Doll Skin Care

Any and All Dolls

• Never keep your doll in direct sunlight.
  • If you leave your doll in the sun all of her coloring will fade, including her clothes.
• Baking soda works well to wash your doll's face.
  • If your doll has a stain you can put a little baking soda on a lightly dampened washcloth and gently wash her face.
  • Let it air dry after wards.
• Keep your doll's cloth body clean and smell fresh.
  • Vacuum the soft cloth body, lightly sprinkle some baking soda or cornstarch in to the cloth, leave overnight then vacuum again.
  • If you do not have a low-suction setting, cover the end of the hose with nylon stocking to help protect the doll.
• Try to avoid eating with your dolls.
  • If food comes in contact, take care to clean her up right away.
• Keep your dolls out of extreme temperature and/or humidity changes.
• NEVER store your dolls in a basement or attic!
• Cigarette smoke is one of the worst things for a doll collection.
  • It leaves a residue on the doll's finish and hair and clothing will absorb the smell.
  • This also applies to wood smoke or kitchen smoke.  The doll can end up smelling like fried foods if she is kept in the kitchen.

Composition Dolls

• Do not use water!  Dampness can cause the top layer on composition dolls to lift away.
• Work carefully around the face, using a cotton swab.  Avoid facial paint.
• Do not clean the composition on your doll - if you want further cleaning, have a professional take care of it. Most people don't realize the most minute crack can absorb liquids, creams and such and eventually could cause lifting of the composition. The most you should ever do is take a piece of very tightly woven cotton material and slightly buff your dolls finish - THAT'S IT!
• If your doll is kept in a protective enclosure, there is no need of further cleaning. You want to maintain as much of the original patina of your doll as possible.

      Doll Eyes    

Composition dolls have eyes made from a variety of materials. Tin, metal, plastic, celluloid or glassine. And the two later materials are the eyes that sometimes craze, fog or crystallize. This is the result of the metal behind the eyes rusting and this causes the crazed effect. Sometimes this is not that noticeable but at other times you get that eerie greenish effect which is not very attractive. 

• If this is the case, have the pupils replaced by a professional.
• For a temporary fix, crystallized or foggy eyes can be brought back to life by putting a tiny drop of sewing machine oil on each eye then rubbing it in.  Lay doll on its stomach for about an hour, checking a couple times. 
• Be very careful to use a minmal amount and make sure it does not touch the compo as it will tend to be absorbed and may lead to haloed eyes of a light olive green or just slightly darker color around the eye socket or possibly even cracking around eye.  Remember this is temporary and will not last.  It's also very risky.

Sawdust Body Dolls

If the body of a doll leaks sawdust, put a few drops of glue on the hole. If the hole is large, cut a round patch out of kid or muslin and glue it in place. As this was an old practice, only antique dolls were stuffed with this material.

Sleep Dolls

If your doll has sleep eyes, clean the eyes with a mixture of isopropyl alcohol diluted one-half by water. Lay the doll on her back, hold her eyes open and drop enough solution into the eye to cover it. Open and close the eyes several times. Turn the doll face down. This allows the fluid to drain. When this has been accomplished, stand the doll up and hold a soft, clean cloth to her eyes as you tip her forward.

Wooden Dolls

• Wooden nesting dolls can sometimes stick together. If this happens put a few drops of baby oil in the space between the dolls. This should allow them to come apart easily. Be sure to wipe the oil off immediately.
• Be sure to check wooden dolls for insect infestation. If you find a doll is infested, isolate her until she has been chemically treated. Insects will travel from one doll to the next. If insects arent detected immediately, your entire collection is at risk.
• Never wet a wooden doll. If you must wash her, dampen the cloth and then clean her. Water that is put directly on a wooden doll will leave a stain.

Cloth Dolls

• When purchasing old cloth dolls, put them in a closed box with an insect strip for two or three days. This will kill any insects that may have come with her. Do Not let the strip touch the doll.
• If you want to vacuum a cloth doll, do it through a layer of nylon netting. Never vacuum silk.
• Clean a cloth dolls body with cornstarch or talcum powder. Never use water. Rub the cornstarch into the fabric. Leave it for about 8 hours, then gently brush it off.

REPAIR & RESTORATION    

It is very important to take care in choosing the right person to repair or restore your doll. When talking about restoration, less is sometimes better, but a doll that has cracking or peeling skin SHOULD have restoration work done. This does not take the value from your doll. Oftentimes, people just want their doll restored due to sentimental value, if this is you, a Doll Doctor is what you need.  But do choose wisely when hiring someone to work on your doll. Ask questions!  Ask to look at photographs of prior restorations. What materials are going to be used on your doll? Does the individual have a good reputation? What background experience does the individual have? You will be leaving a treasured heirloom with this person; you want to know as much as possible about him or her.

Questions?  Call Suzanne at 419-675-1881 or email michelle@dollcupboard.com.