy using the hose attachment is another very effective way to remove years of dirt and dust.  Be sure to set the vacuum on a low setting and it is advisable to cover the end with gauze or a nylon stocking to prevent pulling too tightly or accidentally pulling out an eye…ouch!

5)      Suds only bath

It is never advisable to immerse an antique teddy in water or place in a washing machine since many old bears have metal or cardboard disc joints and excelsior straw stuffing!  A safe alternative is a suds only surface wash. Mix a gentle detergent (I used Woolite) in a bowl of warm water and work into a good lather.  Dab the lather only into teddy’s fur over entire surface.

6)      Rinse

Using a separate bowl of clean warm water lightly rinse teddy’s fur with a damp cloth. Be sure to remove the suds the best you can as left over detergent can show residue in the fur.

7)      Air dry

Teddy should be naturally air dried while avoiding any sunlight.

8)      Good combing and brush up

After teddy is dry, run a comb and brush through his fur again to fluff him up! You should see a real difference in the color and texture of the mohair fur.