How to Restore an Old Doll

Give your doll a thorough going over to check for needed repairs. Look for tears in the body fabric, scratches on plastic skin, cloudy eyes, dirty hair and torn and soiled clothes.

Make a list of all the repairs the doll needs and divide into categories of do-it-yourself and things that need to be done by a professional. Doll eyes and repairs to skin should be handled by a professional.

Hand-sew any small tears in the body fabric. Look carefully under arms and where the legs attach to the body. These areas tend to get more stress and the fabric might be weak. Replace pieces of fabric that are too worn to stitch by cutting away an area and patching with an oversized patch tucked in at the edges and hand sewn.

Give your dolls' hair a wash by wetting her head under running water and using a mild baby shampoo. Comb hair into place while still wet. Don't worry if some of the hair falls out. If your doll is going bald from too much brushing over time, consider having a new wig made or having new hair attached to its head.

Rub the exterior of the eye with a cotton swab dipped in baby oil. This restores moisture to eyes that have lost their transparency. Do this a few times and then decide if the doll's eyes need further attention at a doll hospital.

Add stuffing to dolls that have lost some of their firmness. Cut a hole between the doll's legs large enough to insert soft batting from any craft store. Sew up after the doll is stuffed to your satisfaction.

Wash doll clothes with a mild detergent on the delicate setting, or wash in the sink by hand. Line dry then iron the clothes using a light spray starch.