Seeking Advice: Preventing Clothing Stains on TPE Dolls

[Nomik123]

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I recently acquired a TPE doll and have been enjoying every moment with her. Despite my best efforts to be cautious however, some of her outfits have left faint marks on her TPE skin. I've washed the clothes multiple times but it still happens.

I'm curious to know if anyone has any tips or recommendations for removing or preventing/removing these stains. I want to ensure that my doll remains in pristine condition for as long as possible, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[setevoltas]

Some of you may have had better luck, but for me no amount of washing ever prevented a dark item from staining. Either it was manufactured with high quality dye setting, or it wasn't.

Use the spare TPE piece you got or a TPE insert or toy, and press the clothing against it overnight under a heavy weight. If dye transfers, it's something you either return, dress the doll carefully with, or use a protective fabric underneath. If it doesn't, it's good to go for extended wear.

The unofficial official stain remover of choice around here is benzoyl peroxide acne cream, though time will do the trick also.

[Wheezer]

Stain removal for TPE is not difficult, apply some Oxy-10 acne cream let it sit and it will resolve the stains. Do a search for TPE stain removal and you should find loads of information.

Getting clothing NOT to stain TPE can be fun, it depends on what they used for a clothing dye, the material, age, etc.

Items that never seem to stain stain are light colors.
Ones that seldom stain are pre-owned clothes, such as from thrift stores. They are generally better made articles and have been repeatedly washed.
Challenging ones are those that are cheap and dark colors. Items such as Chinese imports such as Shein, AliExperss, etc.

Generally, for any dark item you need to test it first on a hidden area (bottom of foot, back of head, etc.) to see if it stains.
If it stains, then you need to wash it repeatedly until the rinse water comes out clear.

I have not (yet) found one perfect chemical for all clothes, some work better than others depending on the dye used and base material.
Some of the items I have used include:
1) Grease cutting dish soap
2) Iso Propyl alcohol
3) Salt solution
4) "Purple Power" (or similar) water based degreasers
5) Xylene, toluene, etc. (use with extreme care)
You should also search for many other suggestions on TDF.

One odd trick that worked for some was to soak the article in mineral oil for a while, then clean with dish soap.
Apparently the oil got the dyes "moving" again and assisted in stripping out the excess.
Not for every use, but it may come in handy for those stubborn items.

Once caution is to test your clothing first if using a non water based cleaner to make sure it is colorfast.
Also if it is a really strong color, then it may get lighter when you fix it to be TPE safe.

Good luck.
Cheers!
... W ...

[Mr Franz]

Problem is, not all fabric is dyed the same way nor with the same product. By the same token, not all fabrics react the same way when dyed. There's just noway of knowing what dye was used, what technique was used to apply it or exactly what the fabric is composed of. Therefore, some items will stain no matter what you do to try to prevent it, short of stuffing your doll in a body stocking. That said, cheaper made clothes tend to stain more readily then higher end items. Best rule of thumb, stay with white and light colored clothing and test anything you're unsure of. I do that by standing my doll on it for a while to see if it stains the bottom of her foot.

Stains aren't the end of the world though. Most fade all on their own in time.

[setevoltas]

Watch out for light colored "neon" clothes, sometimes they stain also if under heavy pressure. Not nearly as tragic as black but annoying.

[averbeck70]

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I recently acquired a TPE doll and have been enjoying every moment with her. Despite my best efforts to be cautious however, some of her outfits have left faint marks on her TPE skin. I've washed the clothes multiple times but it still happens.

I'm curious to know if anyone has any tips or recommendations for removing or preventing/removing these stains. I want to ensure that my doll remains in pristine condition for as long as possible, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help!

No one has really spoken to prevention yet... Body stockings are your friend.

Madison has only lived with me for 6 months, but as long as she's got a body stocking on, we don't worry about coloured clothes, even deep or dark colours. If you look at The best laid plans... on my thread, you'll see that Madison LOVES colour. The only two stains she's gotten were both without a body stocking. One from a pair of black spandex panties and one from an expensive set of silk sheets.

