Porcelain Doll Collection

Although, to many people, porcelain dolls can be some of the scariest dolls that one can cross paths with, you will find that there are so many other people that find porcelain dolls beautiful and near one of a kind.

For those people who like to collect porcelain dolls, typically take great care in cleaning and storing the dolls that are in their collection so that the dolls are kept in mint, near mint, or at least some form of high quality condition.

Many collectors spend great amounts of time hunting for the perfect dolls to add to their collection, so that they can spend little and potentially make more, but this is not the only means of keeping a doll collection. You want to make sure that you not only make smart buys, but that you properly care for the dolls. There are a number of different tips and techniques that you can try out when caring for and cleaning your porcelain doll collection.

When keeping a collection of porcelain dolls, whether your collection consists of just one or two dolls or an entire room of dolls, you should make sure that you know how you can keep them clean.

The last thing that you want to do is ruin your dolls by improperly cleaning them. You can try out a few simple cleaning techniques to make sure that your porcelain dolls are kept in proper care and condition.

1. When removing loose dust, you can use a hair dryer set on low to gently remove dirt and debris. You can also use a can of compressed air, such as what you would use to clean your keyboard with, to remove dust, dirt, and debris from the doll's hair, clothes, and small crevices.
2. You can remove marks and smudges by using a wet eraser. Just be careful not to remove any of the paint on the doll's face, as the lips, eyes, and cheek blush is painted on.
3. If you would rather not use a wet eraser to remove noticeable dust or dirt from any porcelain areas on the doll, you can mix water and a mild detergent (such as what you would use for delicate clothing) or dish soap to use as a cleaner. Dampen a Q-tip or cotton ball with the solution and in a circular motion, slowly go over the porcelain to gently rub over any dirt.

Make sure that when cleaning your porcelain dolls that you never use any cleaning solution that contains bleach or bleaching solutions, as it can harm the finish on the doll.

Tip: Make sure that when cleaning your porcelain dolls, you never get the glue around the doll's wig wet because the wig may loosen and fall off.

When keeping a porcelain doll collection, you will find that the easiest method to keeping your dolls clean and in high quality condition is by proper storing techniques.

By making sure that your dolls are kept in proper storage and display cases, you will not have to clean your porcelain dolls as often because you will be able to prevent dirt, dust, and debris from falling on the dolls.

A few tips towards how to store your porcelain dolls can include:

• Make sure that you keep your dolls housed out of direct sunlight because the UV rays from the sun can be harmful to the dolls. The UV rays can fade the doll's clothing, as well as discolor and yellow the doll, itself.
• You can reduce dust by keeping the dolls in their original boxes, but if you have a doll or two out of the box, you can invest in glass cases to house the dolls.
• By keeping the dolls in their original boxes, you can also further protect them from damage from artificial lighting as well as UV rays.
• Make sure that you keep the dolls away from pets, whether that be a cat who can knock over the dolls when climbing around shelves, dogs who may think they are new toys, or even small animal pets who may get close enough to nibble the doll's clothes.
• If you have any porcelain dolls with googly eyes, you'll want to store them face down because it will help to preserve the unique feature of movable eyes, especially in older dolls.

When looking to add more porcelain dolls to your collection, there are a number of places that you can check for the best deals. Just remember that it is always better to shop around than it is to jump at the first doll that you see. If you think that one day you would like to sell your collection, you will want to make sure that you buy your porcelain dolls at the best price possible, so definitely shop around and negotiate if you can.

Also, remember that there are a large and varied assortment of porcelain dolls that you can potentially collect, so it can be a good idea to stick with one or two styles because you can quickly become overwhelmed with all the different ages, sizes, eras and ethnic varieties that are available.

When looking to purchase new porcelain dolls for your collection, you may want to check out some of the following sources so that you can find the best deals on exactly what you are looking for.

• eBay auctions
• Flea markets
• Yard sales
• Collectors websites
• Conventions

You will find that you can find both rare and unusual porcelain dolls as long as you just look around. You will probably have to sift through many of the mass production dolls until you do find what you are looking for, but with a little looking and some luck, you will find vintage and limited edition dolls for prices lower than you would expect.