The MLP Arena
Creativity => Arts & Crafts Corral => Topic started by: Cassie85 on August 08, 2017, 11:57:14 PM
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So my boyfriend has a custom made Gardevoir plush. Being a child at heart, he sleeps with it every night. As would be expected, she started showing signs of dirt, so I helped him clean her. Because she is kind of a delicate plush, we did a hand wash method. I used an all natural unscented detergent, warm water, and a soft towel to clean her. It helped with some of the dirt, but she has now lost some of her softness. She is a minky plush, and parts of her are feeling kind of stiff. How do I soften her up again?
Any advise is appreciated.
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Take a toothbrush and brush her fur the "Wrong way" or in circles and then the right way a few times. This helps restore the softness to minky and makes it look like new!
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Good idea, ShimmerShine! I was going to suggest a slicker brush for pets, but I'm not sure if it would be too rough on minky. I have succesfully used it on teddy fleece and similar fabrics to restore their softness after a wash but there's occasionally some shedding. A toothbrush sounds like a gentler method!
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You can use a slicker on minky. :)
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I actually work at a fur place, and the way we fluff up real fur is what ShimmerShine suggested, though we use a pet brush. The thing that makes the fur or plush soft is the air between the fibers. When you get them wet, the fibers stick together again. When you brush them the wrong way, it pulls the fur up and allows the air to get back in there. So you aren't actually brushing it, just pulling those fibers at the base up- the stuff at the top will follow suit.
This is the same advice you've already gotten, but I was excited that there was a question I actually knew the answer to! It's nice to know that brushing a million fox tails has taught me something useful!