Body stockings are also great for keeping dirt, dust and pet hair off of a doll and for protecting its skin as you're moving it around.

[Nusszucker]

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I recently acquired a TPE doll and have been enjoying every moment with her. Despite my best efforts to be cautious however, some of her outfits have left faint marks on her TPE skin. I've washed the clothes multiple times but it still happens.

I'm curious to know if anyone has any tips or recommendations for removing or preventing/removing these stains. I want to ensure that my doll remains in pristine condition for as long as possible, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help!

No one has really spoken to prevention yet... Body stockings are your friend.

Madison has only lived with me for 6 months, but as long as she's got a body stocking on, we don't worry about coloured clothes, even deep or dark colours. If you look at The best laid plans... on my thread, you'll see that Madison LOVES colour. The only two stains she's gotten were both without a body stocking. One from a pair of black spandex panties and one from an expensive set of silk sheets.

Body stockings are also great for keeping dirt, dust and pet hair off of a doll and for protecting its skin as you're moving it around.

Hi, not the OP, but also new to dolls, if I get a body stocking for my doll, do I opt for a more lose fit? I have read somewhere else that too tight clothes should be avoided

[averbeck70]

Hi, not the OP, but also new to dolls, if I get a body stocking for my doll, do I opt for a more lose fit? I have read somewhere else that too tight clothes should be avoided

Everyone has different answers so whatever I say, someone will disagree with. The body stockings I get are "One Size" and stretch a lot. That said, they're loose around the shoulders and waist. The only thing I've noticed is that the seams on the insides of the legs and arms leave indents and I think that will happen with anything even slightly tight if left on for a period of time.

Madison wears a body stocking except when we're doing photo shoots and has for three months. If I leave her "naked" overnight, the indents fade a bit, but I suspect it would take several days or more for them to disappear completely. Marks will happen with anything even slightly tight or where there's pressure if left on for a period of time and she goes for two weeks at a time with the same body stocking on because of the custody situation with my daughter.

Tight clothes have been fine for short periods, half an hour or so. The major problem with tight clothes is that they can leave abrasions on the skin from putting them on and taking them off. Our dolls don't heal like we do. I've found that things that lace up work better for both of us. It's a little more work to get them on and take them off, but it all but eliminates abrasions AND they can be tightened just the right amount to look incredibly hot without being too tight.

[Nusszucker]

Hi, not the OP, but also new to dolls, if I get a body stocking for my doll, do I opt for a more lose fit? I have read somewhere else that too tight clothes should be avoided

Everyone has different answers so whatever I say, someone will disagree with. The body stockings I get are "One Size" and stretch a lot. That said, they're loose around the shoulders and waist. The only thing I've noticed is that the seams on the insides of the legs and arms leave indents and I think that will happen with anything even slightly tight if left on for a period of time.

Madison wears a body stocking except when we're doing photo shoots and has for three months. If I leave her "naked" overnight, the indents fade a bit, but I suspect it would take several days or more for them to disappear completely. Marks will happen with anything even slightly tight or where there's pressure if left on for a period of time and she goes for two weeks at a time with the same body stocking on because of the custody situation with my daughter.

Tight clothes have been fine for short periods, half an hour or so. The major problem with tight clothes is that they can leave abrasions on the skin from putting them on and taking them off. Our dolls don't heal like we do. I've found that things that lace up work better for both of us. It's a little more work to get them on and take them off, but it all but eliminates abrasions AND they can be tightened just the right amount to look incredibly hot without being too tight.

Thanks for the answer and the tip with clothing that needs to be laced up

[MinniMagg]

There was a good thread a while back about washing blue jeans. The search function is a bit hard to use but look for my thread where it talks about a color fixative that people use Retayne. A lot of people that make quilts use it to make sure the dye is color set into the fabric.

Read this thread. And look for my post where you can put your washed doll clothes and 140° F water with this special color fixative solution..

I've used it on black with mixed success. But it works well with all other colors.

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