How to Wash Stuffed Animals (Without Wrecking Them)

Last updated: September 2026

The short answer: check the tag first. Surface wash only means spot clean with mild soap and a damp cloth; machine washable plush go in a pillowcase on cold gentle. Either way, the step that ruins stuffed animals is not the wash, it is the drying: never use a machine dryer on high heat, and never store a plush that is even slightly damp. Air dry fully, one to two days, then back to breathable storage.

Hands spot cleaning a pastel plush toy with a white cloth over a basin of soapy water
Most plush never need the machine: mild soap, damp cloth, patience, and the fur survives every time.

Step 1: read the tag, then pick a lane

  • "Surface wash only": spot clean, no soaking. Most Squishmallows and anything with glued parts, sound boxes, or beans lives here.
  • Machine washable: cold water, gentle cycle, inside a pillowcase or mesh laundry bag, mild detergent, no fabric softener. Softener coats the fibers and kills the fluff.
  • No tag or vintage: treat as surface wash only. A 40 year old teddy has glue and stitching nobody warranties.

Step 2: the spot clean that handles 90% of cases

  1. Mix a teaspoon of mild dish soap or baby shampoo into two cups of cool water.
  2. Dip a white cloth, wring hard, and work the dirty spot in small circles. White cloth so you can see the dirt transfer, not dye.
  3. Wipe with a clean damp cloth to lift the soap back out.
  4. Blot with a dry towel, then brush the fur with a soft brush or clean toothbrush so it dries unmatted.

Step 3: drying, where plush actually get ruined

Heat melts and warps polyester fibers, which is why a machine dryer on hot turns fluffy fur crunchy. And a plush stored damp grows mildew from the inside, which no wash fixes. The safe version:

  • Squeeze in a towel first, never wring or twist the body.
  • Air dry on a rack near a window or fan, one to two days for a full soak, a few hours for a spot clean.
  • Machine dryer only if the tag allows it, and then air-only or the lowest heat with a couple of clean tennis balls to keep the fill from clumping.
  • Fully dry before it returns to storage. Breathable pockets forgive a little residual moisture; a closed bin does not. Storage rules in our Squishmallow care guide.
Three pastel plush toys air drying on a wooden rack near a bright window with a fan nearby
The step that decides everything: fully air dried before going back into any pocket, bin, or hammock.

After sickness: the sanitize question

Post flu or lice, you want more than a spot clean. Machine washable plush get the pillowcase treatment in the warmest water the tag allows. Surface-wash-only plush get 48 hours in a sealed bag in the freezer, which handles lice and dust mites without touching the fabric, then a thorough spot clean. Sunlight helps too: a few hours outside freshens and disinfects, just not day after day, since UV fades the fabric.

Sound boxes, batteries, and glued eyes

Anything electronic never gets submerged: remove the sound box through its velcro pocket if it has one, otherwise strict spot cleaning around it. Glued-on eyes and sequins are the other machine casualties; a pillowcase helps, but surface washing is the honest answer for decorated plush.

The wash rhythm Bed crew every month or two, the rest of the collection twice a year plus after any illness. Toys stored in breathable mesh pockets need washing far less often than bin-stored plush, because air flow is what keeps the musty smell from ever starting.

FAQ

Can you put stuffed animals in the washing machine?

Only if the tag says machine washable: cold, gentle, inside a pillowcase, mild detergent. No tag, sound box, or glued parts means spot clean only.

How do you dry a stuffed animal after washing?

Towel squeeze, then air dry on a rack for one to two days until completely dry inside. Machine dryers on heat are the number one way plush fur gets ruined.

How do you clean a stuffed animal that cannot be washed?

Spot clean with dilute mild soap and a barely damp cloth, brush the fur as it dries. For deeper freshening: baking soda in a bag, shake, rest 30 minutes, brush out.

How do you disinfect stuffed animals after being sick?

Machine washables: warmest tag-allowed wash. Everything else: 48 hours bagged in the freezer plus a spot clean, and a few hours of sunshine.

Clean plush deserve storage that keeps them that way: breathable mesh beats bins, full comparison in Best Stuffed Animal Storage in 2026, and the daily system in How to Organize Stuffed Animals.

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