The Maintenance of Friendship
Teddy bears, while friendly and
trusting in nature, have through the years lead somewhat precarious
lives. They exist largely for the companionship and amusement they
provide to their appreciative owners and their lives unfold in
various comforting and sometimes not so comforting ways. Think back
to the early 1900s when teddy bears were first introduced as the new
plaything – children embraced these creatures and invited them to
explore and participate actively in their day to day lives. Tea
parties, carriage rides, wagon rides (oops! Teddy fell off!), tree
climbing, wash day…. It’s no wonder the teddy bears that are
sought after collectibles of today can sometimes seem worse for wear
from the activity and living of times past.
But is this a bad thing? Well, for the
longevity of the bear, maybe. As with any piece of textile art
natural deterioration from the elements takes place over time. And
of course, to a certain degree this is to be expected. Add to this
natural deterioration the living spirit of our beloved teddy bears
and the opportunity for further damage can be quite great.
It is useful to point out that the
artist bears and even some of the manufactured bears of today do not
live the same kind of life as their forebears (!!). Often, shelf
sitting or scene posing makes up the better part of their days.
Silent actors of the 21st century you might call them. As
such, the future care and cleaning needs of these new generation
bears may will be somewhat different than those having lived life on
the wilder side of times past.
As with restoration, when it comes to
cleaning teddy bears, it is always wise to err on the side of
caution. After careful examination, it is best to do only what is
necessary to preserve the integrity of the bear. You are not trying
to erase the history or character of the bear (that is what makes it
so valuable!). You are trying to protect the bear from further
physical breakdown.
So what can be done to care for our
teddy bears?
This all depends on several factors – the bear
itself, his age, the overall condition of the bear, the degree of
restoration that has been done, and, what he is made of.
Most mohair teddy bears in reasonable
condition and, in fact, most bears made of manufactured materials
will need only frequent dusting by way of brushing with a soft
natural bristled brush or wide-toothed comb. It is useful to change
the position of the bear often so that the fur fabric gets air
circulation (and to dust and clean the surfaces upon which the bear
sits). If a teddy bear is in exceptional condition, light
vacuuming of the bear with the wand end of a canister vacuum covered
with the foot part of a clean nylon can also be done to thoroughly
remove dust. This obviously is not recommended for older bears or
bears that have undergone a lot of restoration as the fabric backing
of these bears may not be strong enough to hold on to the mohair
fibres – you could end up with an unintentionally bald bear!
Another useful tool for brushing very old and delicate bears, or
bears that are missing some fur is what would commonly be known as a
mushroom brush – the bristles are quite dense but very soft –
this has proven quite effective for bears that need a bit of extra
care.
There a several different approaches
that can be used to remove dirt or to clean stained or soiled areas
on the surface of a teddy bear. The most important thing to remember
is that you are attempting to surface clean only. Keeping the
insides of the bear dry is very important for avoiding future mould
and mildew issues. What is often the most effective is also
sometimes the most straightforward: simply mix a capful of liquid
soap used for washing delicate items (Woolite or Zero) with lukewarm
water in a bowl and froth the mixture until suds form. Use a soft
bristled toothbrush and the suds only to clean the soiled areas,
working in a circular motion and then in the direction of the pile,
small areas at a time.
An effective method of removing dulling
residues is to gently rub corn meal onto the fur of the bear, again
in a circular motion, to loosen the grime built up over time. When
the cleaning is complete a light vacuum or brushing will be needed.
This method is a little more time consuming, as care must be taken to
remove the cornmeal but is quite useful in removing years of grime
and dust.
If a teddy bear is in good shape and
doesn’t mind the confines of a dark space, cool air blowing in the
dryer can also help keep teddy clean. Most important to remember
here is that the teddy bear be placed in a cotton pillowcase or
drawstring bag and placed on a shelf in the dryer (most household
dryers come with this attachment) so that he doesn’t get tossed
around while inside. This can be useful too if a teddy bear
inadvertently gets more wet than he should on occasion (some do still
experience the wilder side of teddy life, to be sure).
Some more modern bears may be machine
washable but these bears will almost always be non-jointed and have
stitched on faces and/or safety lock eyes. Mohair bears of days gone
by have most certainly found their way into washing machines
(hopefully not the wringer type!); this is a possible explanation for
worn or rotten hardboard joint discs and rusted cotter pins that
restorationists find from time to time!
Exposure to sunlight is an important
consideration when deciding where to put your bears as the rays of
the sun can be quite damaging to mohair. Fur discolouration and
brittleness can be the result of too much sunlight and can contribute
to the drying out of fur and fabric backings and paw pads.
If your bear is living in the company
of friends – that is to say, friends of the unwelcome type in his
fur – place the bear in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature
for a day and then in the freezer for at least one week. This will
also have to be done for any bears or other fur buddies that your
bear might have come in close contact with. Once the isolation
period is over, a thorough cleaning with one of the above methods
described above will be necessary to remove all traces of teddy’s
uninvited guests.
Using modern cleaning solvents or stain
removers on the fur of an old bear or a mohair bear is not
recommended at any time. These cleaners can sometimes leave
residues that actually speed up the soiling process of older fabric
can breakdown the backing and threads which may be tentative to begin
with due to its age.
Keeping your teddy bears clean will
help ensure that you receive many years of pleasant company,
friendship and delight. Efforts to refresh old bears while
preserving evidence of the lives they have lived will help to keep
strong the living history of one of the most favorite playthings of
all time, the teddy bear!
KC
Canie is a bearsmith and restorationist and proprietor of The
Rare Bear Company. She lives in Ottawa, Canada.
