How to Keep Your Beanie Boos Looking Brand New in the Australian Climate

We have written this advice to help our collector customers care for their Ty collections. We hope that it is helpful.

Australian summers are hard on everyone, including plush toys. Between UV that fades curtains through the window, humidity up north and red dust out west, Ty collections here face conditions that collectors overseas never think about. Here is how to keep your Beanie Boos, Beanie Bellies, Beanie Babies and Bouncers looking their best.

Keep them out of the sun

This is the big one. Those brilliant Beanie Boo colours, the hot pinks, purples and teals, are exactly the shades that fade fastest in direct sunlight. A Boo sitting on a windowsill in an Australian summer can noticeably dull within a single season, and it always fades unevenly, one side bleached and the other bright.

Display shelves should sit away from north-facing windows. If your child insists on a windowsill lineup, rotate the toys every few weeks so no single one cops all the UV. And never leave a favourite in the car. Cabin temperatures over 60 degrees can warp the glitter eyes on Boos and leave fur feeling crunchy.

Washing: gentle or not at all

Ty plush is surface-washable, not machine-washable. The sparkle eyes, nose stitching and fine fur do not survive a spin cycle well. For everyday grime, dab with a damp cloth and a little wool wash, then air dry in the shade. Shade matters; drying a plush on the line in full sun undoes all your good work on fading.

For humid areas like Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin, air your plush regularly. A cupboard-stored collection can pick up musty smells in the wet season. An hour in a breezy, shaded spot fixes it.

Sand is the other Australian classic. After a beach trip, let the toy dry completely, then brush the fur backwards and shake. Wet sand smears; dry sand falls out.

Protecting the tags

If you collect rather than cuddle, the heart-shaped hang tag is half the value. Clip-on tag protectors cost very little and stop the corners crushing in a toy box. Store boxed collections somewhere cool and dry, not the garage or the shed, where summer heat and silverfish both do damage.

Loved toys wear their history

One last thing. If your child's Boo is going flat, matted and grey from years of devotion, that is not neglect. That is a toy doing its job. Keep the collector pieces on the shelf, and let the loved ones be loved.

Need to replace a well-worn favourite or add to the shelf? Browse the full range of Boos, Bellies, Babies and Bouncers at Beanie Boos Australia, with Click and Collect and free standard shipping on orders over $150.