How can I clean musty-smelling soft toys?

[Thinkstoomuch]

DS2 is inheriting all DS1's soft toys which I've kept in a bag in the wardrobe for the last 2.5 years. Most hardly had any use first time round, but when I got them out they all smell a bit musty and I'm not keen for him to put them in his mouth.

They aren't machine washable. Any ideas how I should freshen them up?

I have always put all soft toys in the washing machine, even the "sponge clean only" ones.

Put them in a pillow case and wash on the coolest gentlest wash your machine does. They will be fine

Unless they contain beads rather than stuffing stick 'em in the machine on a delicate wash.

get some of those 'bounce' tumble dryer sheets and put a few in the dryer with the teddy on a low heat for about 15 mins.should do the trick.or spray with febreze until it is fairly damp then pop in dryer.

But won't things like his stuffed elephant take an age to dry?? Not keen on using Febreze sort of stuff on the fabric as he'll be sucking on it.

Yes they will, but you can always hang them (by an ear ) on the washing line, or wedge them on a drying rack, for a day or two and then finish off in the tumble dryer, and they will be lovely and fresh after that.

I'd put anything in the washing machine (including bean filled ones) except for the battery ones - all ours have survived and smell gorgeous after a good wash!

Cold wash, hang on washing line.

After washing, roll up in towel and twist hard. You'll feel mean but it helps sop up a lot of the excess prior to drying. I put them in the airing cupboard.

Hang by the ear? By the tag please!

I'm sure i heard somewhere that putting them in the freezer kills germs??

So if you're not sure about putting them in the washing machine, you can handwash them and then put them in the freezer to make them 'suckable-on' again

Freezer doesn't kill germs. In fact we put our bugs in teh freezer at work to preserve them

It may kill some bugs, but certainly not all. Ad it won't freshen them.

Ah well ...seems i heard wrong ...

Just had a quick look and it was house dust mites that i was remembering that were killed in the freezer

i'll get me coat ...

Make sure you dry them as fast as possible or they'll go musty again...

argg yes...but I am sure that Thinkstoomuch would like to kill dust mites too

Freezer, I think is for killing minibeasts like nits or bedbugs or something like that. Not germs. It just stops/slows them multiplying.

I've even (accidentally) washed soft toys with batteries in. Surprisingly, most come out fine.

Yes my remote control survived too - and was very clean!!

Thank you all! Once we get a nice bit of warm drying weather I will bung the lot in the machine!