How to maintain Volks vinyl Dollfie Dream dolls.
I wanted to write a page about basic maintenance/care because many people new to the hobby will make mistakes and sometimes ruin their dolls. Here I aim to offer a simple and easy list of basic care and maintenance for the new collector. This is a separate Dollfie Dream edition, because they are different in some ways.
Staining: Dollfie Dreams can get stained very easily, this is due to them being made of vinyl. Any stains are actually often absorbed into the vinyl which in some cases can make it impossible to remove. Staining is usually a result of poor dye on their clothes/wigs, or stains due to where the dolls has been placed (for example grass and mud stains may occur if photographing your doll outdoors) With Dollfie Dreams there aren’t many ways to prevent and remove stains. Staining mainly occurs with clots that are either very dark (blacks, navy blues and mahogany) and colours which are very bright (fire engine red, bright blues and greens).
- To prevent clothing/wig stains: When you buy or make new doll clothes/wigs, give them a good wash and rinse before your doll wears them. You can also buy products to lock in colour of you prefer, or you can use the old fashioned method of a vinegar soak and rinse. For the Vinegar method soak the clothes for a few hours in a mix of about 1/2 water, 1/2 white vinegar. Rinse thoroughly after to remove any leftover dye and wash out the smell. Continue rinsing until the water runs clear.
- Another way to minimize staining is to put the Dollfie Dream into dark clothes when doing a photo shoot, or taking it to events, but when displaying it at home, keep her in light or soft shades of clothes.
- To prevent wig stains you may also want to use a wig cap, but stains can bleed through a silicone cap so be careful. Volks sell white fabric wig caps especially for dollfie dream’s, if you want you doll to have dark or bright hair I recommend the Volks wig cap.
- To remove existing stains: If the doll is already stained then you probably want to remove it. If it is a surface stain then first try using some rubbing alcohol, or colourless acetone free nail polish remover on a Magic Eraser.
FYI Magic erasers are those cheap white foam household cleaning sponges. Be careful when using them around painted or coated parts though as it could remove the paint or coating. You can buy them online from some doll supliers and also in supermarket cleaning aisles.
- If the stain has badly soaked in, your only other option is to get a Benzoil Peroxide based spot/acne cream. You will need to rub some on the stained area and leave it in a semi thick layer. The put the doll up and leave in the sun all day, if you have a Garden or Balcony that gets the sun then that’s perfect, if not leaving her on a window sil would be fine too. It may not take the stain away first time, but it should at least fade it. You should reapply the treatment and do it again daily until you are satisfied with the state of the stain.
Eye putty: Best things to use for eye putty are
- Clear silicone ear plugs
- Artists kneaded erasers
- White uncoloured poster tac
- DO NOT USE Super sculpty or similar craft clay products. They can damage and even ruin several types of eyes. Don’t run the risk.
Wig stoppers: It’s annoying when your doll’s wig keep dropping off, so how can we keep it in place? You’ll be glad to know there are a few ways.
- Putting an elastic band around your dolls head, but try to avoid coloured bands as they may stain. This gives the wig a thick rim to latch on to.
- Using a wig cap of appropriate size. You get many wig caps from cloth, mesh and even silicone. It’s usually personal preference which is best.
- Anti slip mats. You know those waffle like rubber mats for the car and home to stop things slipping about? I hear those cut up and placed inside a wig works a charm.
- Velcro, you stick one side on the wig and the other side on the dolls head. It makes positioning the wig a bit tricky at first, but one you get the hang of it, nothing holds better.
Wig styling:
- Brushing: Use a small tooth brush for brushing the wig hair to get rid of stray hairs and tangles.
- Styling: To actually style the hair, you can use people hair products like gel or spray on the wig, just be careful and use it sparingly. Also try not to get the products onto the face or the vinyl as it could harm it. If you want just a short term styling solution, just damp the wig with a bit of water, press to required style, take pictures as needed then it will just dry out and go back to normal.
- Washing: If you ever want to wash the wig, then carefully hand wash it in some warm (not hot or boiling) water. Carefully work the shampoo into the fibers of the wig to remove any styling product residue, then rinse thoroughly and put it up to dry.
- DO NOT ever use a hair dryer to dry it as it could burn and ruin the synthetic fibers of the wig. If you towel dry it, be very careful not to crush or damage the fibers.
hmm do you know how to fix a dollfie dream face if have stain thank ya
Comment by Nyaar — January 30, 2009 #
Nyaar: If it is a surface stain then first try using some rubbing alcohol, or colourless acetone free nail polish remover on a Magic Eraser.
FYI Magic erasers are those cheap white foam household cleaning sponges. Be careful when using them around painted or coated parts though as it could remove the paint or coating. You can buy them online from some doll suppliers and also in supermarket cleaning aisles.
* If the stain has badly soaked in, your only other option is to get a Benzoil Peroxide based spot/acne cream. You will need to rub some on the stained area and leave it in a semi thick layer. The put the doll up and leave in the sun all day, if you have a Garden or Balcony that gets the sun then that’s perfect, if not leaving her on a window sil would be fine too. It may not take the stain away first time, but it should at least fade it. You should reapply the treatment and do it again daily until you are satisfied with the state of the stain.
