Cleaning advice

[ghouldilocks]

So I went to a flea market today and got a fair haul of ponies, but I've NEVER before seen ponies in person who are as grubby as this bunch! Many of them are definitely moldy, too, I am very sad to say.

I posted photos in a brag thread, but here are a few of the worst, just to give you an idea of what I'm up against:
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This is going to be quite the project for me!  I know that I'm going to start by quarantining these guys all individually with dryer sheets - they all smell musty, even the ones who don't appear too grubby.  I assume they've all been hidden away in storage for quite some time, apparently under less-than-ideal conditions.

I will likely be posting photos here occasionally, asking for advice as I go through the process of trying to save these beauties, but for now I just have a couple of simple questions:

1) Is it fine to keep each of them in a ziploc freezer bag? I'm not sure whether this would be a problem over a length of time, until I can get to their deep cleaning.

2) Is there a particular sort of dryer sheet that would be best for this? I've never had a need for this before, so I'm in totally new territory here. The next day off I have when the weather is fine, I plan to lay them all out in the shade for some fresh air, but I want to get them quarantined tonight, even if it means a quick trip to Walmart for different bags or dryer sheets than what we have on hand. ><

[Emerald]

NOOOOOOOOOO MY PRECIOUS PONENIECE(s)!!!

I hope you can save them. They're so precious and sad. 

[Featherwurm]

1) Is it fine to keep each of them in a ziploc freezer bag? I'm not sure whether this would be a problem over a length of time, until I can get to their deep cleaning.

2) Is there a particular sort of dryer sheet that would be best for this? I've never had a need for this before, so I'm in totally new territory here. The next day off I have when the weather is fine, I plan to lay them all out in the shade for some fresh air, but I want to get them quarantined tonight, even if it means a quick trip to Walmart for different bags or dryer sheets than what we have on hand. ><

1) Not to my knowledge, it's a good way to keep them separate and quarantined.  I'd not leave them for years, but for days, weeks, months, it should be fine.  The only thing it won't do is inhibit mold growth if there's still water in the ponies.

2) Anything that doesn't appear to be colored/dyed and you may want to be careful if it has a heavy scent.  That vinyl tends to pick up scents easily (hence the mildewy odor).

Personally, for the odor, I'd recommend giving all of them a good deep bath ASAP.  In my own experience that's the best way to deal with bad odors, especially since the hair tends to be affected.  I've found after the bath it can take more than a week of airing out in a good, well-ventilated area for the odors to fully dissipate.  Personally though, I like that best, since it means that when the odor's gone it's gone, no covering, and the source of it (dirt or mold) is clean from the washing.  I'd definitely open these girls up and wash them on the inside as well (not everyone will agree with that), but that may just be me...

[ghouldilocks]

1) Is it fine to keep each of them in a ziploc freezer bag? I'm not sure whether this would be a problem over a length of time, until I can get to their deep cleaning.

2) Is there a particular sort of dryer sheet that would be best for this? I've never had a need for this before, so I'm in totally new territory here. The next day off I have when the weather is fine, I plan to lay them all out in the shade for some fresh air, but I want to get them quarantined tonight, even if it means a quick trip to Walmart for different bags or dryer sheets than what we have on hand. ><

1) Not to my knowledge, it's a good way to keep them separate and quarantined.  I'd not leave them for years, but for days, weeks, months, it should be fine.  The only thing it won't do is inhibit mold growth if there's still water in the ponies.

2) Anything that doesn't appear to be colored/dyed and you may want to be careful if it has a heavy scent.  That vinyl tends to pick up scents easily (hence the mildewy odor).

Personally, for the odor, I'd recommend giving all of them a good deep bath ASAP.  In my own experience that's the best way to deal with bad odors, especially since the hair tends to be affected.  I've found after the bath it can take more than a week of airing out in a good, well-ventilated area for the odors to fully dissipate.  Personally though, I like that best, since it means that when the odor's gone it's gone, no covering, and the source of it (dirt or mold) is clean from the washing.  I'd definitely open these girls up and wash them on the inside as well (not everyone will agree with that), but that may just be me...

Thanks! I definitely planned to open them up and give them a good, deep clean on the inside as well as out. I can't get to this immediately, though, which is why I want to start small for now. They've definitely moved to the top of the spa appointments list, though, so to speak. lol.

[Emerald]

I've been thinking about these poor babies! I'd definitely open them, too. I don't know why anyone wouldn't as long as you're careful, but that's just me I guess.

