The single most common way people ruin a squishy is by washing it. It seems like the obvious thing to do when one gets sticky or grubby — and it's the one thing you shouldn't do. Here's how to actually clean and store one.
Why you can't wash a squishy
It depends on the type, but none of them respond well to water.
Slow-rise foam is open-cell, which means it soaks water up like a sponge and holds it deep inside. Squeezing it out doesn't work, and the foam that's left behind usually dries stiff, crumbly and slow — the slow rise disappears. A washing machine finishes the job by tearing the foam apart.
Filled squishies — gel or bead — have a sealed outer skin, so water shouldn't get inside. But if there's even a pinhole, water will find it, and it will never dry out. That's when squishies go mouldy from the inside.
Crinkle squishies have a sound layer under the surface. Water reaching it flattens the crinkle permanently.
The method that does work
- Dampen a soft cloth with lukewarm water. Wring it out until it's barely damp — no dripping.
- Wipe the surface gently. Don't scrub, especially on printed designs like the butter stick squishy, where the print can wear.
- For sticky patches, add the smallest amount of mild soap to the cloth, wipe, then go over it again with a clean damp cloth to lift the residue.
- Leave it somewhere airy and out of direct sunlight until it's completely dry to the touch.
That's it. No soaking, no rinsing under a tap, no dishwasher, no washing machine.
Why squishies get sticky
A sticky surface on a slow-rise squishy usually means the outer coating is starting to break down — typically from heat, sunlight or age. A gentle wipe helps for a while, but stickiness is generally a sign a foam squishy is nearing the end of its life. Keeping it cool and out of the sun from day one is what prevents it.
How to fix a dented squishy
Dents come from storing a squishy compressed — at the bottom of a toy box, under books, squeezed into a full backpack. Most are fixable:
- Take it out of whatever was pressing on it.
- Leave it somewhere room-temperature and completely uncompressed, with nothing touching it.
- Give it 24–48 hours.
Most dents lift on their own in that time. Ones that don't have usually been compressed for months, and those tend to be permanent — the foam has taken a set.
Storing them properly
- Loose, not stacked. A shelf or an open basket beats a packed drawer.
- Out of direct sunlight. A sunny windowsill is the worst place in the house for a squishy, however good they look there.
- Away from heat. Radiators, car dashboards, anywhere that gets hot.
- Away from pets. Filled squishies in particular — a punctured gel or bead squishy is done, and the contents shouldn't be chewed.
- Away from sharp things. Keys and scissors in the same bag will eventually find your squishy.
The Dumpling Squishy is a slight exception in that it comes with its own steamer basket, which doubles as storage — it holds the squishy without compressing it.
When to give up on one
Throw a squishy away if the outer skin has split on a gel or bead-filled toy, if it smells musty, or if the foam has gone hard and crumbly. Split filled squishies aren't repairable and shouldn't be handled by children.
More answers in our FAQ, or browse the full squishy range.