Comment by aquilla — January 30, 2009 #
Hi Aquilla! I was wondering if you knew how to fix a Dollfie Dreams eyes if they are misalligned. For my Volks custimas, all I had to do was give them a good shake in the direction I wanted the eye to be. Is it the same way for a Dollfie Dream? Thanks!
Comment by punynari — February 26, 2009 #
Hi Punynari!!!
Volks have this horrible method of fixing the dolls eyes in with hot glue, which hardens to be rock solid and is a royal pain in the bottom to remove. What I usually do first thing is romove the hot glue from the doll. It’s hard but worth it (I need to get round to doing it on my Marya!)
To get the hot glue out, you need to take the vinyl head cap off, so you can see inside. It’s tedious, but basically just pick away at it until most of it has gone. Once most of it has gone, I suggest putting the eyes back in using something like white poster tac, silicone ear plugs or kneaded erasers, then follow the steps in this little tutorial http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253204&highlight=eye+tutorial
You can use the same method no matter what you use to fix the eyes in place. Hope this helps. Any other questions though, feel free to ask!
Comment by aquilla — February 26, 2009 #
Hi, I tried using a bit of nail polish remover (non acetone) on some tiny stains on my DDII, but the stains will not budge :( She’s my first DDII and even though the stains would hardly be noticeable to someone else, I know they’re there and I feel awful about them.
Do you have any UK brand names of spot creams you can recommend for the heavy-duty treatment?
Comment by Deccaboo — March 12, 2009 #
To be honest Deccaboo, I have never had to use the cream method as my DD’s have not been stained. I have heard people on the den of angels suggest oxy 10, but I’m not sure if thats a product available in the uk.
All I know is that Benzoil Peroxide is the key ingredient.
Comment by aquilla — March 13, 2009 #
I was wondering if you can dye wigs? Or would you have to have them custom made?
Comment by Hillary — March 18, 2009 #
Hillary: If the wig is made of natural fibres (most commonly human hair and mohair) then you will be able to dye it using either hair dye or fabric dye.
If the hair is of synthetic fibre, then it will most likely not dye as synthetic fibres do not absorb colour like natural fibres.
Comment by aquilla — March 18, 2009 #
Greetings, I have adopted Dollfie Escalayer recently and I am just starting to look up information for DD care. I see that you suggest that I wash the clothes once before putting them on? I didn’t do that ;x You think I should take the clothes off now and wash them?
Any help is appreciated :)
Comment by Wolfheinrich — May 11, 2009 #
I have a question about faceups. I wanted to do it myself, but I am not sure what type of sealer to use. which type is the safest and looks the best?
Comment by Selaar — May 27, 2009 #
Hey Aquilla =3 Just wondering, how would you remove a default face up? As I’m getting a DDdy, but I’d like to redo her face up >w<…
Comment by Akwatyka — November 15, 2009 #
What I use is acetone free nail polish remover and round cotton pads to rub off the existing make up, just like I would when cleaning my nails. To clean tiny or delicate areas, I use a cotton bud on a stick.
Just carefully and firmly rib the areas you want to remove until its all gone. Once removed, rince the head throughly with clean water just to finish the surface, then you’re ready to coat and start painting.
Comment by aquilla — November 15, 2009 #
Hey, aquilla, long time no chat.
So I want to ask if its ok to use the standatr equipment for curling up human hair on dollfie wigs? I’m not too sure about it, because you said that the hair drier could damage it, and they are all woking on the heat-styling principle…
Cheers
Comment by Belgarion — December 19, 2009 #
This is a tricky question. With synthetic hair, it is very much a hit and miss thing. Some can be styled with heated products like curlers and straighteners and there will be no problem. However other types of synthetic hair can not tolerate heat at all and the will melt up and go all frizzy and crispy. Once it goes like this there is no way back.
You may want to test a small patch of hair that won’t be seen, to see if it can handle the heat or not and then if it does frizz up you could trim it away and no one need know any different.
Comment by aquilla — December 21, 2009 #
Hello, I’m still new to Dollfie and just adopt Nanoha this morning. Can I ask about vinegar method. So basically we just need to mix white vinegar and water then soak and rinse the clothes? About the wig can only use wig cap?
Thnx :).
Comment by Flame — January 6, 2010 #
Yes, the vinegar soak is just a simple method, soak the clothes for about an hour or so, then just rinse thoroughly in clean water to get rid of any lingering vinegar smells. You can use wigs with or without a separate wig cap. It’s just a personal preference thing really.
Comment by aquilla — January 6, 2010 #
My friend told me no need to worry much since Nanoha’s clothes is white/ light color. But I’m not sure about the wig. Since you said it’s just a personal preference so it means like “it’s hard to get a wig stain”?
Comment by Flame — January 7, 2010 #
It depends on the wig really. Dark and bold colours are much more likely to stain then blondes and silver wigs though.
Comment by aquilla — January 8, 2010 #