Teddy Care & Maintenance

In order to maintain your bears in the best condition, it is important to remember that, like us humans, they need to be lovingly looked after.  They do not like to be mistreated, and will retain their new appearance best if kept away from harmful environmental factors.  Things such as sunlight, dust, humidity and insects can all take their toll on the appearance of your prized possessions.

Storing your collection in a cabinet or dresser that has glass doors, will not only help to keep the majority of harmful agents off your collection, but will make them look brilliant.  A regular gentle and careful clean with a vacuum will assist in keeping down built up dust. 

Remember, only handle your collection with clean hands, and keep handling of the bears by children to a minimum.

We recommend that you do not wash your bears. 

If spot cleaning is necessary, then sponge gently using a soft cloth and small amount of water to remove unwanted marks or dust.  Remember: thoroughly dry all materials before storing again - do not place in direct sun to dry. If your bear becomes accidentally wet, place in a pillow case or similar to protect from the sun and hang outside until dry. 

Never use a hair dryer, and avoid the use of soap. 

Never immerse in water.

When storing your bears beware of clothes moths, carpet beetles, fleas, wood worms, and other similar creepy crawlies, as they may over time damage your bears.  If you find that one or more of your bears has an infestation of some sort, the best method of eradicating the problem is to place the bear in a sealed plastic bag and to store it in the freezer overnight.  Remember to remove your bear from the bag to thaw the next morning - this will remove residue moisture as quickly as possible, and thus avoid any mould and mildew building up.    

If you have too many bears in your collection, the ones currently not on show can be stored in calico drawstring bags, calico wraps, acid free tissue paper, or oven bags (these are made from Mylar - not plastic).  Never use plastic as it gives off acidic gases.  Store your bears in a dry, dust free environment, and use natural remedies such as cloves, cedar balls, shavings (like Cedar or Huon pine etc), or store in a camphorwood chest, to repel pests.  

If you look after your prized possessions they will give you many years of enjoyment and remain looking wonderful.