Have you ever dropped your beloved Minnie ears in a dirty spot? Ever felt like it was time to clean that pair of ears you wear on every visit to Disney World? (It IS hot and sweaty there and those headbands are sure to get a bit…funky with time, right?)

Betcha didn’t know that, according to Disney, you can actually WASH your ears! We’re breaking it down step-by-step to show you how (safely) to wash your ears. 

As you probably know, Minnie ears (like most Disney merchandise) are NOT cheap, so you may be a little hesitant to get them anywhere near water! But color us surprised when we were admiring a newly purchased pair of the EARidescent Ears and saw WASHING instructions! 

Keep in mind that for some special pairs of ears it might be better to clean them off with wet wipes or a soapy rag instead! Now let’s get washing!

1. The Spot-Clean Method

First, let’s talk about the older Minnie ears. Most ears have a small tag that says, “surface washable only.” If you cut the tag off your ears, it’s probably better to err on the side of caution and avoid the washing machine if you don’t know for sure. Based on what we noticed, almost every pair of ears we own said “surface washable only” on the tag. 

For ears with a tag that says “surface washable only,” we recommend using a gentle cleaning approach. If you are trying to clean a pair of plastic ears like these, for example, you can use a wet wipe! 

If you need to clean a pair of fabric ears, use a soapy cloth to spot-clean the area! 

Some Minnie ears have light-up features, like the new 50th Anniversary ears, so you’ll want to be careful not to ruin the battery/charging port! 

We found that it was best to work in small sections so that the water doesn’t soak all over the place.

2. The Washing Machine Method

Interestingly, the ears that caught our attention with this were purchased on shopDisney, not in the parks. The ears in the park have the same smaller tags as above, but the shopDisney ears come with a LONG (Seriously, it’s like 6 inches long. WHY?!) new tag specifically labeled as shopDisney on them. If you look closely, that tag has instructions for washing your ears in a washing machine! That’s right, you can put these in the washer!

For the sake of demonstration, we used an older pair of ears. Technically, these ears say “surface washable only” on the tag, but we decided to follow the instructions on the new tag to see how it works (since these are basically the same style ears covered in sequins)! First, we decided to put our ears in a mesh wash bag (AKA a lingerie bag) so that the ears didn’t rattle around in our washing machine.

Then, we followed the directions on the long tag! Per the official instructions, we set our washing machine to the gentle cycle and used cold water with detergent (we used a Tide Pod). Keep in mind the tag also warns against using bleach, squeezing, and ironing/dry cleaning your ears. (Seriously, who is ironing their Minnie Ears?!) So don’t do those things, obviously.

The new tags also say that you can tumble dry your ears on low, but after our ears were done in the washer, we found it best to let them air dry. It’s totally up to you, though!

As we mentioned earlier, these older ears do NOT feature the new washing machine instructions, but the process of washing these ears in our machine was still a success! If you want to clean an older pair of ears in your washing machine, make sure the ears don’t have any plastic elements or electrical wires! When in doubt, be as gentle as possible or just avoid machine washing completely if you’re uncomfortable.

And just like that, your ears will be squeaky clean! Our ears definitely felt a bit cleaner (and smelled nicer!) with no ill effect. Again just remember to use your best judgment with this if you try it! We hope this little tutorial helps you out! Now, if you happen to buy a pair of pre-owned ears or want to give your old ears a little bath, you’ll know exactly what to do. In the meantime, stay tuned for more Disney news, tutorials, and updates!

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Have you ever tried to clean a pair of Minnie ears? Let us know in the comments!

The post TUTORIAL: Did You Know You Can WASH Disney Ears?! Here’s How. first appeared on the disney food blog.