How Clean are Your Dolls?

I keep my dolls in their original boxes and set aside their clothes and wigs in little plastic bags that I keep in a shoebox. I'm also a handwashing freak, but even so I like to use rubber gloves when handling my dolls.

 

Sadly my poor dollies rarely get dirty, as I don't handle them a lot... though they may get a bit dusty if they're on display. I like things that look old and weathered and handled, though, so I use my paints, chalks and sealers to "scruff them up" a bit.

So they're fairly 'clean' but hopefully don't look it! ^_~

Raven

 

I keep my dolls free from grease by handling them lightly and mostly only by touching their clothes, and free from dust by using an air blower to flick dust off their faces and eyes without disturbing the eyelashes or face up. I prefer synthetic wigs, so they don't get too tangled and unworn wigs are stuffed and netted to prevent flyaways or being flattened. My dolls get restrung and bathed from time to time too

I think I'm doing quite well!

My dolls are on display on my bookshelf, but they don't seem to get too dusty as I keep moving them around!

 

Same here! ^^

They only really get taken apart and scrubbed once a year or so. I make sure to pick them up by holding their clothed areas rather than the naked resin They very rarely get taken outside, so, I guess they're pretty clean all in all! ^^

 

Mine live out. I play withthem often enoguht hat dust doens't get much chance to settle on themand a wipe over with a damp cloth every month or so usually does for any dirt accumulated through play. Clothes go through the wash with the nousehold laundry if they need it (which is rare) or are spot cleaned if there's a particular marke they've picked up. Wigs, the ones not in use are boxed the ones in use get played with, combe, brushed too often for dust to settle.

To me, they're playthings so I'm not "precious" about them. My bears, stuffed animals, vinyl dolls, cloth dolls and porcelain dolls all get treated the same.

Teddy

 

yes that's right, if I take them outside, even for a little while, they are immediately dirty. I hate washing them so I keep them inside.

 

This thread has been super helpful! I've only had my girl for a month, but I chain smoke and I have 3 cats (I can hear people gasping). I know, it's a filthy habit... but now I have some great tricks for keeping my girl fresh!

A Couple Questions:
I've noticed a lot of people say they give their resin-babies baths... can I just put her in water to wash her off? Are the insides/string allowed to get wet, or do you have to pull them all apart to do a bath?

Also... I have bad clothing stains in her nether-regions from a very tight pair of jeans I just got her (too tight for panties underneath). Can I magic-eraser any part on her body? I have wig staining too... should I be worried about ruining her faceup if I magic eraser her head?

Thanks for the tips as I am SO WORRIED to over-clean her or not do it properly!!!

 

My dolls are collecting dust on my dressers. Last night I swept my finger over Sevin's boot and there was a ton of dust. They haven't been moved from their spots or had their clothes changed in months. I lost my enthusiasm.

Other than that - my dolls do not go outside (unless I need to do a photoshoot) and are not "played with" so they don't get dirty. Sevin came to me with sharpie marks all over his neck but he wears a high collared jacket and bandana to hide it. It's a complete non-issue to me.

I always handle Xia Li with gloves because her faceup is by a well known artist and cost me a fortune.

 

Lola, you can use the magic eraser with water on any part of the doll except their faceup. A good rule of thumb is to not magic eraser on the face past the back of the ears.

How bad is the staining on your doll? Is it visible with different wigs on, or is it higher up or on the headcap itself? If you prefer dark wigs, it might be a good investment to get a silicone wig cap. I know Luts and Volks sell them, and they're inexpensive and can stretch a fair bit. They also help hold the wigs on sans velcro or a rubber band.

Submerging your doll (minus faceup) in water is fine, but you'll have to remove the strings and allow them to airdry. This preserves the quality of the elastic and prevents it from mildewing inside your doll. When I do a quick wash on my dolls, I take a damp magic eraser to their limbs and pat dry. I don't feel the need to de-string as I don't submerge my dolls to clean them.

To answer the question, my dolls are fairly clean. I like to keep stockings/shoes on them to keep their legs and feet from picking up scrapes due to contact with their environment. I don't take them outside very often, and generally when they do go outside, they're being carried in my arms or in such a way as to not come into contact with the outside. I wouldn't be too concerned if the body got dirty. They're easy to clean, and a little dirt won't hurt their resin.

 

Oh man, now I feel bad. Mine are little dirtballs. Their faces never get dirty, but other parts of them get randomly dirty. Granted, I live about a quarter of my time on a farm, and tend to take a lot of photos outside anyways, but my dolls can be such dirty little things sometimes. For the most part, I can put a little water on a light paper towel or a tissue and give them a gentle wipe-down. That generally does the trick.

Now, I've learned to be a bit more careful with their clothes. One of my boy's tight faux-vinyl spandex shirts turned his entire chest/belly purple from being on him for so long, but that really was only on the sealant, so it all came off nicely when he got a cleaning. It's never ended up anywhere where he was unsealed, so I figure the spray soaked it up eventually. And a certain pair of my girl's shoes, I'm about to give a light rinsing to. They were a lovely sky-blue faux-suede, but now they're really grimy. I haven't given them a good cleaning in probably a year, so it's about time anyways. >.>

 

I try to keep the clothes, as far as possible, in their original plastic bags. Wigs are also kept in their original hairnets and brushed with a soft toothbrush after use.

I used to have the dolls standing out on display (dusted whenever I thought it was needed), but now that I am moving to a house with a smoker, two cats, a rabbit, a hamster and a dog I will keep them safely tucked away in their original boxes at nearly all times.
Since they wear clothes, I have to brush off lint at a regular basis, too. ^^

They cost a small fortune, of course I'd like to keep them clean xD

 

My dolls are all clean.

