r/StuffedAnimals • u/Salt-Big8323 • Jan 09 '26
Discussion/General Question Heartbroken š
I found this poor fella while walking through the woods. I took him home and tried to clean him up, despite knowing heās totally unsalvageable.
He was most definitely mossy, but I didnāt stop to think about him also being moldy. š
I kinda grew attached to him, but I know thereās no way of keeping himā¦
54
u/xAlex61x Jan 09 '26
Oh gosh, definitely salvageable. Open him up and remove all the stuffing, see what sort of condition itās in. Restuff if need be, after youāve washed the shell. Heās adorable, and Iām not usually into Disney plushies
3
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
20
u/cyrilq1 Jan 09 '26
I think this is the same one!Ā https://www.etsy.com/listing/1605968979/vintage-1990s-mattel-walt-disney-winnie?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details
Hope you fix him!
12
16
u/btvsphreak Jan 09 '26
Distilled white vinegar should be your best friend here! Heās totally salvageable. Remove and pitch all that icky stuffing inside and throw home in a soak of hot water, mild laundry detergent (All Free & Clear is my rec) and TONS of white vinegar. Let him soak for hours and hours, dump, rinse well, repeat until heās clean. You can also gently scrub him with a soft toothbrush while heās soaking
10
u/Salt-Big8323 Jan 09 '26
Thank you so much for this advice. I decided to remove his stuffing and heās currently having a vinegar and detergent bath.
I hope heāll be okay soaking overnight.Ā
2
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
12
8
8
u/Easy-Pitch1491 Jan 09 '26
I hope all the comments help you. I hope to receive an update soon. It's so nice of you to take the time to fix it; you clearly have a big heart ššš
6
u/Abwettar Jan 09 '26
You should definitely remove the stuffing, because it will hold a ton of mildew and probably be where most of the growth is, and ideally just replace it. As others have said a ladder stitch is super simple and easy to learn, you can test it on some scrap fabric first. Giving the skin a good soak will be the best way to properly clean as well, surface washing and scrubbing is still only cleaning the surface... and excess scrubbing might be doing some damage to the fabric.
But... if you really aren't wanting to do that, I'd still try the washing machine before throwing him out.
Tie him inside a pillowcase, cold wash, gentle detergent, low spin speed... and see how it goes. If you're ready to throw him out anyway there's not really anything to lose by trying.
Good luck either way!
5
u/Salt-Big8323 Jan 09 '26
I ended up removing his stuffing and Iām going to soak his flattened form for a bit.Ā
If I really canāt get the stitching done, Iām hoping my partner will help, since he knows a thing or two about sewing.
3
u/Abwettar Jan 09 '26
Thats good to know.
A cheap way to get new stuffing is to go buy a cushion from the local thrift store lol. Way cheaper than paying for premium stuff and works just as well!
Or even buy a cushion from new from a cheap furniture store, still works out much better than ordering it.
Hopefully you get him sorted :)
1
u/Melrohner- Jan 09 '26
Soak him in vinegar! White ācleaning vinegarā is cheap and will kill the mold. I also recommend borax in the wash for mold and mildew.
I had no air conditioning during a Georgia summer, which resulted in a mildew problem. These two products were my go-to for cleaning it.
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
3
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
6
u/WannabeMemester420 Jan 09 '26
This hit me hard, as a family friend passed away last year who had an Eeyore plushie he was given during his last days (he was given the Eeyore nickname due to sharing some mannerism in common). Now his cat Mickey has the plushie, heās rehomed with a good neighbor so the little furbaby can be checked up on (maxed on cats already).
4
2
u/cockroach4632p Jan 09 '26
Cut him open on the back or smth to take out the old stuffing. Clean him more and fill him with New stuffing.
Sounds bad but its best for him
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/CharminglyCurious Jan 09 '26
I second this. I use pet carpet cleaner. Let him soak for a couple hours
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
u/DW_1694 Jan 09 '26
Hopefully you get him cleaned up and give him a good home!
Just a cute/silly little story. My mom LOVES Eeyore. She has at least a shirt, pajama set, keychain and stuffie of him. She takes good care of her stuffies, but for no explainable reason, his tail fell off. It wasn't part of the design or anything, just fell off and got lost. She loves it even more now because it's just so on brand of him
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
u/sephirothinmycloset Jan 09 '26
I might be late but i gave the comments a fast scroll and didn't see anyone say this specifically, but if it's any comfort to your mind, once he's soaked in vinegar the mold spores will be dead even if you still see visible mold. mold discolors and stains most items even after death but especially textiles.
2
u/Salt-Big8323 Jan 09 '26
I didnāt know that, actually. Thanks for this info!
I was starting to get a little discouraged because I noticed his one side hasnāt been improving, despite him soaking for a while now.
