Sunday, July 3, 2016

Not so Happy Lion


I was out the other day and made a stop at a yard sale. There, right out front, was this lion chair.


Knowing Happy Bear won't last forever (shhh don't tell him) I picked it up.

While I was looking him over I noticed that he smelled a bit like Fabreeze. I figured the previous owner wanted to freshen him up a bit and didn't think much of it. I put him in my car and drove home.

I made a few stops along the way, and in the process, I closed up my car thinking it was going to rain. When I came back to my car after a stop the smell was nearly overwhelming.

I have left Happy Lion out now for a week. First airing out in my car (I have a convertible, I must have looked silly with him buckled in the passenger seat) and now being outside on the deck for two days. The smell is still there.



Anyone know if you can machine wash these types of things? I'm guessing at this point it is the only thing I can do to salvage him.

If you have any ideas, I'm open to suggestions.

20 comments:

  1. Take him to one of those laundromat that have huge machines. Use lots of oxiclean.he will take forever to dry.

    Or wash him a couple of times in a big tub with tide and oxiclean. Then Febreeze him.

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  2. Oh, that is frustrating. A huge box filled with baking soda and leave there submerged for a few days? Best we've got. By the way, where do such guys come from originally? What are they called? They are so adorable.

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  3. Dorothy2:19 PM

    I make a solution that will get stains and smells out. Combine equal amounts of powdered versions of all these:
    Clorox 2
    Oxyclean
    Dishwasher soap
    Baking soda
    Borax
    + half the amount of laundry detergent
    Mix in the bottom of a big enough container to hold the lion underwater. Pour enough hot water in to dissolve and stir till dissolved. Add warm (preferably but cold is ok) water and lion. Soak for up to 3 days, stirring occasionally. Rinse by running in a washing machine on gentle for two full cycles, no soap added. On the second cycle, add fabric softener to wash. At end, run it through a high-speed spin only cycle, then dry thoroughly in a dryer.
    It's thorough and has gotten animal urine out of a few stuffed animals for me (no more storing in a garage!). Good luck!!

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  4. I'd soak him in 50/50 water and white vinegar, wring him out, and toss him in the washer and wash him on gentle - probably twice. (If your washer isn't big enough, I agree with MrsB, take him to a laundrymat.) Then I'd probably run him through the dryer on the no-heat cycle for an hour or two, to get the worst of the dampness off him, then let him air-dry the rest of the way.

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  5. Maybe check with a dry cleaner....some do bed spreads and may be able to fix him right up

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  6. We agree with Robyn : Claire would do exactly the same. Purrs

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  7. What a cute lion! I'm sorry he's got smell, though. Looks like you got good suggestions. I hope he will eventually smell free :-)

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  8. Oh my goodness, what did they do? Soak him in Febreeze?

    I'm sure it can be washed - I'd probably try a laundromat and not your home machine. Washing it will likely cause the stuffing to stick together but drying on no or low heat should fluff it up.

    Good luck!

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  9. I'm glad you are getting some (hopefully) good suggestions here because my human has nothing!

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  10. I've never had a lot of luck washing pillows...the innards never seem to be the same again after washing. But it's probably worth a try as others have suggested because the alternative isn't good,

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  11. Looks like you got some good suggestions here. He's awfully cute!

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  12. We got nothing. But we sure hope you can get the smell out of that cute Happy Lion! :)

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  13. What a cute happy Lion! Hope you get the smell out! We think the Laundromat is a good idea, whatever it is, you don't want it in your home machine! Aside from it will probably fit better in a big front loader there.

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  14. If you want a more cautious approach, try vacuuming him. I found a new rug put out for the trash. It really smelled too. I vacuumed it several times and the smell went away. I'm very sensitive to them, too.

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  15. I've had luck with throwing stuffed animals into the wash before ... and if you have a front loader (without the thing sticking up in the middle), that might be easiest. Then again, if you don't know what the smell is, you might not want that in your home machine. You could also just throw him in the bathtub with tons of detergent. The biggest problem with any of these is the drying. You almost need to at least spin him in a washer to drain all the water out so he doesn't take a month or more to dry and then smell moldy. You could try to wring him out in a dry, thick towel ... but I don't know if that would get enough of the water out.

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  16. I have washed things like this. I actually do an overnight soak with either baking soda or vinegar, if it's really bad (like the tobacco-stained and smelling things from my mother's house) I do the first soak with vinegar, then rinse, then a soak with baking soda and laundry detergent, then a gentle wash. You'd have to turn this guy around or over at least once in each soak. Drying outdoors, even in the sun, is a good way to finish it off. I washed couch cushions that way.

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  17. He is so nice looking it is sad that he has a smell to him, I hope you are able to rid him of his smell.

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  18. Poor Lion. I was going to suggest the big machine at the laundromat too, but someone already did.

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  19. I agree with the laundromat suggestions. Maybe soak him in the water/vinegar or water/baking soda solution, then put him in a plastic bag and take him to the laundromat and wash him and dry him in their big machines. We have a couple of quilts that are too big for our washer and dryer, and the laundromat is great for them - expensive but works so well.

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  20. I wash pillows and all sorts of things. I'd add some vinegar to the rinse cycle.

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