As far as my boys and I are concerned, our stuffies are part of the family. Zackary and Benjamin both have a large collection of stuffed animals and while some of their stuffies are casual friends at best, certain stuffed animals are so important to my boys that the plush toys are carried everywhere. And it’s not hard to know where that loyalty came from…Good Luck Bear and Mr. Moose are actually my stuffies and while I don’t carry them around, they’re always up in their own special spots on my desk. Who says stuffed animals are just for kids?
Of course, since the boys take their stuffies adventuring with them almost everywhere, the fabric often ends up getting completely filthy. And while some plush toys can be washed and dried without issue, others lose that appealing soft fluffiness after being machine-washed. So when I heard that the second Maytag Blogger Challenge was to get our family of stuffies clean and fresh WITHOUT washing them, I couldn’t have been happier.
Now while dryers are specifically designed for drying clothing, an incredible dryer like the Maytag Maxima XL Steam Dryer can do even more. The dryer has a special Sanitize Cycle that raises the temperature to eliminate 99.9% of certain bacteria, dust mites and other household allergens to leave those hard-to-wash items fresh and clean once again!
I collected up a few of the boys’ favourite stuffies and our brand new friendly elephant that the good people at Maytag had sent to us and got ready to sanitize. The cycle took just over an hour to complete and I was actually rather impressed that sanitizing the animals was such a quick job. Benjamin, despite numerous promises that the animals would soon be back in his arms, was heartbroken and spent the next hour mourning the loss of his animal friends.
But soon enough the stuffies were out of the dryer and back in my boys’ arms! And what did Zackary and Benjamin think of the process? Here’s what they had to say!
And while for the boys, the fresh and clean smell was the most noticeable change in some of their favourite stuffies, I have to admit that what I was most pleased about was knowing that all those other animals my boys loved most were clean and germ-free too. Benjamin may not have been happy about losing Baby Owl and Bunny for that hour, but considering the places he takes those animals, I certainly appreciate knowing that the bacteria and allergens have been removed from his favourite friends!
A stuffed animal can be almost like a member of the family to a child and Maytag understands that! That’s why the company wants to know about your child’s stuffies too! Maytag Canada is very generously offering one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader a KitchenAid 4 Speed Stand Blender worth $130 and all you have to do to enter is leave a blog comment about your child’s favourite stuffed animal friend!
I am in love with the Sanitize Cycle on the Maytag Maxima XL dryer and I actually have used it a few more times since refreshing the boys’ stuffed animals. The cycle worked wonders on a musty blanket I keep on the basement couch and left the pillows on the boys’ beds smelling brand new! Having this feature on the dryer is just one more way that the Maytag Maxima XL Steam Laundry Pair is changing laundry from a chore into a pleasure!
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purple teddy from her bf
My daughter has a pig she calls Piggy Piggy, she’s not necessarily attached to it but she notices when Piggy Piggy is having a bath ( in the washing machine)
My daughter has a little giraffe she carries everywhere–it doesn’t have a name–she just calls it her baby giraffe!
Both my daughters have a favorite stuffy, My oldest has a dopey donkey she keeps with her or in her room and my second youngest has a baby lion that if she does not have at bed time there is no bed time. I agree 100% they get dragged everywhere and get pretty dirty. I will have to look into the maytag steam washer. We have one more infant to pick a special stuffy friend!
She was just given a rather large stuffed lion from South Africa. This is from her dad’s uncle who lives in South Africa and reunited with his family after 20 years! Emily enjoyed meeting him, and loves the lion.
my oldests favorite is a stuffed monkey, that makes monkey noises (although, he has somewhat lost interest now that he is almost 6. However, from 14 months or so until 4 he never left it’s side….)
My daughter’s favourite stuffed animal is a plush Mario! Her brother has the same one, and she insisted she needed one too (in typical little sister fashion). Now she sleeps with it every night and has a firm grip on it while sleeping lol.
My 10 year old favorite stuffie (still!) is one she calls Sleepy Bear but it is an elephant. We don’t mention that though. She has had Sleepy Bear since she was born! Sleepy Bear needs a spin in the Sanitize Cycle!
My daughter’s favourite is a stuffed bunny she got from my mom & step father as part of an easter gift. The thing is raggedy.. but she loves it!
Sara’s favourite stuffed animal was ET…one was given to her by a friend of my Mum’s. They both worked together at the school that Sara went to at the time.