South Orange-Maplewood Students Receive 'Teddy Bear Repair'

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - Elementary schoolers in South Orange were reunited with their beloved stuffed animals following a week of repairs and cleaning for their stuffed friends, courtesy of Lysol.

As part of its Teddy Repair initiative, Lysol collected the children’s tattered stuffed animals at Montrose Early Childhood Center, and professionally repaired and sanitized them. According to officials, while the children were sad to see their stuffed friends go for the week, some have been passed down by parents and grandparents, they were excited to be reunited.

A child’s attachment to their favorite stuffed toy is unwavering and its constant presence in a child’s life can lead to it becoming one of the grossest items in the home. To help protect the special bond that exists between children and their stuffed animals, Lysol launched the Teddy Repair initiative, giving parents the tools they need to fix and sanitize their children’s stuffed friends.

According to officials, Lysol knows that while stuffed animals get extremely gross over time, it can be difficult for parents to clean and sanitize them if they’re tattered and falling apart. Since many children and their stuffed friends are attached at the hip, each stuffed animal that Lysol repairs was be outfitted with a custom RFID-equipped tracking bracelet that allowed parents and their children to track it during every step of the repair process.

To help parents repair and sanitize their children’s stuffed animals at home, Lysol has also partnered with Do-It-Yourself (DIY) expert Mandi Gubler, who will provide tips, tricks and DIY hacks for at-home teddy repair.

“As a mom and DIYer, repairing items around the home is something I do daily, but it takes on added importance when I’m fixing something for my children,” said Mandi Gubler, blogger, DIY expert, and mom. “I’m so excited to be partnering with Lysol on the Teddy Repair initiative to create DIY tips that parents can use to fix and sanitize their children’s stuffed friends.”

At the heart of Teddy Repair is Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, a product that is safe to use on delicate items and kills 99.9 percent of bacteria that regular detergents leave behind. Officials said that contrary to popular belief, washing laundry, and stuffed animals, with regular detergent and cold water does not kill all bacteria, including harmful bacteria that may cause illness like staph infections, meningitis and pneumonia.

“Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is specially designed to kill bacteria and sanitize many of the items that we wear and touch daily, including those that are near and dear to children. Our Teddy Repair initiative will help parents across the country strengthen the bond that children share with their stuffed toys,” said Ferran Rousaud, Lysol Marketing Director. “With the Teddy Repair sweepstakes and DIY tips from Mandi, parents will be empowered to further protect those they love the most.”

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