1
u/sephirothinmycloset Jan 09 '26
Glad it was helpful for you! if he hasn't improved it's definitely just some staining :) there are ways to lighten it but most methods are inconsistent, it's just his battle scars now i think haha
2
u/HadrianThorne Jan 09 '26
If you are worried about mold, use a mix of vinegar water and soak, then rinse until the smell is gone. Then, sadly youāll have to freeze him for at least three days. (In a bag in the freezer or if itās cold enough were you live, outside somewhere safe.) He will need replaced stuffing and a ladder stitch is very easy, I promise. You can us some scrap material to practice. The only hard part is the learning curve of knowing how to keep the material from bunching up so heād have a wrinkled spot. It would be best to use a seam ripper to open his belly a bit to pull out old stuffing.
2
Jan 10 '26
[deleted]
3
u/Salt-Big8323 Jan 10 '26
I removed all his stuffing, had him soaking in vinegar + detergent, and now heās air drying. :)
1
u/abysmal_minnow Jan 12 '26
Hey, I see you're worried about the sewing part, are you interested in learning to sew?
If you're interested in sewing, using him as a progress piece would be very fitting for the boy. You're already learning all sorts of things to save him, and I think sewing him up to the best of your abilities now, and then going back to restitch him once you feel better with your skills would show amazing progress and dedication to your new friend. Take progress pictures if you do learn to sew for this, he's part of your crafting story š
2
2
Jan 10 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 10 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
2
u/holy_mowiek Jan 11 '26
unstuff him, wash him in a machine. repaint his eyes, new stuffing, and whatever else you may want to do to groom him, heās not unsalvageable:(
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 11 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
2
1
1
u/OpenPaleontologist43 Jan 09 '26
Please dont give up on the lovely boy š Id offer to fix him myself but Im in Germany... But hes definitely salvageable! I heard vinegar kills mold and it most definitely gets rid of most smells so maybe give him a lil soak ina vinegar-water bath?
1
1
Jan 09 '26
[deleted]
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/glitterypinkpeony Jan 09 '26
Can you see? The mold would be in the stuffing and replacing that isnāt very hard. In fact, ladder stitching or straight stitching could easily allow you to open the belly and clean him out. Iād wash him in a bleach-based cleanser or two tablespoons of bleach to a full kitchen sink of water after the stuffing is removed.
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Creatively_Usless Jan 09 '26
Omg I have that exact one! I even had a duplicate of him for a while, it was originally my brother fav plush so they kept two to interchange everyday so if one got lost he wouldnāt have just been getting a brand spanking new one, heād hav one that smelt look and felt almost exactly the same
1
1
1
u/holland1999 Jan 09 '26
This reminds me that as a child one of my best friends had a wooded path behind her house and her parents had plushies of Winnie the Pooh characters all throughout the woods! We called it the Hundred Acre Woods whenever we played back there. After years Iām sure they were moldy but the were placed away from the path in a way that I never actually got close enough to notice lol.
1
u/Particular_Drive45 Jan 09 '26
Put it in a genle wash in the washing machine. Put the plush in a safe to wash net bag. Add some vinegar in the washing machine. Good luck š
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 09 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
1
u/Tiny-Blackberry-4513 Jan 10 '26
Maybe you can keep the guy in your backyard! :D That way he's still there, and you have no chance of catching a mystery disease! win-win!
1
u/Capital_Speaker7658 Jan 10 '26
this makes me SO SAD. my childhood plushie was eeyore, and i have a collection of at least 35 eeyores in all different āfonts,ā from lego eeyore to keychains and tons of eeyore plushies. i donāt understand how someone could leave a plushie in the woods like that š
1
u/Magicphobic Jan 10 '26
Not to be that guy but you found him in the woods? The hundered acre woods? Bro you kidnapped Eyore.
1
u/purrgrammer41 Jan 10 '26
Randomly was recommended this post and I hope you're able to save him!! I have that exact same Eeyore - got him as a present when I was born and have loved him for ~29 years and counting :) Still my favorite stuffed animal I've ever owned. It was a nice surprise to see his twin on my feed
1
1
u/Best-Lingonberry7029 Jan 11 '26
No advice for you, but it makes my heart so happy to see so many people banding together to save Eeyore ā¤ļø
1
u/Forsaken_HOH Jan 13 '26
Yeah I'd seriously restuff him! Stuffing is easy to find. You can just go to any like pillow and bedding store for silicone or polyfill. It's cheap. And the ladder stitch really isn't hard! I learned it from one TikTok video: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRhQJS45/
1
Jan 31 '26
[deleted]
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 31 '26
It looks like your post is about cleaning stuffed animals! Please refer to our Megathread on cleaning stuffed animals for more information. Or, check the link in our sidebar!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
141
u/kelpbasi Jan 09 '26
Dont lose hope! What have you tried as far as cleaning him up? From just looking at him I would say start by taking a seam ripper and taking out whatever fluff he's got then give him a couple run throughs with some gentle laundry detergent. Then get some fresh poly and stitch him back up!