Maintain your baby
Celluloid baby dolls cleaning
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1. Preparation
To clean your celluloid baby doll, to begin, you have to install it confortably on a towel. It is important to consider that with the time, the celluloid harden and often become breakable. Do not take risk to slip it out on a sink, so prepare a hot water (not boiling) basin and all the materials you need: household soap, wipes pre-impregnated with cleaning product, cotton buds, absorbent paper, microfiber wipe, toothbrush. It is also interesting to plan a time when you will not be disturbed because to not forget anything, you need a minimum of concentration.
2. The body
For the body, you can use a soft sponge for the surface and a toothbrush to pass between the fingers and the toes. Brush with household soap and water. Never fully immerse the body because even if it is a baby doll, it will be very difficult to check whether the inside baby doll is dry or not. The water can then rot and create black halos inside. On the other hand, for Petitcollin baby dolls fitted with iron springs, rust can also get stuck in celluloid and turn into red spots. So, in the body, if your hand passes or using a long tool (brush tail, spoon) you can pass a prepreg wipe.
3. The head
The head being more colored, it is preferable to use only the sponge or a cotton with toilet milk to remove the dust without insisting on the cheeks and the colored parts. Baby dolls are often discolored because they have been bathed too often. It is recommended to act on the lips, the corners of the nose or the eyes with a cotton bud. As hot water is recommended for removing old glues, care should be taken at eye level not to drop them inside the head due to the abuse of hot water. It is recommended to work around the eyes with a cotton bud.
4. Traces of pencil
If a few pencil drawings or other unwanted stains (old restoration, barbaric make-up) remain, you can use a Cif-type product or a wipe, but only in dirty areas.
5. Nail varnish
If you absolutely want to remove this pearly pink or sparkling red nail polish that many baby dolls wear (proudly?), especially use a solvent without acetone. If the varnish is too old, it can also be scraped off. In this case, be very careful, because celluloid is a fragile material which can discolor and deform.
Warning
Depending on the quality of the celluloid, the effectiveness of some products may be different. Also before attacking the tip of the nose, it is better to test behind a thigh and proscribe all aggressive products such as detergent with alcohol or other diluents that could permanently damage your celluloid baby doll.
Always clean the nails after soaping the celluloid.
Some tutorials recommend cleaning the celluloid with oil or lotion, it works very well instantly BUT let's not forget that celluloid is a plastic material, so it will not absorb fat like human skin . Therefore, it will remain on the surface and serve as a sticky for future dust. You will therefore clean your baby doll much more often, risking damage to the colors. So, if you use this method, do not forget to rinse the oily product with a cleaning with household soap and hot water (as explained above).
Always clean the nails after soaping the celluloid.
Some tutorials recommend cleaning the celluloid with oil or lotion, it works very well instantly BUT let's not forget that celluloid is a plastic material, so it will not absorb fat like human skin . Therefore, it will remain on the surface and serve as a sticky for future dust. You will therefore clean your baby doll much more often, risking damage to the colors. So, if you use this method, do not forget to rinse the oily product with a cleaning with household soap and hot water (as explained above).
6. Doll stringing elastic
Some advice for doll stringing elastic: carefully observe the original assembly before trying again. If necessary, take notes. Do not use sewing elastic but specialized for dolls (at the nearest restorer or antique dealer specialized in toys, or me). Do not take disproportionate elastics, you have the choice between 3mm to 4mm for the bigger ones. That's enough, celluloid is a light material, no need to stretch them like a bow. It is enough that the legs and arms do not fall down when you lift it from a sitting position. Avoid to entrust your baby doll to the one that will make holes all over your celluloid before you manage to put back two doll stringing elastics. And above all, do not put elastics to a baby doll whose body or limbs are cracked or opening. The cure will be worse than the disease.
7. Hair
If your baby doll has hair : CLICK HERE