Hints 'n' Tips

Finger bandage, as sold by chemists, makes wonderful quick and easy socks for your dolls. Just snip off the required length and stitch the foot seam.
Old socks, especially in bright colours, can be made into attractive shorts, skirts or jumpers for small dolls - just cut a section from the top and sew, hem, or make two holes for arms, as necessary.
Ballpoint ink marks on vinyl dolls can be removed by an application of Oxy-10 cream (from chemists). Leave the cream on the ink mark for a week, then rinse off. Bad stains might need two applications. (Note - it's worked on our dolls, but we can take no responsibility for its performance on yours! If in doubt, try in an obscure place first.)
A light smear of baby oil rubbed over a vinyl doll imparts a good as new shine.
It's often cheaper to buy baby shoes, to fit your large dolls, from a cheap 'saver- type' shop, rather than buy the equivalent size doll shoes.
If you buy new dolls, always keep the packaging and any advertising leaflets. In years to come, they will greatly add to the dolls' value.
Small-size baby clothes are perfect for many dolls, and can often be obtained cheaply from boot sales. Of course, if the doll is very special, you could buy a brand new, really pretty outfit from a babywear shop.
If a vinyl doll is grimy, try using a mild all-purpose household liquid cleanser. Put it on the doll neat, work in one area at a time, and rinse well before starting on the next area. Try to avoid immersing vinyl dolls in water, because the water stays inside the body often for weeks, and can cause deterioration of the vinyl. Never store dolls in plastic bags - it makes the vinyl sweat. Also, make sure that dolls on shelves aren't touching painted walls. Over a period of time the paint can make marks on the dolls.
Store sleep-eyed dolls face-down, so that the eyes remain open. If you store them on their backs, the eyes might stick closed.
Lots of dolls nowadays are battery operated, but never leave a battery inside the doll. It might leak and ruin the mechanism.
New ribbon often looks wrong on older dolls - try ageing it by rinsing it in warm water then drying it in the sun.
Cold tea or weak coffee will age white muslin or cotton, turning it beige. It also works on dolls' socks.
To re-beautify tangled hair on a vinyl doll, try shampooing the hair with a mild baby shampoo, then use a good conditioner. Rinse the conditioner out, towel dry the hair, then begin to comb it, section by section, using a wide-toothed comb and starting at the roots. Use a tail comb to gently tease apart the tangles. It can be a long, tedious job, but the results are worth it - and a final, very light application of baby oil will restore a gloss and help hold down the flyaway bits.
It's a good idea to photograph all of your dolls, and to label the photos with details of make, size etc - not only will you have a record of your collection, it will be much easier to make an insurance claim in the unfortunate event of theft, fire or accidental damage.
List all your doll purchases in a notebook, including a description, the date purchased, where purchased, and what you paid. Not only is this useful for insurance purposes, it means that you have an instant record of your collection.
Many people keep track of their collection by using tie-on labels around their dolls' wrists, to record the make, date, mark, and any other relevant details. This means that you don't have to pick up the doll to search for her mark.
Miniature print fabric can often be bought from craft shops which specialise in patchwork supplies, and are ideal for small dolls, as often a 'normal' size patterned material can seem out of proportion.
Look round flea markets for broken jewellery and odd earrings - they make excellent brooches, bracelets, hair-ornaments and necklets for dolls.
Never store dolls in plastic carrier bags, use paper bags, card boxes or wicker baskets. Not only can plastic cause dolls - especially vinyl ones - to sweat, the colour can come off the bag and stain the doll. Beware, too, of letting vinyl or plastic dolls rest against a painted wall - the paint often reacts with the plastic and seeps into the doll.

Please note that if you try any of these 'Hints 'n' Tips' you do so at your own risk. Just because it worked for us does not mean that it will work for you. If in doubt, don't use any chemical substances on your doll.