Ronald Butcher (right) asked if I had any tips on how he might clean his well-used duck puppet, Webley. Rather than take a chance with my own untested ideas, I asked soft puppet-makers Steve and Jet of The Dummy Shoppe if they had cleaning recommendations for soft puppets.
In short, they recommend using a Sticky lint removing roller to remove any accumulation of lint and debris. Blotting with a piece of blue painter's masking tape also works for this purpose.
In more extreme cases, you may carefully use a vacuum cleaner on its lowest setting.
For spot removal, the experts at The Dummy Shoppe recommend you blot the spot with soft cloth dampened with warm water. If all else fails add a drop of Johnson's (No More Tears) Baby Shampoo to the water and blot (very lightly) in a circular motion, then rinse lightly, with water only, several times.
You can read these cleaning suggestions in more detail on their site as well as suggestions for good puppet maintenance.
One added note - I was told by another soft puppet maker that she cleans soiled spots on puppets by brushing the soiled area with Baby Wipes.
In short, they recommend using a Sticky lint removing roller to remove any accumulation of lint and debris. Blotting with a piece of blue painter's masking tape also works for this purpose.
In more extreme cases, you may carefully use a vacuum cleaner on its lowest setting.
For spot removal, the experts at The Dummy Shoppe recommend you blot the spot with soft cloth dampened with warm water. If all else fails add a drop of Johnson's (No More Tears) Baby Shampoo to the water and blot (very lightly) in a circular motion, then rinse lightly, with water only, several times.
You can read these cleaning suggestions in more detail on their site as well as suggestions for good puppet maintenance.
One added note - I was told by another soft puppet maker that she cleans soiled spots on puppets by brushing the soiled area with Baby Wipes.
Can't go wrong with plain old cold water on soft wash rag. LD
ReplyDelete