How to Clean Madame Alexander Doll Hair

Madame Alexander is the founder of a doll company that makes delicate, handcrafted dolls 1. She was the first to make licensed character dolls, as well as dolls of real people in their honor such as Queen Elizabeth and the Dionne Quints. Dolls made by Madame Alexander have saran hair and sensitive bodies, so submerging the doll just to wash the hair could have damaging effects 1. While it's easy to clean the hair on Madame Alexander dolls, it's important to know the correct way to do it so you can yield the best results 1.

Lay the doll on her back, with her head poking out over a sink that has a stoppable drain. Remove all hair accessories and rubber bands from the hair. Run a comb through the hair to make sure there aren't any mats or snags.

Run the water in the sink very warm (but not hot) and secure the stopper. Add at least three drops of liquid dish soap as the sink fills.

Fill the sink until the water covers the doll's hair up to the back of her head. Don't allow any of the plastic to rest in the water. This is important because metal components inside the head can get rusty.

Use your fingers to gently separate the fibers of the hair, allowing the soap foam to penetrate and loosen all dirt and grime. Continue to rub the foam through the hair.

Drain the sink and rinse out all leftover soap bubbles. Refill the sink, again not letting the waterline touch the doll's head. Use your fingers to pull away all the soap bubbles from the doll's hair until none are left.

Drain the sink and carefully squeeze the doll's wet hair with a dry washcloth to absorb excess water. Allow the doll to dry upside-down so that moisture doesn't make its way to the eyes, which can become clouded from water. It should take two to three days for the hair to dry completely.