In this first in a series of visits to the doll doctor, JoAnn Mathias explains how to clean dolls, big or small.

As a doll doctor and owner of the Beach Doll Hospital for more than 15 years, I am often asked how to maintain for more than 15 years, I am often asked how to maintain dolls. As a doll collector myself, I want to share the basic steps to ensure your dolls will endure for many more generations. With this first in the series of articles on keeping your doll collection healthy, I will acquaint you with the ways to clean different types of dolls.

Before going into the instructions, I want to emphasize that you should always test a cleaning product on the doll in an inconspicuous place such as an arm or leg socket to ensure that there will be no damage to the doll. And, of course, be very gentle cleaning around painted features so as not to rub off the paint.

Let’s start with dolls made of plastic such as hard plastic, vinyl, and soft plastic. Most dolls of this type can be cleaned with 409 or Fantastic sprayed on a white paper towel. Gently wipe the coated towel over the doll, then follow with a clean white rag to dry it off. You can use a Q-tip with cleaner for around the eyes, nose, toes, fingers, and mouth areas. Avoid using any sharp instrument such as a craft knife to clean small places as you could gouge the plastic. Some hard-plastic dolls of the ‘50s will develop a white film (mold) and an ugly smell. The film can be cleaned off from the surface of the doll with the above cleaners, but to clean the insides of the parts, I recommend you seek out the services of a doll doctor.

For ink stains, green ears, and other marks on plastic dolls, use a light coating of Oxy 10, an acne treatment found in most drug stores. On stubborn stains, you may have to apply several coats while wiping the old Oxy 10 off with a wet paper towel between coatings. Let the Oxy 10 remain on the stain for a day, then wipe off and apply a new coating. Always keep an eye on the plastic for any discoloration. If you see a change in the flesh color, discontinue using the Oxy 10.

For a final finish on the plastic dolls, apply a light coat of Amoral, a car care product. Spray a clean paper towel with the Amoral, wipe onto the doll, then buff the doll with a dry clean cloth. The Amoral is a treatment developed for autos that will bring back a shine to the plastic plus adding UV protectorate.

Next, let’s tackle those old composition dolls. In order to clean a composition doll, you need to determine the condition of the finish and whether there is deterioration such as crazing and cracking of the composition. If you see severe lifting of the paint, broken pieces of paint, or open cracks, you should defer cleaning and seek the help of a doll doctor. If the finish is in good condition, then the composition can be cleaned with a glass wax product. I recommend Liquid Glass. Like Amoral, this product is available at auto parts stores and is similar to the old-fashioned wax your grandmother used to clean windows. Since it has a very low amount of wax, the product can be removed for any restorations that may be needed in the future. Beware of products that contain large amounts of wax and oils. These products seep into the underlayer of wood pulp and cause difficulties with any future restoration work. Please heed this caution with compo dolls: Never, never, never use water or liquid cleaner to clean
compo dolls, as the liquids could dissolve the paint layer.

To apply the glass wax to your compo dolls, put some glass wax on a clean white paper towel and lightly go over the composition, working on small areas at a time. Then use a clean white cloth to buff the area. Keep repeating the process until all the composition parts are cleaned. Apply a little glass wax to a Q-tip and clean around the nose, eyes, mouth, ears, fingers, and toes. You will be amazed how the finish will shine up just like a new composition doll.

Surprisingly, antique bisque dolls are among the easiest dolls to clean even though they are usually the oldest and sometimes the most valuable dolls in our collections. The bisque heads were fired in a kiln as with modern porcelain, and the features were painted on the face and then fired in a kiln. You can easily clean the bisque by using 409 or Fantastic on a paper towel, then gently wiping off with a clean soft cloth. If you use a Q-tip with cleaner for the facial features, be especially careful around the eyes. In the antique bisque dolls, the eyes are often hand-blown glass. These eyes often clean up nicely with Windex on a Q-tip. Please use a gentle touch when wiping the eyes so as not to knock them out of their eye plaster. For any stubborn stains on the bisque, a light rubbing with Soft Scrub followed by a clean water rinse should do the job. For painted bisque dolls, please seek a doll doctor for cleaning as the paint on these dolls is not fired on and will come off with cleaners.

For monthly maintenance, you can use a soft, clean paint brush to dust away any surface dirt. Even if your dolls are displayed without cases or cabinets, you should only need to do a complete cleaning every six months. You can now clean your dolls’ faces and bodies! In the next article, I will share some techniques for cleaning doll clothes.