Cleaning old cabbage patch dolls

I had two twin cabbage patch dolls that I was obsessed with as a kid (good practice right?). My parents kept them in the attic along with some of our other childhood toys, and they made the move safely to my parents new house. My dad pulled them out for my baby shower but they were EXTREMELY dirty and gross. So they've been sitting in storage since then.

Recently I've been looking into getting the girls dolls for Christmas. Would it be possible to clean my old CPK dolls and give them to a new generation to cherish? I hit Google for some suggestions with mixed results - put them in the washer, NEVER put them in the washer, only spot clean, etc.

So I did put them in the washer. And I am so glad I did! They look like brand new dolls.

Before and after washing. Right (dirty), left (clean)

A few tips:

• I did pre soak the with oxyclean and detergent for a few hours first. 
• Use pillowcases for extra protection. I was really nervous about the hair getting destroyed but the pig tails stayed in tact.
• Speaking of the hair, the original rubber bands were super thin and brittle. I removed them and used some of my own hair ties.
• Keep an eye on your washer - I stopped it once the spin cycle started because the washer was going crazy.
• I read online to never put them in the dryer longer than 25 minutes. Well if you skip the spin cycle and your dolls are sopping wet, you'll need longer. I kept checking every 30 minutes but the dolls did about 90 minutes total, and then I let them air dry the rest of the way.
• Put towels into dryer with your pillow case doll wrapping for extra padding.
• To clean the face, use an old toothbrush with soft scrub. 
• Newborn clothing is actually a little big! I had some preemie clothing from the girls but the newborn outfits were cuter. The onesies were way to big but you can't tell with pants over them. I also rolled the pants up at the bottom and they work just fine. 

  

  CPK at my baby shower (dirty) vs clean dolls!