Anonymous wrote:
Covid particles inactivate themselves naturally when left for 3- days on inert surfaces.

Freezing for 4 days kills certain pests such as clothes mites. However certain mold and bacterial spores resist such cold temperatures quite well.

Washing and drying on hot will kill most bacteria and certain molds, as well as all viruses.

For a venerable teddy, I would put him out in strong sunlight. Make sure to expose all parts of him over several days. This used to be recommended for Covid masks as well, since sunlight can inactivate viral particles, however it is not recommended now, because scientists found that the disposable mask fabrics could be damaged by repeated exposure to sunlight.

- microbiologist, whose own beloved teddy is going on 40.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Lysol.

I'm actually too disgusted that you let your kid play with a 35 year old teddy bear to offer any helpful advice. I bet that thing is saturated with mold spores. Ick.

The melodrama lol. Sounds like the thing is washed frequently. It's fine.

I don't think it's gross, but to be fair, it's obviously NOT washed frequently, or OP wouldn't be on here asking how to wash it.

OP here. You are wrong. We wash Mister Teddy Bear as needed in a Woolite bath in the sink and then air dry him outside. Obviously that sort of cleaning doesn't sanitize hence my question. He is kept quite clean so please nobody think we aren't good caretakers of him.

Anonymous wrote:Burn it to the ground, like all the child's belongings in the Velveteen Rabbit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Lysol.

I'm actually too disgusted that you let your kid play with a 35 year old teddy bear to offer any helpful advice. I bet that thing is saturated with mold spores. Ick.

The melodrama lol. Sounds like the thing is washed frequently. It's fine.

I don't think it's gross, but to be fair, it's obviously NOT washed frequently, or OP wouldn't be on here asking how to wash it.

Anonymous wrote:

Research on the impact of temperature has shown that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is sensitive to elevated temperatures, with over 99.99% inactivation in only a few minutes at 70°C (158°F). However, this temperature is far outside the limits of human comfort and could damage some building materials.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html#:~:text=Research%20on%20the%20impact%20of,damage%20some%20building%20materials.

A drier usually is about 125-135 and will kill 99.99% of the virus after 20 minutes.

If you heat a material up to 130 degrees F, which is the high setting on a dryer or a very low oven setting, you only need about 20 minutes to kill greater than 99.99% of the virus,” said Glenn. “If you’re heating up to 150 degrees F or higher, then you only need about five minutes to kill greater than 99.99%.”

https://news.uga.edu/heat-key-killing-coronavirus-surfaces/

Research on the impact of temperature has shown that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is sensitive to elevated temperatures, with over 99.99% inactivation in only a few minutes at 70°C (158°F). However, this temperature is far outside the limits of human comfort and could damage some building materials.

If you heat a material up to 130 degrees F, which is the high setting on a dryer or a very low oven setting, you only need about 20 minutes to kill greater than 99.99% of the virus,” said Glenn. “If you’re heating up to 150 degrees F or higher, then you only need about five minutes to kill greater than 99.99%.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not Lysol.

I'm actually too disgusted that you let your kid play with a 35 year old teddy bear to offer any helpful advice. I bet that thing is saturated with mold spores. Ick.

The melodrama lol. Sounds like the thing is washed frequently. It's fine.

Anonymous wrote:Lysol should work well, but you can also put him in a pillowcase then use a hairband to close the end of the pillowcase. Make sure he has plenty of room to move. Then wash on delicate in cool or eco warm water. He’ll be fine - I regularly wash my kids’ most precious stuffed animals and dolls like this.

Anonymous wrote:I bet the freezer thing works. Germs can't survive well at those low temps.