Question by Jerold N:
Is there a safe way to clean bed bugs from American Girl dolls?
We have bed bugs in the house that may or may not have gotten into the Ameircan Girl dolls. AG says there is no safe way to clean them. Anyone ever have this problem? Any suggestions beside throwing them out and starting over?
Thanks.
Best answer:
Answer by Hannah Jones
well if you are going to throw them out anyway why don’t you just try to clean them and even if that does not work then you where going to have to throw them out anyway.
hope ur able to find a solution.
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Heat will kill bed bugs and their eggs.
If you have a large collection of dolls or if there is a special doll you want to save, you can buy a PackTite heater. The heater is specifically designed for this purpose, although the price is high at about $ 289. Just check with American Girl that the dolls can withstand heat at approx. 120F. The heater can also be used to heat luggage when you return home from trips or buy items in stores that are possibly invested (this is happening in NYC right now), so it might be a good idea. The resource below has a link to an online retailer.
If they do, the other idea is to securely wrap the doll in a towel and then place the doll and towel into the dryer at the highest heat setting. Run for about 30 to 40 minutes. This will reach the required heat setting to kill the bed bugs and bed bug eggs.
A third option is to buy a plastic bin with a snap on lid. Put the dolls into the container for about 16 months. This will starve any bed bugs and late hatching eggs and make the dolls bed bug free. You can sprinkle some bed bug dust along the bottom of the container, so that if any bugs move out of the dolls, they will be killed by the dust.
When my mother thought I had lice in 3rd grade she put all of my toys (including my American Girl Doll and Bitty Baby) in a black garbage bag for two weeks. I still have my doll and my sister has my bitty baby.(:
I think that might work.