Preparing And Storing Childhood Dolls For Future Reminiscing
Holding onto the dolls from your childhood will help you refresh memories that you cherish years from now. If you store those sweet little dolls properly, they will come out of storage in the same condition in which they went in. Here, you will learn a few tips that will help to ensure that the dolls are just as adorable years from now as they are today.
Prepare the Dolls
It is best to get the dolls cleaned up and looking pretty before you tuck them away for two reasons – they store better when they are clean, and it will be a much more special moment when you pull dolls out of boxes that are gorgeous instead of having rat's nests for hair.
Clothing – Remove the clothes and hand-wash or send them through the washing machine in a pillow case using the gentle cycle. Lay them or hang them to dry – never put them in the dryer or they may no longer fit your dolls.
Hair – If the doll has silky hair that is a mess, put some very hot water in a bucket or bowl and soak the dolls hair. Massage a little bit of conditioner through the hair and gently comb the knots out. If the doll's body is soft, cover it with a plastic bag, stand it upright and let the hair dry, brushing it every now and then to keep it smooth.
Skin – If the skin is just slightly dirty, wash it with warm water and a drop of liquid dish soap. If there are marker marks or smudges that won't come off easily, dip a q-tip into some Goo-Gone cleaner and apply it to those stubborn spots. Let it sit for an hour or two and return with a dry, clean cloth to buff them off of the skin. If that doesn't work, cover the spots with a little bit of zit cream and let the doll sit out in the sun for a day or two. This will cause the spots to fade.
Pack and Store the Dolls
After the dolls are clean and completely dry, it is time to pack them up. For best results, put each doll in a box of her own. Shoe boxes work well for many small dolls. Larger dolls can be placed in larger boxes together, but don't stack them on top of each other.
The dolls must be stored in a climate-controlled setting. Don't put them in your basement or attic, or they could get damaged by mold, mildew and dry-rot.
Use a storage unit that offers climate-control to store the dolls if you don't have anywhere at home that is suitable to store them. Contact a company like Belmont Self Storage to learn about their storage unit options.
Take your time to get your dolls ready for storage and when you retrieve them, you will have another moment that you will cherish.