[hathorcat]

If you are going to pack them in individual bags...dont seal the bags (or perhaps punch a couple of air holes in them). Plastic likes to breath and sealing them up in their own microclimate is not going to help them. Allow some fresh air in.

As for the dryer sheets, do not press these against your ponies even those which to not have a colour can cause staining if they are allowed to dry out in contact with something.

Get the ponies clean before you worry about any smells you will probably find a lot of the smell goes after they have been through a thorough cleaning process. Once they are cleaned up, then  you can move on to clearing out any residual smell left over.

[ghouldilocks]

If you are going to pack them in individual bags...dont seal the bags (or perhaps punch a couple of air holes in them). Plastic likes to breath and sealing them up in their own microclimate is not going to help them. Allow some fresh air in.

As for the dryer sheets, do not press these against your ponies even those which to not have a colour can cause staining if they are allowed to dry out in contact with something.

Get the ponies clean before you worry about any smells you will probably find a lot of the smell goes after they have been through a thorough cleaning process. Once they are cleaned up, then  you can move on to clearing out any residual smell left over.

I already said earlier "I definitely planned to open them up and give them a good, deep clean on the inside as well as out. I can't get to this immediately, though, which is why I want to start small for now."

Hence why I was asking about dryer sheets/bags, not about cleaning yet. They aren't going to be stored indefinitely this way, just probably for a week or two, with breaks in fresh air outside.  I'll definitely not close the bags completely, though - I probably would have sealed them all the way without even thinking, just out of habit! Even though they won't be in the bags long, I don't want to take any chances. As for the dryer sheets, I don't plan to really wrap them tightly around the ponies or anything like that - just laid atop them gently. I have quart-sized freezer bags, though, so they may be large enough to have the dryer sheet in the bottom of the bag without even actually touching the pony. I'm going to experiment a bit, as I didn't have a chance to bag them all individually yet like I wanted.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I would not use dryer sheets - the chemicals they are made of will discolour your pony if you leave it near them for a length of time... 

If anything, I would pack them with a teeny bit of baking soda in the unsealed ziploc bags, that will help start de-stinking them.  Put a box of baking soda in their storage bin - just punch a hole in the top. 

And definitely make sure wherever you are storing them until you are cleaning them has NO humidity - that tends to start the worst problems in ponies!

[hathorcat]

If you are going to pack them in individual bags...dont seal the bags (or perhaps punch a couple of air holes in them). Plastic likes to breath and sealing them up in their own microclimate is not going to help them. Allow some fresh air in.

As for the dryer sheets, do not press these against your ponies even those which to not have a colour can cause staining if they are allowed to dry out in contact with something.

Get the ponies clean before you worry about any smells you will probably find a lot of the smell goes after they have been through a thorough cleaning process. Once they are cleaned up, then  you can move on to clearing out any residual smell left over.

I already said earlier "I definitely planned to open them up and give them a good, deep clean on the inside as well as out. I can't get to this immediately, though, which is why I want to start small for now."

Hence why I was asking about dryer sheets/bags, not about cleaning yet. They aren't going to be stored indefinitely this way, just probably for a week or two, with breaks in fresh air outside.  I'll definitely not close the bags completely, though - I probably would have sealed them all the way without even thinking, just out of habit! Even though they won't be in the bags long, I don't want to take any chances. As for the dryer sheets, I don't plan to really wrap them tightly around the ponies or anything like that - just laid atop them gently. I have quart-sized freezer bags, though, so they may be large enough to have the dryer sheet in the bottom of the bag without even actually touching the pony. I'm going to experiment a bit, as I didn't have a chance to bag them all individually yet like I wanted.

I can understand of course but whether you lie them on dryer sheets or wrap the ponies around them you are still risking discolouration and issues. I know you may say just now  it will only be for a couple of weeks but you never know what will get in the way or prevent you getting back to the ponies and I would not like you to find them with more problems than you left them.

If you are storing them with the sheets in order to freshen them up, leaving the ponies out in the open air for a period of time would probably work better than packing them away again with the sheets and in the bags. Depending on if you have the space to keep them out that way of course.

[SpookyTrees]

I've stored sine incredibly disgustingly smokey rescue ponies in sealed ziploc freezer bags with baking soda for about a month. I put 3 or 4 ponies per ziploc and added about an inch of baking soda in the bottom of the bag, sealed it up, and kept them in my garage. Then they came out as I had time and got the full open up and clean.

[ghouldilocks]

I've stored sine incredibly disgustingly smokey rescue ponies in sealed ziploc freezer bags with baking soda for about a month. I put 3 or 4 ponies per ziploc and added about an inch of baking soda in the bottom of the bag, sealed it up, and kept them in my garage. Then they came out as I had time and got the full open up and clean.

