How can I safely collect beanbag beads to wash the cover?

[Mamma44848]

I have a child’s fabric beanbag that is stained and I want to put in the wash. I opened the zip to find the internal bag of beans has split (I assume) as polystyrene beads started spilling out. They are a nightmare to pick up (especially as we have a toddler who picks up and eats any crumbs off the floor) and obvs bad for the environment.

Is there any way of collecting them so I can wash the external bag and mend the internal one? I think the static from the beads means they keep sticking to things so we are still finding them days after we opened the bag. It seems such a waste to send to the dump and the cover itself is lovely.

Get a large wheelie bin bag and open it inside that/empty the beads into it?

You could do what I did during my university days and open the sun roof of a friend's car and pour them in along with a few more bean bags worth...

^^ This. Big bin bag. Put whole bean bag in and open it inside the bag. Pull the bean bag cover out, shaking out as many beans as possible, and then tie the bin bag so your DH doesn’t end up under the patio for tripping over it and spilling everything over the shag rug.

I think the beads are going to stick to the inside of the beanbag cover though. They stick to your hands. They are tiny, like 3mm. I’m not sure how to sweep them all out without risking scattering them onto the driveway.

Use the bath. Put the bath plug in firmly. Gently remove the outer cover and pull off any polystyrene balls. You can then wash the outer cover. Meanwhile, scoop any loose balls up out of the bath and push them and the saved ones back into the inner lining. Sew up the seam rather firmly. Any escapees can easily be removed from the bath with some damp kitchen paper or a hand-held vacuum cleaner. It will be seriously messy and time-consuming, but at least you catch them all in the one place.

Natural fibre single duvet cover? I think natural fibres don’t get static. Temporarily tip it into one then refill from there.

If you have a sewing machine, make a new internal bag - use something like cambric and flat fell or french seams for strength. Then just transfer the filling straight across.

Binbag for beads, completely cover the opening and pour, then vacuum out the stragglers (just bin those ones). They’re polarised as all hell and will stick to your hands.

You can use a vacuum cleaner on low with some tights over the end. Get most into a bin bag and maybe turn the cover inside out and vacuum carefully over the bath or a preferably dark) hard floor.

Buy a new one

This is what I’d do.

They are going to get everywhere no matter what you do. I was finding them for years. Best option is to get a massive bin bag and open it in there. Do it in the bath as they are at least self contained if they escape. They will stick inside. Use a bag less hoover to get those out and pour back in the massive bin bag. Or use a clean Hoover bag.
The reverse is even worse believe me.

As above with emptying them into a bin bag in the bath. But run a hot shower first and fill the sink with hot water. You want it so you have condensation on the walls and window. You can dry the inside of the bath before you start trasfering the balls if you want to, but the humidity in the room will reduce the static charge and for the stubborn ones that get stuck to the liner, use Static guard, it's a spray that reduces the static charge. (also great for skirts that cling to your legs when you walk)

Lightly misting the air around the zip with a water spray bottle instantly kills the static!
You can then safely scoop the beads into a duvet cover or heavy-duty bin bag, wash the outer cover, and stitch up the inner lining without finding rogue polystyrene everywhere for the next six months.

Thank you - I might try this. Do you mist just t once or continuously?

Thanks to all the other suggestions too. I will try this in the bath tub with vacuum at hand!

Will the whole bag fit in the washing machine without removing the beads? I have a small child’s bean bag and wash as is in a 10kg washing machine. Evan put as is in the tumble dryer.