I'm new here so I don't know where to post this question. The Projects area seemed logical at the time.

I recently bought a Sunny Puppets 28" full body puppet off eBay. As far as I can tell, the puppet is made of foam, velour, and some synthetic filler fiber (like what's used in pillows). The seller said the item had "been in storage". Apparently, the "storage" was not climate controlled. The puppet is physically in good shape, but it has a mildew odor to it. I can't SEE any areas of mold or mildew.

I managed to remove one spot that looked like a coffee stain on one sleeve. Otherwise, it seems fairly clean--except for that mildew odor. I can smell it on the surface of the puppet (like the skin and clothing) and when I put my hand in his head to work the mouth, when I take my hand out it smells like mildew.

Obviously, I can't just drop the whole doll in the washing machine. How can I get rid of this mildew odor and get this puppet in useable condition?

Thanks for your help!


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There are products you can buy for removing odor.  One such product is put out by DampRid and called Odor Genie. It is designed for use in say a car or room. Think it is fairly new and I've not used  it but I have used their original DampRid product that can suck moister out of stuff and it works really well. In fact I had a car that had gotten moister in it and been setting and was a bit mildew smelling and it helped a lot.  Home Depot carries the DampRid line but I bet you could get it or similar product at either an auto store or even the grocery store. It will most likely work best if you can put the puppet in a closed space with the product and let it set for some time.

If that does not do the trick see if you can find a cleaner in your area that does a process called ionization. It is a process that is used on cloths that can not be washed to help get out smells.  They also use the process on houses that have had a fire but doubt you want to pay the price it would cost for that.

Not sure how bad it is, but if it is just musty and not stinky, you might try red cedar. I went to Lowes and they have these small cedar slices on a hanger. When not using the puppet, store it with  the cedar plank in it. Also, if you have mildew spores inside, every time you use it, the heat and moisture from your hand will reactivate those spores, increasing the smell. There is a product called Shield moisture and allergen barrier fabric. It is a hypoallergenic fabric used to draw out moisture. I created a sleeve/glove that I wear. By having a sleeve, it makes a barrier that helps kill out the bacteria and mildew, when not in use it can be washed. Also, combine this with placing dryer sheets in the head when using it and the heat that was before causing the mildew to grow will now be releasing the smells from the dryer sheets.
The shield fabric that I mentioned, I have actually started sewing into my puppets from the start, seems to work pretty good. I picked mine up from Hancock Fabric that recently shut down, but you can go online to fairfieldworld.com (not a paid endorsement  )

You know Puppet Dude mentioning the spores and the fact they can be reactivated each time made me think.  In the wardrobe business we use Vodka in a spray bottle on the costumes to kill the bacteria that causes odor.  I wonder if it would do the same to mildew spores.

Now there is a fun remedy I wold try...one for the puppet...one for me...one for the puppet...two for me...lol.