Hi, I'm a Bratz collector and a Barbie collector but I'm more so a Bratz collector by heart. Anyways what's been going on is that my Bratz dolls keep getting this weird dark color on them. I will admit I play with them every day and sometimes I even wash them up from time to time. I thought that my natural oils from my fingertips ( from touching them every day) might be the problem...or the clothes that they are wearing. Because the dolls that don't get played with (which is on display ) aren't as dirty as these you see in the picture. The ones in the picture get played with VERY frequently.
I've tried acetone, great value concentrated bleach, iso alcohol pads, makeup wipes from the dollar store. Nothing worked, this is my first time reaching out to this community so I hope you guys can help provide a solution. Also, I will note that on the other side of her arm it seems to be lighter which is strange and I also use black rubber bands to secure their heads. I was also thinking that with the black rubber band on their neck (it might be the reason for their discoloration so quickly) but I've played with that Kelly doll and she doesn't have a black rubber band around her neck. Or I even considered because they've been wet before and the wetness might be the problem. But that wasn't it either.
At this point I don't know what to do. How can I get rid of the dark spots on their rubber and prevent it? I ordered these dolls from mercari and they're old and people have had them longer than me and they weren't dark in the arms when they were brought. So there must be something I'm doing wrong. I need help maintaining them. Also, even my little sisters play with their dolls and that hasn't gotten as dirty! On another note, their noses start to turn dark then it starts with their face then moves onto their hands.. for the Barbie Kelly dolls and non-flexible Bratz dolls. And for the flexible 2010 Bratz dolls and Bratz boys (such as the one in the picture with the black arm and the one with the blue eyes), their nose and face get dark then their WHOLE arm gets dark along with the legs. So confused, please help. Any questions about them I will answer! To be clear, it takes 3 months for them to get dark.
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Inexpensive plastic and vinyl change color over time as their composition (including toxic polyvinyl chloride and phthalates) degrade. UV light and high temperatures may accelerate this, but generally there is nothing you can do to reverse the process.
Bratz dolls are made of two types of vinyl: hard vinyl for the head and body with softer, bendable vinyl for the arms and legs.
I think you have the same problem as in this question www.thriftyfun.com/
Sometimes vinyl parts of dolls begin to become covered with black spots or completely blackened. It is very difficult to answer the question of why this is happening. Perhaps this depends on the composition of the vinyl or how thoroughly the vinyl components were mixed before making the casting. Perhaps the reason is the dyes. Some dyes oxidize over time in air, and in these places the doll turns black.
Test the following method on one of the darkened parts of your dolls. If everything goes well, then use this method for other darkened parts of your dolls.
1. Buy a cream containing 10% benzoyl peroxide - for example OXY10. If the concentration of benzoyl peroxide in the cream is less, the process will be slower.
2. If possible, separate the darkened vinyl part.
3. Moisturize the darkened vinyl part.
4. Apply cream to all black areas.
5. Wrap the vinyl part smeared with cream in plastic wrap and put it in a warm place, for example, near a warm heater (not hot).
6. Repeat the steps 3-5 every day or every other day. Wet, spread cream, cover with a film, put in warm place. Do all this until the vinyl brightens.
You have wonderful dolls. I hope this method will help you and you get rid of this black color.
Thank you so much for the tips. I will try them and post all my data here. Also, I wanted to ask, since they have face paint on their face ( such as their eyes, eyebrows, and lips ) will it slowly fade away during or after the treatment?
I noticed that your dolls have painted faces. No, I don't think the paint will slowly fade away. Benzoyl peroxide can discolor hair, colored fabrics, eyelashes on dolls (I mean not painted eyelashes). Take a look at the pictures in this question www.thriftyfun.com/
There is not much you can do about this and its not your fault. As the plastic and rubber age, they get darker.
I do not see where you are doing any thing wrong. The less expensive plastics and vinyl do tend to get darker with time.
Try contacting the doll manufacturers, tell them what you've said here, and see if they have any answers as to why they are changing color, and if there is a way to safely get them back to normal.
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