10 Steps For Caring For Your Teddy Bear

1. Check your teddy bear over to see if their is a washing instructions label. Some synthetic bears can actually be machine washed on the most gentle cycle. Do not wash with other colored clothes or items. Using a mesh bag to put the bear in is not a bad idea. I would not use much detergent if any but maybe a little fabric softener would be a nice touch. Allow it to air dry. Do not put in dryer or use a hair dryer. Machine washing is not something that would be recommended for antiques or real old or fragile teddies. Remember that bears that talk or make sounds probably have a device inside them that may get ruined if machine washed.

2. Let me say that for the next steps "patience" is a must. For a really dirty teddy bear the human instinct is to get some strong cleaner and put it in a spray bottle and spray and scrub the heck out of it. While this may get some good results some times, it may also ruin certain fabrics by changing color, texture, and overall appearance of the teddy bear.

3. For the many teddy bears that are not machine washable, The material of an old teddy bear is really not much different than the care you would give to an antique piece of upholstery or tapestry. Brush gently with a soft brush to loosen particular dust and soil. Carefully vacuum it by putting cheese cloth or using a nylon over the vacuum head of your vacuum tool to remove loose soil.

4.Using a clean damp cloth (warm water only-no soap as soap tends to leave a residue that can cause quick re-soiling) wipe down the teddy bears fur. You'll be surprised how much soil can be removed with simply wiping down the bear. This should help restore some of the shine and brighten the color like it had when it was newer.

5.If teddy is severely soiled you may have to repeat this process 2-3 times to get as much soil removed as possible. Do not soak the teddy bear. If you have to, allow it to air dry then repeat the process.

6. The next step is allowing the teddy bear to air dry. It is best to lightly brush the teddy bear's fur before it dries, so that the nap is all laying in the same direction (usually laying down) . If you let it dry first before you brush it it may change the texture and appearance and you may not be able to get it back after it's dry.

7. At times a little mending may be needed.

8. Don't forget to hug them at least once a day.

9. Make sure to allow as many kids as possible to admire and maybe hold them. Teddy Bears love children.

10. For teddy bears that don't get used much and maybe sit on a shelf for a long time, you can either buy a case to put them in or you can use a large clear zip lock bag or freezer bag and slip on over the bear's head & body. This allows you to still see the bear but will help keep the dust and dirt for getting them dirty.

Hopefully some of these tips have helped you care for your teddy bears. Remember the older and more antique the teddy bear the more caution and care needs to be used.

Bruce Simmons is a Teddy Bear Designer for "Mainely Bears Collectable Teddy Bear Gifts" checkout some of the different designs at [http://teddy-gift.com]

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Easy Weight Loss - 7 Important Steps You Need to Know to Lose Weight Quickly

Healthy Weight Loss - 7 Kickstart Booster Steps

Simple Steps You Can Take to Increase Your Weight Loss

Are you trying to lose weight? Do you feel like the weight is not coming off as quickly as you would like? Have you tried dieting but that just leaves you feeling hungry and not slimmer? If you are nodding your head in agreement, then you should know that there are some simple steps you can take to increase your weight loss. You do not need to starve yourself, but you do need to burn more calories. If you are burning more calories, you can actually eat a bit more and still lose weight. Read on to learn about the steps that you can take to burn more calories.

If you want to burn more calories, you simply need to increase your metabolism. Your metabolism is how fast - or slow - your body burns calories. Every one's metabolism is different. The higher yours is, the more calories you will burn and the more weight you will lose. One of the key factors in weight loss is exercising. Dieting alone will not get you the results you want if you do not combine it with exercise. Exercising increases your metabolism and therefor helps your body to burn more calories. Aerobic activities such as running, walking, biking and swimming all increase your heart rate which in turn increases your metabolism. Make sure that you get at least thirty minutes of aerobic activity every day to get the most out of your work outs.

Another way that you can burn more calories and increase your weight loss is to increase your muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn. A lot of people have found that they can increase their metabolism by eating smaller, more frequent meals rather than three large ones. Also, eating spicy foods has been shown to increase metabolism.

As you can see, there are several simple steps that you can include into your day to bump up your metabolism and increase your weight loss results. Once you start incorporate these things into your regimen, you will begin to see the results that you desire.

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