Dolls are special to people. They want to preserve them as best they can, so they look as good as new as long as possible. What are some tips for keeping dolls in good shape over the years?
How to Keep Your Dolls in Tiptop Shape
For starters, it’s a good idea to dust dolls rather than “clean” them. A light dusting works well to keep dolls in good shape, but once you involve water, chemicals or commercial cleaning products you can do real damage. For instance, if the doll has a crack somewhere, and you’re using water to “clean” it, that water can seep into the crack and make the doll worse than if you hadn’t tried to “clean” it. Furthermore, if you want to do a “touch-up” job on your doll, with, say, a marker, keep in mind that your touch-up job might make the doll’s overall value go down.
Should you see that there’s a stain on a wooden or ceramic piece of your doll, you can try using an ordinary gum eraser to remove it. Be gentle, though, and avoid using an eraser on any part that has flaking paint or cracks.
Have you ever known a kid to give their doll a bath in the bathtub? This is often a disaster! Even dolls totally made of fabric shouldn’t be given a bath. It’s better to utilize the soft attachment of a vacuum cleaner on a doll than to give it a bath in soap and water.
Where and how you store a doll matters. You should keep them out of direct sunlight– otherwise their dyes and fabrics deteriorate. If you can, wrap them in acid-free tissue paper and store them in acid-free cardboard or plastic boxes. Keep in mind that it’s best to give them some air, so don’t tightly seal their boxes. Fabrics need to breathe. If you don’t want to store your dolls away in boxes, consider putting them on display for people to enjoy in a glass-fronted cabinet. This cabinet, if wooden, should be sealed with polyurethane varnish and lined with acid-free paper. Did you know wood emits acidic fumes over time? Therefore, it’s best to keep wooden items away from textiles/fabrics.
Gigi’s Dolls has a “doll hospital” with services to repair, restring and/or restyle dolls. For more information, contact us today.