How do I clean a Strawberry Shortcake doll?
In order to prevent mold and mildew spots on the doll, make sure there is little to no water left in the body. Do not pull off any limbs, but do shake the body several times against a towel to release any left over moisture.
What about the doll's hair?
Start by placing Strawberry's head into a bathroom sink full of warm water and a small amount of laudry detergent. Lightly brush the hair, untill all tanles are gone. Soak the head for three minutes, and then add dish washing soap to the hair. Scrub away! Once clean, rinse with cold water.
TIP: To avoid that stiff look or to "condition" the hair, add a little fabric softner after the cold water rinse. Then rinse again with cold water.
If the doll's face is dirty, take a soft bristle toothbrush, while the head is soaking, dip in the soapy water, and scrub away.
How do I style Strawberry's strait hair?
If you have a doll with fly-away bangs, or hair that sticks up and just will not style into it's original state, it's quite easy to fix, just use tin foil.
Since the foil is metal, bends easy and heats up, it's a simple tool to use to adjust the doll's hair. For example, if you have a Strawberry Shortcake doll whose bangs have been combed back for many years, tin foil can help fix it. Try and style - while it's still wet - the hair into it's original state as much as you can. Then cut a long piece of tin foil. wrap it around the head untill the bangs are secure. Make sure that the hair is exactly as you want it because the hair will remain like this. The tin foil should wrap completely around the head, and it should be secure. Comb the bob under her hair, so an under-curl remains.
Now to complete the process. Gently pat the wet hair with a towel, until it feels semi-dry. Stick the head on an unused #2 pencil. This makes it easy to hold and manipulate for the next step. Blow dry the hair, on a cool setting, untill the hair is dry. Add spurts of hot heat every so often, until the hair is dry.
After the hair is dry, remove the #2 pencil and the tin foil. Comb the hair. Ta-da! Your doll's hair should look perfect, or near perfect.
What about the Shortcake dolls with curly hair?
If you need more of a curl try your pinky, or a #2 pencil. You can also try curling the hair by using bob by pins as your rod, and securing it with dental rubber bands. (This process is very long and tedious. I've never tried it, but I know a friend who has and it took her an additional two hours.)
What about Strawberry Shortcake's clothes?
Rinse the clothes in cold water, and air dry.
Do you have any before and after pics?
Cleaning Strawberry Shortcake is easy. Start by gently pulling the head off of the body, and placing to the side. Fill a bathroom sink with warm water and laundry detergent. Once there are plenty of sudds, dump in the body. Let it soak for a few minutes, then take a soft toothbrush and scrub away any dirt, grim or residue. Rinse with cold water.
Now that Strawberry Shortcake's body is clean, her hair needs to be washed and styled. Now if you've ever found a Strawberry Shortcake doll in less than perfect hair condition fear not, there is hope! Most fluffy hair and fly-aways can all be fixed.
Start shaking out all the water out of the head. Try using a cotton swab to be more precise. Again black/green spots can appear if the water is not removed properly. Once this is done, style away with a regular comb. If you have a pic, that's great! You can use the pic as a guide.
Curly hair is styled completley differently. Again start of with a head of wet hair. Comb the curly hair while scrunching it with your fingers somewhat. Leave to hair dry overnight, but make sure the hair is not flat against a surface.
Wash Strawberry Shortcake clothes just like any other article of clothing. Start by filling a sink full of warm water and laundry detergent. Make sure the detergent is color safe. Dump in all the clothes, and let them soak for five minutes. After time's up, hand wash.
I recently found two dolls at a yard sale: Angel Cake and Raspberry Tart. They were a mess, but they cleaned up pretty nice. Click here to view the before and after pics.
