Green stains from nowhere?

Hi all,

 

My DD Lucy, Mei, is on an Obitsu 50cm body bought last month from JunkySpot. I am very careful about not having her wear fabrics that I have not stain tested yet. Most of the time she wears a halfsleeve shirt which is stainsafe. Today, however, I noticed green stains (a faint, grey-green color) all down her left arm--both well away from the ahirt fabric and under the shoulder where the sleeve won't have rolled up. They are splotchy and don't look like they follow any sort of pattern (like a seam on clothing). I'm going to buy replacement pieces but I was wondering if anyone has an idea what causes this? I don't want it to ever happen again.

1) do stain-treatments not work on Obitsu the way we do to DDs?

 

2) possibly odd question, but was she on display somewhere near an air vent or heater. Like, I know this sounds ridiculous but sometimes it's the environment. (dumb example: had my girl standing kinda close to where the steam from the electric kettle kept going, and she got funny light stains. Only the side facing the steam...)

Stain treatments used on Dollfie Dreams can be used on Obitsus in the same manner. Their vinyl formulations might vary slightly but they are basically made of the same material.

 

Without seeing it I'd wonder if the discoloration you're seeing might be a microorganism of some kind. Try washing the parts with a liquid detergent or Formula 9-1-1. Scrub a little with a Magic Eraser if necessary. If the discoloration persists, try treating with Remove-Zit.

Be wary of cleaning vinyl with various household cleaners and chemicals. Many of these can have an adverse effect on vinyl. The cleaners from Twin Pines (Formula 9-1-1, Remove-Zit, etc.) have been specifically engineered to be used on vinyl dolls and action figures and are generally safe when used as directed. Remove-Zit should be kept away from the hard plastic parts of your doll.

It's possible you touched something that transferred dye to your hands (you wont see it on your hands) and then to the vinyl when you touched it. See this video (

you can skip to around 10 min if you don't have much time), the dress stains the doll after moments, but there are stain marks from her fingers too, from touching the dress, then the doll.

Thanks all for your replies!

 

Chise, she was actually displayed pretty near and somewhat above (off to the right of) my electric kettle O__O so that's very helpful to know as a potential cause. Maybe the water around here is weird...

 

Yukamina, transfer from my hands is also a possibility--the stains under the sleeve make me think it's less likely in this case but it's good to keep in mind in general. I'll make sure to always wash my hands directly before handling her.

 

K-2, thank you so much for explaining about destaining on Obitsu. I was actually afraid it is some microorganism--even though it doesn't really look like it--largely because I have a sort of horror of molds and the like. This is partially also why my mind jumped straight to replacements.But I will try the things you suggested, thank you again.

K-2, thank you so much for explaining about destaining on Obitsu. I was actually afraid it is some microorganism--even though it doesn't really look like it--largely because I have a sort of horror of molds and the like. This is partially also why my mind jumped straight to replacements.But I will try the things you suggested, thank you again.

Mold spores can be transmitted through the air so that could explain the "stains out of nowhere". And unfortunately our vinyl friends contain a lot of things that molds like. If these stains clean off with detergent and then return later, then it probably is a mold of some kind and should then be treated with Remove-Zit to get the parts of the spores that are embedded in the vinyl.

 

I can't push the Twin Pines products enough. These products were engineered by Nicholas J. Hill, a patent holding chemist specifically to be used on vinyl dolls and action figures. They do not contain some of the other unnecessary chemicals you might find in home remedies.

The Twin Pines site is worth a good look. There are a lot of answers to common problems to be found there. Also seriously consider picking up a copy of Mr. Hill's book, The Definitive Book on the Care and Preservation of Vinyl Dolls and Action Figures. This book contains everything you might want to know about vinyl, from it's early history to its composition to what to do when things go wrong. The information therein has been thoroughly researched and can be trusted, unlike a lot of, "I heard that..." stories you may see. This book is my bible when it comes to vinyl.

http://www.twinpines.com/