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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Posts: 298I've recently found an old, battered mohair bear (supposedly from Berlin), and I'm considering "rehabilitating" him. All of his paw pads are either damaged or missing, as is most of the stuffing in his limbs. Since he's in such bad shape already, I'm planning to completely take him apart and (hopefully) wash the pieces before sewing him back together and re-stuffing him. I've washed alpaca fiber using dish soap, with a vinegar rinse afterward (which supposedly helps to clean and soften the fiber). Would dish soap be the recommended soap for old mohair fabric? Shampoo? Woolite? What would you use?
I'd use something like Woolite, and wash carefully by hand, of course, but before you wash him, you should probably vacuum-clean the old guy (using a brush attachment - carefully). That would remove a lot of the dust and grit, which can act as an abrasive otherwise. (You could also give him 48 hours in the freezer, just to make sure he's not harboring any bugs/moths/eggs.)
Becky
I think it depends on how strong the fabric backing is. If it's frail, I wouldn't take it apart to wash, I would leave the bear intact and surface wash the pile only using a very mild solution of baby shampoo and tepid water. Dip a sponge into the solution, squeeze it almost dry and use gentle circular movements to clean the mohair pile (try to avoid getting the backing wet). I would clean the bear in sections, taking my time and when each section is clean, I would very gently dry with low setting on a hairdryer, whilst gently fluffing up the pile with a teasel brush or similar. I have cleaned several vintage bears using this method and they have come up beautifully.
