Basic Care of
Collectible Teddy Bears
Collectible artist teddy bears are easy to keep in good shape.
Some collectors keep their collection in glass cases, but many
prefer to have them out in the open. If you are in the later group
here are some very basic hints to help keep your "hug" (teddy bear collection) clean:
* Keep your bears out of direct sunlight. I'm not saying to hide them in the dark, but try to keep them out of direct sunlight to prevent fading.
* Dust your bears - how? I have several methods, depending on what I feel like doing. a) Vaccuum with a hose attachment that has a stocking rubber banded over the opening. b) Wipe down with a slighly damp cloth - not forgetting to carefully clean the face! c) Brush with a wire slicker brush designed for dogs (Buy one for using only on your bears!) **NOTE: Only brush your straight or slightly wavy furred bears. Otherwise you will quite possibly PERMANENTLY change the appearance of the fur!
* Play with your bears! Moving them around, posing them in different ways, can help keep your bears from getting flat spots from sitting in one place for long periods of time.
* If you have a bear that has gotten fairly dirty, do NOT put him in the washing machine! The safest and easiest way to clean him is with some clean water and white washcloths....
Lay a clean towel on your work area and lay teddy down. Have a bowl of cool, clean water next to you, as well as a stack of white washcloths.
You want cool water, not hot - so the colors don't run. You want white washcloths for the same reason.
Dip your washcloth into the water and wring it out well. Start at the top of Teddy's head and start wiping with the damp cloth. Keep rinsing the cloth and work your way down the bear. You will see quite a lot of dirt coming off Teddy, and onto your cloths. Let Teddy dry and see how he looks. Keep doing this until he looks clean - or until there is no dirt on your washcloth when you wipe him down.
