How to look after an amigurumi (so it outlives your sofa)

I put an octopus in the washing machine.

It was 2021, it was mine (thank goodness), and it came out of the drum looking like what my nephew described as “a sad jellyfish”. Spin cycle at 1,200. The stuffing clumped into two tentacles and the rest hung there like wet socks. I have washed amigurumis differently ever since, and because you ask me about this a lot when I hand over an order, here is everything I know.

Cold water, mild soap, and your hands

An amigurumi gets washed in a basin. Cold water, lukewarm at most, a little mild soap (the delicates kind, or even gentle shampoo), and squeeze with your hands without wringing. Wringing is what kills the shape. Remember there is stuffing inside, and stuffing has memory: squash it badly and it stays badly squashed.

How long? Not long. Five minutes of soaking if it is really grubby, then rinse until the water runs clear. Wet wool smells odd for the first few minutes. That is normal. It passes.

Drying is where the battle is won

No hanging it from a peg. It dries flat, on a towel, turned over once a day. Two days in summer; up to four in winter. And keep it away from the radiator — acrylic fibre and direct heat get on terribly.

A trick a customer taught me (thank you, Maria, if you are reading): wrap it in the towel first and press, like rolling a cannelloni. Gets a huge amount of water out without bending anything out of shape.

The fuzz situation

Over the months, some amigurumis grow a light fuzz, especially the ones that sleep with an enthusiastic cuddler. It comes off with a fabric shaver, on the gentlest pass. Do not go at it full power: I know of someone who shaved a crochet sheep bald. I will not say who.

What about safety eyes?

Safety eyes handle water just fine. What they handle less well is a teething baby, so if the toy is for a child under three, ask for embroidered eyes. I already make them that way by default for little ones, just in case.

One more thing and I am done. If an amigurumi loses its shape over the years, it can nearly always be fixed: unpick the base a little, rearrange the stuffing, close it up. Easy as pie. Well, easy as sewing. And if you would rather not, bring it to me and I will do the surgery.

The jellyfish octopus, by the way, still lives at home. As a reminder.