Ever since I came home with them, I've been scouring the archives for tips on freshening them up - a lot of people mention baking soda, kitty litter, and charcoal. I have to go to the post office tomorrow, so I would be able to stop at a store and pick up some baking soda while I'm out (we don't have any at home that can be spared). If you use it in a bag with the pony, though, I'm having a hard time visualizing that - do people just pour some baking soda into the bottom of the bag, then lay the pony near it? Or do they pretty much cover the pony with it? I saw in an older thread about freshening up smoky-smelling ponies, that someone filled the bottom of a large storage bin with baking soda, placed a smelly object in a smaller container and set that inside the large container, open (so the object wasn't actually touching the baking soda) - then sealed the large bin with its lid and left it that way over the weekend.

I love that idea, but it just isn't practical for me right now - that will probably be my last resort, intensive de-stinking if they still smell musty after being aired out, cleaned, and aired out some more.

[Princess Lala]

You are going to need a LOT of conditioner! Whenever I find thrift store ponies I clean them with mild soap and warm- hot hot water, and let their manes soak in conditioner overnight!

[ghouldilocks]

You are going to need a LOT of conditioner! Whenever I find thrift store ponies I clean them with mild soap and warm- hot hot water, and let their names soak in conditioner overnight!

lol! I already have some Dawn and some Suave conditioner ready to go for when I get to cleaning! 

[Emerald]

I have a good feeling about most of these. I can't wait to see them cleeeeeeeeeean!

[Haruna]

I've stored sine incredibly disgustingly smokey rescue ponies in sealed ziploc freezer bags with baking soda for about a month. I put 3 or 4 ponies per ziploc and added about an inch of baking soda in the bottom of the bag, sealed it up, and kept them in my garage. Then they came out as I had time and got the full open up and clean.

Ever since I came home with them, I've been scouring the archives for tips on freshening them up - a lot of people mention baking soda, kitty litter, and charcoal. I have to go to the post office tomorrow, so I would be able to stop at a store and pick up some baking soda while I'm out (we don't have any at home that can be spared). If you use it in a bag with the pony, though, I'm having a hard time visualizing that - do people just pour some baking soda into the bottom of the bag, then lay the pony near it? Or do they pretty much cover the pony with it? I saw in an older thread about freshening up smoky-smelling ponies, that someone filled the bottom of a large storage bin with baking soda, placed a smelly object in a smaller container and set that inside the large container, open (so the object wasn't actually touching the baking soda) - then sealed the large bin with its lid and left it that way over the weekend.

I love that idea, but it just isn't practical for me right now - that will probably be my last resort, intensive de-stinking if they still smell musty after being aired out, cleaned, and aired out some more.

A while ago I tried putting a group of smoky-smelling ponies in a storage container with baking soda. I put the ponies directly in the baking soda; it doesn't hurt them (though, of course, it gets all over them); and I left them for a week with the lid closed. *But*, it didn't help the smell. Maybe it was the fact that I had a whole group (10 or so?) in the bin at the same time; maybe I didn't let them stay there long enough. I really don't know why I couldn't get it to work; I was sure that would work (I had been struggling with them for a while). I had the darndest time with that lot of ponies. Nothing could remove that smoke smell except, in the end, Febreeze, which I'm not sure I'd usually recommend because I don't like spraying chemicals on ponies. Before the baking soda tub, I had already aired them out, and washed them, of course, and later I tried very brief soaks in diluted bleach and some other treatments I can't remember.

As far as actual advice, not just sad stories about my smoky ponies, since the ponies in question seem to have mold or mildew issues and not smoke issues, it might be best to take them out of the bags as soon as possible and let them air out. You mentioned you were going to put them in the shade; good thinking. They probably need to be out in the fresh air as much as possible until you can clean them. Here in humid Florida, anyway, the climate is such that it's best not to leave a pony with mold or mildew issues in a bag for more than a few days. (Smoky ponies would be fine to leave in a bag, though, especially with baking soda, as that seems to work for everyone but me! is it a climate thing??) So, you probably were already going to do this or already have, but I'd say let them out of the bags now and let them air out. You mentioned you don't have time for a thorough cleaning just yet, which I can totally sympathize with as I have a whole box of ponies marked for deep cleaning that I haven't gotten around to. The sooner you can get around to even a quick initial cleaning to just get that gunk off, of course, the better. I hope these guys clean up really well for you! Looks like you have some diamonds in the rough. Good luck!