How fragile is a default faceup?

As long as the face up is sealed with MSC it should be fine to do a very very light cleaning with a magic eraser. I would NOT use pressure on a face up as it is a mild abrasive.

I would actually start with a damp soft cloth to gently remove dirt from the face and only use the magic eraser for a really stubborn stain (like a wig stain on the head cap). Hope that helps a little

 

Default face ups (I haven't washed my doll, though) seem pretty sturdy if you don't touch them too much. My first doll was bought in August of 2010, and she still has her original default face up.

I second Shelly; don't do anything that could potentially cause it to ware any faster, or come off soon. A very brief once-over with even a paper towel might be enough to get it clean without bothering anything.

 

It really does just depend. I just wiped a default faceup on a doll who had had it for four years - no damage, another one I received started flaking off days after I got it. You can't even really go by company, because so many factors can cause a faceup to be more or less fragile...the weather may have been perfect for one and crappy for another.

If you're nervous, do what Shelly said and use a damp cloth. Go slow and she'll probably be fine!

 

My Volks Hewitt has had his default faceup since whenever he was released.. I think it was 2004? (He's a v.1) Anyway, it's still perfect ^^ I had another doll with a company faceup, CH Jupiter, from 2005 til I wiped it a month ago and it was fine.

 

I have four dolls with default faceups and for the most part they are fine! My Mnf's face up has chipped, and it has only been a year, so that makes me a bit disappointed since it was by far the most expensive. But it's still too beautiful to change!
All of my other dolls with default face-ups still look wonderful!

 

As with just about every other question, the answer is really . . . it depends. It depends on the company. It depends on the individual artist who did the faceup. It depends on the weather conditions when the faceup was done and sealed. It depends on the quality of the sealant and the care with which the sealant was applied. There is no single, easy answer.

Case in point: I have several dolls by the same company. One of them, cast and painted in 2003, still has a default faceup in pristine condition. A different one, cast and painted in 2004, had a default faceup that faded away within a couple of years and had to be redone. Same company. Almost certainly different artists. Certainly different levels of care and attentiveness during the faceupping and sealing process.

If you want to preserve the default faceup for as long as possible, you might try cleaning with a soft (non-abrasive) damp cloth first, and only bring out the Magic Eraser if you absolutely have to. Any abrasive, even a gentle one like a Magic Eraser, has the potential to take off part of the sealant layer (or more, if it isn't used carefully).

 

I will go with Chyntia in Flint Hills for the answers. For some cases, I give extra layers of MSC and re-gloss for my babies periodically after a bath to protect it. Especially Orianne, with her default company faceup.

 

Thanks for asking this question. I've often wondered myself, and found the comments here very helpful.