Whether you have a well loved and played with doll with an ink stain or have purchased a secondhand doll online with the stain spot cleverly hidden in the photos, it is incredibly simple to remove the spot!

What you will need:

• 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Cream
• Plastic Cling Wrap
• Old Towels
• Sunny, Warm Day Outside

The first time I tried this process, I had some green leggings that I purchased online and the stitching was also a dark green thread. I had them on my Blaire doll for about 2 months and when I removed them, Blaire had dark green zig zap marks up and down her lovely pale legs. I tried using a magic eraser first and it did not remove the spots at all and so I turned to the internet for help. It was absolutely mesmerizing after a day of the treatment all the lines had almost entirely disappeared. After 2 days they were gone completely.

I purchased a lovely Pleasant Company Just Like You 8 doll online and she had several stains on her legs, feet and a small spot on her face.

If the doll is older or purchased secondhand, start by pulling up the hair and cleaning the skin with a mixture of baking soda and water until it is paste-like. Scrub the skin and wipe off residue with a damp rag. If you merely have a clothing dye transfer stain on an otherwise clean doll you may not need to clean the doll first.

With the 10% benzoyl peroxide cream, apply a generous amount to the stained areas. The cream can be any brand. I have used this one I purchased online as well as another brand I purchased at the grocery store. It is important that it has the 10% benzoyl peroxide. I had stains on both the front and the back of the doll, so I started with all areas on the front.

Once the cream is applied, wrap the treated areas with the plastic cling wrap. This keeps the cream from drying out in the sun.

Cover up the rest of the doll with the towels leaving the treated areas exposed. Use older towels with a neutral color. Lay the doll out in the sun. It was in the mid to upper 60’s this particular day. I have also done this treatment on a day in which the temperature was in the 70’s and it seemed to work quicker so I believe the cooler it is, the longer the treatment will take. The first time I tried to apply the cream to a doll I just did it overnight in the house and the spots were still there in the morning, so the sun is definitely an important factor for drawing out the stain.

I placed the doll outside at about 10 am and left her until about 6 pm. Once you bring the doll in, remove the cling wrap and carefully rinse off the cream and wipe down the treated areas. The spots should be gone! If the spots are diminished but not entirely gone, you may need to do an additional day of treatment. For this particular doll, the spots on the front of the doll were entirely removed after one day.

The back of the doll had some dye transfer from dark colored socks. The next day, I repeated the treatment for the backside of the doll.

The sock lines were a bit more stubborn and I had to repeat the process an additional day before the stains were entirely removed.

This is an incredibly simple process with absolutely amazing results. The willingness to fix up dolls yourself can save you a lot of money when purchasing secondhand dolls and you can restore your childhood dolls to their former glory.

Doll is Pleasant Company Just Like You 8, jumper, hat and shoes are Pleasant Company