Whose responsibility is it to keep clothing from staining dolls?

I try to pre-wash all my fabrics, sometimes even before I know what I'll be doing with them, because there's the chance that I'll be in a swap and I'd hate for something I made to stain someone else's doll. But on the other hand, I don't see myself blaming the maker of an outfit I bought or received for a stain...

I think the best solution would just be communication between buyer and seller about whether or not items are pre-washed. If you're selling, just write up a line about which items might not have been pre-washed, or if you're buying, ask the seller whether or not an item has been pre-washed-- not in a pushy way, but so that you know whether or not you should be washing it yourself before long-term wearing. Then the whole issue of staining can be avoided. It's nice when someone selling an outfit goes to the trouble, but honestly, I think the responsibility belongs to the doll owner to make sure.

=^__^=
Anneko

 

I believe it is the buyer's responsibility to take care of their possessions, this includes taking the steps it takes to protect them from stains, chips and any other damage. Sometimes even the companies don't know the materials their clothing is made of (let alone if it's something that will run or if it's been pre-washed) because the maker of the outfits was just a commissioned artist for the project and they aren't involved in that step of the process but merely the distributing of the product.

And sometimes individual sellers might not want to pre-wash the garment in case it causes the colors to run or look dull. When you buy a car, do the dealers tell you not to put bumper stickers on the paint of a car because it could ruin it? No, it is the owner's responsibility to research the proper care of their cars. If someone is interested in protecting their doll from stains there are a number of ways to do this if the owner takes a bit of time to do just a little research. The responsibility should not rest with the sellers of doll clothes to protect the buyer's doll. There's full-body coating, there's 'body stockings', which go on under clothing and protect the doll from stains, you could wash the clothes and there are even more creative ways to stop staining if you do a simple Den of Angels search.

 

I'm of the belief that it's essentially the doll owner's responsibility. I think it's fairly common knowledge that any clothing has the potential to stain dolls so doll owners should be prepared for that possibility. I could see a new doll owner being a little shocked if it happened to them and they weren't prepared for it but that's part of getting into the hobby, you need to do a bit of research into how to maintain your dolls. Not that I don't sympathize to doll owners who this has happened to (I've dealt with some minor staining myself) but it's really more an issue of putting in your own effort in taking care of your things. The only time I think the responsibility issue on the seller's half should come up is if the seller flat out lies about pre-washing clothing or claims that a piece of clothing is 100% un-staining, in which case it's a totally different ethical issue.

 

This! I keep Mr. Clean's ready and waiting for just such emergencies, and I've never had a problem.

 

Even when things are pre-washed by the company, there are no guarantees the dye won't transfer (especially with something like a pair of jeans). It's an issue you have to be aware of as a doll owner, and take steps to prevent. Either pre-wash your clothes when you get them or keep a Magic Eraser around and check for staining periodically.

 

This -- the only stains I've met that wouldn't come off with a magic sponge were stains from wig caps where the pigment had stained the MSC. Sometimes those stains will only come off if you remove the MSC. I imagine that theoretically dark-colored clothing on a sealed body could have the same effect, but I don't seal my dolls' bodies so I wouldn't know.

Honestly if you're that worried about staining you should probably prewash the clothes, because even if the clothing maker "should" prewash the fabric (I don't care if they do or not personally) there's no guarantee that they actually did. Better safe than sorry, I'd think.

 

I think it's the owner's responsibility, especially as many of the companies selling clothes put warnings on their sites that the clothing may stain.

 

Even when fabric is pre washed it can still continue to stain, so I think it's up to the owner to be aware of these possible issues and keep them in mind (and a supply of magic erasers in hand as others have said) when purchasing things.

 

It has never even occurred to me to think it was the clothing maker's responsiblity. However, I do hold wig makers somewhat accountable for stains since there are alternative materials that do not stain and I will not buy from them again if the wigs consistently cause a problem.

 

I think generally its the owners fault when it comes to things like this. Its a matter of weather or not someone else harmed your doll and when it comes to staining you can only blame yourself. And its not usually to hard to clean up. I've taken care of most major stains really easily and others I just ignore because they are covered by clothes and I know for the most part that part of the doll doesn't have to be perfect.

The one exception to this might be if someone shipped you a doll in clothes and staining resulted because of that. But that is the sellers fault not the clothes company.

 

I always wash the clothes before I put them on. I think it comes more down to how much you like your doll rather than a principal. I doubt seller have time to wash clothing, they are too busy making it. I love my dolls, I don't want them stained, I wash the clothing. Looking after my dolls is my responsibilty, that's the way I looking at it.

 

Totally the owner's responsibility. If we want our dolls to be perfect it is up to us to take care of them.

 

This has never been something that I worried about. I've never had fabric stains not come out of resin. If someone is worried about it, then they can always wash the clothing.

 

This.

I have similar thoughts as well with various eye-putties. Like that brown stuff that some companies give you that eats into Acryllic. Not so much with the silicone ear plugs (They're not actually designed to be eye-putty, so it's my own fault when my silicone eyes go cloudy because I've used it) but when a product specifically marketed as eye-putty damages eyes... well.

 

I think anyone who is going to be handling the clothes (maker and owner) have a responsibility to take the precautions so the staining is as minimal as possible.

 

Aww, man. As an owner of a vinyl doll (an obitsu), I totally think that the doll owner needs to be held completely responsible for making sure that their doll does not stain, and that they need to be vigilant about it. I've seen people making complaints about the companies not telling them that their clothes can stain/that the dolls can stain when these things are very easy to find out through research and it's really something that you absolutely need to know if you're going to stick dark clothes on your dolls. It's not the company's fault that you chose to stick that secksay goth-set on your DD right out of the package and she became a dalmatian because you didn't bother to do the research.

 

I'm mostly in agreement it's our own responsibility to make sure the clothes we own are safe, if when i rinse a dress and it oozes dye, you better believe it'll be rinsed 'til clear or never on my doll at all.
I learned this the hard way after buying an outfit and having the hem leave a bright blue belt around the hips of my doll. It wasn't even on her that long.... but boy did i learn.

But, at the same time i've also extended that courtesy to people i've sold to in the past. ALL of my fabric is prewashed before i use it in anything.
This helps with both removing excess dye and shrinking. Both of which i'm happy to do for other people. And i honestly don't find it that difficult a thing to do, you can do quite a lot of fabric in one load.
So while they could, they don't. But they do warn you so after seeing the warning it's best to be sure when you get it home.
For your dollies sake :P