Question from a reader: 

How do I get the mildew smell out of a stuffed animal toy? 
 

Any ideas? 

Hubbie's grandmother used to disinfect her kids' stuffed animals by spraying Lysol liberally over them, then tossing them in the dryer on high heat.

If that doesn't work, I'd suspect the mildew was coming from the inner stuffing, and I'd discard the toy.

slk2042:

Hubbie's grandmother used to disinfect her kids' stuffed animals by spraying Lysol liberally over them, then tossing them in the dryer on high heat.

slk2042:

If that doesn't work, I'd suspect the mildew was coming from the inner stuffing, and I'd discard the toy.

 Depends upon the age of the child.  I sure wouldn't spray Lysol all over a toy a young child may mouth.  My first choice would be to remove old stuffing, hand wash exterior, restuff with new stuffing.

Kids w/ allergies here. I wash in the machine, all stuffed toys. NOt an issue. COme out fine. HTH

CTMOMto4:

Kids w/ allergies her

 Here too and I do the same as you. If it can't be tossed in the wash then it goes to the trash.

 I wash and dry in dryer. If it ruin it, then I toss it. Add some vinegar to the wash. Babs

If the toys are washable, you might try soaking them in Oxyclean for an hour or two and then laundering.  I find that Oxyclean does remove objectionable smells from clothing.