Cleaning Smurfs

There are 2 posts tagged Cleaning Smurfs (this is page 1 of 1).

The best way to clean Smurfs

What do you do when you find that rare Smurf but can see that it has seen better days? Pretend you never saw it and move on. Then dwell on it for the rest of the weekend. Not likely as you know it’s worth giving the Smurf a second lease of life. It also means another one you’ve been longing to add to your collection. 

Most older Smurfs not surprisingly will require a good bath before displaying.  No matter, where I acquire them I always give the toys a good soak in warm soapy water. If I purchase the figurines online, I give them a longer soak.  Warm soapy water and fresh air, you can’t beat it. 

Sometimes this is not enough. With a little bit of hard work, you might surprise yourself how lucky you are. 

What you’ll need

Try an old toothbrush to remove grime marks. Add a little bit of bicarb soda with water to create a paste. Apply this paste to the toothbrush then massage it into the Smurf. For built-up grime in the creases on their hat or tricky places, try a brow brush.

Another option is putting the figurines in the dishwasher. Does it work? I don’t know as I am too scared to try it. But if you have, I would love to hear about your experience.

Dealing with ink stains is almost impossible to remove. Why people want to write the price under their feet is beyond me. You could try using nail polish remover or glass cleaner. Again I haven’t tried them because I am scared I will remove the original paint. But others I know speak highly about both options as long as you are careful.

Trying to get rid of cigarette or plastic toy odour can also seem almost impossible. I’m a big believer in the fresh air and plenty of it. Another option is soaking in a water and vinegar mixture overnight. Vinegar has a low amount of acidity so it should not harm the paintwork.

These are just my suggestions that work for me.

Keep on Smurfin
Kath B

Renovation Tip with smurf collection

Your partner may always have your best interests at heart, when comes to renovating the house. However it is always best to go with your own instinct and remove your smurf collection before it is too late or it could end up in tears, like it almost did for me. Allow me to demonstrate this with a series of photographs.

1.Husband decides to paint window frame ensuring me that I won’t need to move any smurfs – Tennis Smurfette ends up in paint tin

Famous last words quoted by my husband — ‘no you won’t need to move your smurfs, they will be fine where they are!’

2.  A series of nasty looks and exchanges are made towards the husband, while Tennis Smurfette is being rescued from the paint tin. 

‘She will be fine’ my husband tells me as he retrieves Tennis Smurfette out of the paint tin

3. I continue to mutter under my breath, while Tennis Smurfette is given a bath in a jar of turps. At this point it should be stated I am not amused by all of this.

Slowly the white paint is disappearing and I start to see Tennis Smurfette as she should be

4. Tennis Smurfette has survived her ordeal! My husband has also survived from his ordeal!

You would hardly know Tennis Smurfette had fallen into a tin of white paint and my husband was almost divorced.

The moral of my story is when doing any paint or repair work around your house and it involves your precious smurf collection, don’t listen to your partner who thinks they know what is best, go with what your own heart is telling you.  

 

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B