Two of them are covered in clothing, so their resin is still spotless. My first two MSDs get handled a lot, so I wipe them with alcohol every few months to keep dirt from accumulating. Also, these two are coated in MSC which attracts dirt more easily, but at least it keeps the stains off. Only one of my dolls has a stain, but it's just below the headcap line, so it's not too bad.

Generally if I see dirt, I get rid of it immediately, the rest is just general maintenance.

 

Ok, I thought mine was clean but I've never given her a bath yet!
I went to my first meet recently and I have to admit I cleaned her up for that. I don't worry too much about a few bits of fluff and dust collecting inside her joints when she's sat on my shelf but I cleaned all them off before I took her out in public, it's much like my own standards - I dont need to brush my hair and put on full makeup when I'm staying in but I've got to look good before I venture out>_>
I couldnt stand having her really noticably dirty though, I like to keep her clothes nice and her wig straight and magic eraser any odd marks she manages to pick up from seemingly nowhere. I feel like a horrible neglectful owner if I leave her with marks on or chipped body blushing for any length of time.
Wigs and what few spare clothes she has do get stored carefully though. I spend too much on them and I'm too lazy to get the iron out every time I want to use them.
I did take her with me while visiting my partents and cat recently and the cat hair got all over her even though the cat wasn't allowed near her. I now live in another city, my mum is pathalogically clean and I still sometimes find bits of cat hair on my things, that stuff is impossible to avoid.

 

SILICONE wig cap - you might want to seriously rethink getting one - Volks actually sells white very thin cloth ones I just got one and its good

The Silicone head cap - I read a thread on here many people have staining from the cap itself! I was doubtful as they are just clear gel like things, BUT yesterday I pulled off the wig and the cap from my doll and under the cap there was a horrible BIG dark purple stain!! about an inch wide around the front of her head it came from the pressure area where the wig pushed down harder around the edge on the cap. It took me a good hour of rubbing with the magic eraser to get it off my girl !! I am so glad I never got around to putting on the other two. I had her silicone wig cap on about 6 months. You will not notice staining for a while so putting it on and checking in a week will not reveal anything fyi.

For cleaning when dolls arrive that are second hand I take a bit of the magic eraser dampen it under a tap and then clean the whole doll with it (not faceup if I want to keep it). Then I go over the whole doll again with a damp paper towl then dry her wipe her off with a regular hand towl. I don't like to leave the magic eraser on her.

I don't restring my dolls so they are all a bit soft strung but its fine I like it.

I would think a hairdryer set on Cold blowing on the face would get rid of dust as well as the air pressure container. Might work well on the whole doll including clothes if needed.

 

Ahahahaha! *coughsnickersnort* Ahem. My Renny is -filthy-. I really should buy stock in Mr Clean Magic Erasers. Really. I take her -everywhere- with me, so she occasionally goes camping and dust is everywhere. I love her so much, and I've decided she looks fantastic bald, so no worrying about wigs for me!

However, she's easily cleaned up with some baby wipes and Mr Clean Magic Eraser, so all is well!

 

I have so many tan dolls that my whole collection lives behind a drape... I don't have any cats, but I do live downtown on a busy city street, so airborne soot is a big deal. The drapery protects them from both sunlight AND dust. Two birds with one stone. ^^

But we do get lint, like anyone else. When lint attacks, I use one of those baby aspirator things (squeezy bulb with a skinny tip) to blow the dust out of crevices & creases. For silicone eyeballs that get lint, a quick pass with a wet sponge-tipped eyeshadow applicator.

Leaving your doll clad in dark-colored clothes for a long time can leave lint and/or stains, even from garments that don't stain with normal use. I tend to leave some of these lads dressed in the same fabulous outfit for months on end, so I have to remember to periodically check inside their collars & pants to make sure they're still OK. And for wigs that are known to stain, especially when leaving the same wig on for a long time, definitely cloth wigcaps.

I used to take everyone apart for a really good scrubbing semiregularly-- but that was back when I had a manageable number of bodies in the house! ^^ Now, everybody just gets a quick assessment every time they take their clothes off, and if I see any dirt, they get a quick spot spongebath. Nobody ever gets really grubby. (Except for Rowan, but that's only because he spent two weeks in Japan with me shoved into my backpack; I do owe that filthy little guy a nice long day at the spa!)

Baby wipes? o_o Aren't they full of lotion?

 

Every baby wipe I've ever come across has some sort of oil in it--lanolin or Vitamin E, usually. A damp cloth would probably be much better!

 

my two boys are always out of their box as I don't really consider them as objects lol!
but they are very clean cause one day for two months (approximatively)I clean them (head (becarfull with their makeup)and body) with a magic sponge gently and carefully during long and lovely minutes of complicity ^_________^
sometimes I wash the clothes in a washing machine XD
I always manipulate them with clean hands !

 

Cleeeeaaaaan. : D

I put them away most of the time in their box/in my closet because I don't want them to collect dust. I also keep them naked too... lol because I'm afraid the clothes might stain them/I don't want their clothes to get wrinkled.

That comment about silicone caps is slightly unnerving... though they've never been on my doll's head for that long at once...

 

My two girls are very clean, but I've only got them recently. I never take them out of the box except for the few times I've taken reference photos of them, and don't even own any clothes for them yet. They stay safe and snug while their costumes are getting made While they are in progress though I want to keep them super clean just in case I need to send them to the ol' Marketplace to re-home. Since I've just started getting into the hobby I still feel the ultra-wallet-shyness of having spent so much money on dolls.

However, I have a glass curio case for them once they are ready to face the world, and a huge bolt of dark ultrasuede to make curtains to cover the case. It's gonna be swanky to finally feel like they are really *mine,* I just can't wait!