Prepare, Pack, And Store Your Strawberry Shortcake Collection As The Value Grows

Strawberry Shortcake made her first appearance back in the 1980s. Since then, she's grown to have quite the following. The toy lines from the 80s are growing in value and even the newer toys are maintaining their value. Here, you'll learn how to prepare, pack and store your Strawberry Shortcake dolls and playsets so that they remain in great condition for as long as you need or want to store them.

Start Cleaning

The original 1980s dolls were scented, as are a few of the newer released ones. This can make cleaning them a bit of a challenge because you don't want to wash away their berry good scents. Before you use any cleaning solutions, try just using a bit of warm water and a dishcloth. Wipe off as much dirt as possible. If you come across a few spots that won't come clean, try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser – oftentimes, that will do the trick.

The dolls' hair can be hard to bring back to the original style, so if your doll's hair still looks good, it'd be best to leave it alone. Just use a can of compressed air held about 12 inches away from the doll to blow the dust out of the hair.

If the dolls are sticky, like many from the 80s are, dip the sticky parts in a 50:50 mixture of white vinegar and water. The vinegar will help to remove the sticky feel that is caused by the breakdown of the old plastic. 

Clean the playsets using water and a little dish soap. Be careful not to saturate any of the stickers as you clean the set. Just dampen the cloth only to the point in which it will wipe off the dirt on the set – anything more will cause water damage to the stickers.

Pack it Up

Now that everything is clean and dry, it's time to pack it all up. Always wrap each doll individually in a piece of acid-free tissue paper. This will help to avoid the sticky feeling from passing from one doll to another.

Pack the playsets up as if you were going to ship them across the country. Wrap the set in its entirety in bubble wrap, bag up small pieces and seal the box well.

Store It

Where you store the collection is probably more important than what you've done to prepare the toys for storage. The climate must be controlled. You cannot allow the toys to be exposed to high humidity or heat, or low temperatures or moisture.

If you don't have a place in your home that is suitable, consider leasing a climate controlled storage unit from a facility like North Star Mini Storage for this collection, as well as any others you have around your house.

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