How to Clean a Squishy Toy and Keep It Slow Rising

Squishies pick up grime fast because the foam is soft and slightly tacky. The good news: most of the damage is reversible if you avoid water baths and heat. Here is the care routine we use.

Why squishies get dirty so fast

Slow rising foam is soft because it is full of tiny open cells, and the skin stays slightly tacky so it feels smooth. That tackiness collects dust, hand oils and whatever was on the table. Over a few weeks a bright yellow butter squishy turns grey at the edges and starts to feel sticky. None of that means the toy is finished.

What never to do

• Do not soak it. Water gets into the foam cells, takes days to dry and can leave the squishy permanently soft or mouldy.
• No hot water and no dishwasher. Heat melts the skin and ruins the rise.
• No alcohol or acetone on printed wrappers. Solvents lift the print straight off a butter squishy's skin.
• No hair dryers. Air drying only, and never in direct sun.

Spot cleaning, step by step

1. Mix a drop of mild dish soap into a cup of cool water.
2. Dip a microfiber cloth, wring it until it is barely damp, and wipe the surface in short strokes. Do not press hard on printed areas.
3. Wipe again with a cloth dampened in plain water to lift the soap.
4. Pat dry with a towel and leave it on a rack for 24 hours, in the shade, with air on all sides.

For stubborn grey patches on unprinted foam, a soft toothbrush with the same soapy water works. For a printed butter wrapper, stop at the cloth.

Fixing a tear

Small tears in the skin are common on the corners of a butter stick. Use a flexible glue made for foam or fabric, not superglue, which goes hard and cracks the next time you squish. Put a thin line inside the tear, press the edges together for a minute, and leave it for 24 hours before squishing. If the wrapper print has worn off, our printable butter wrapper gives it a fresh skin in ten minutes.

Bringing back the slow rise

Foam that has been squashed for days, for example under a pile of books or at the bottom of a bag, rises slowly and unevenly. Give it a rest: leave it uncompressed at room temperature for two or three days, turning it over once a day. A cool room helps; a warm car does the opposite. If it has been in the sun, the damage is usually permanent.

Storage that keeps it new

• Cool, dark and dry. A drawer beats a sunny shelf.
• Never store it compressed. Squishies on top of squishies is how you get flat ones.
• A small zip pouch keeps dust off between uses. A silica gel packet inside is a bonus in humid homes.
• Keep it away from pens and markers. Ink transfers onto the tacky skin and does not come off.

Products that make this easier

As an Amazon Associate, ZazGames earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability change; check the product page before you buy. We only list products we would be happy to squish ourselves.

When to retire a squishy

If the foam crumbles, sheds pieces or smells sour after cleaning, it is done. Crumbling foam is a choking risk for small children and pets, so it belongs in the bin, not in a toy box. Screenshot your favourite wrapper first: the same designs live on as skins in the game, where nothing ever tears.

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