How to Clean Squishies Without Ruining Them: The Complete Care Guide

Squishies get dusty, sticky and sometimes smelly. The catch: the wrong cleaning method destroys the very squish you love. Here is how to clean each material safely, and what to never do.

A squishy is a tactile thing — it rides in bags, sits on desks, hides under pillows, and occasionally hits the floor. So it gets dirty. The good news: most squishies clean up well. The bad news: scented PU foam, the most common slow-rise material, is unforgiving if you soak it. This guide splits cleaning by material so you never have to guess.

The 10-second version

• Silicone & TPR mochi: hand-wash with mild soap and water, rinse, air-dry. They are non-porous and happy.
• Scented PU foam: surface-only. Damp cloth plus a tiny bit of soap, never submerged, never machined.
• Never: washing machines, dishwashers, direct sun, hair dryers, or dunking foam in water.

Clean by material

Silicone (easiest)

Food-grade silicone is non-porous, so it shrugs off grime. Our Bunny animals are a typical example. Wash with warm water and a drop of dish soap, rub gently, rinse, and pat dry. Silicone even takes a soft toothbrush for crevices.

TPR / mochi (easy)

Mochi elastomer is also washable. The same warm-soapy routine works; just do not stretch it while wet.

Scented PU foam (handle with care)

This is where people go wrong. Foam is open-celled and drinks water. To clean it: mix a little mild soap with water, dampen a microfiber cloth (not dripping), wipe the surface, then immediately wipe with a clean damp cloth to lift the soap, and air-dry in shade. A Toast is a good slow-rise example to practice on.

For why material choice also drives durability, see our 1,000-squeeze material test.

Removing stains & smells

• Surface dirt: the damp-cloth method above handles most of it.
• Ink or sticky residue: a dab of rubbing alcohol on a cloth, blotted (never poured), then a soap-and-water pass. Test on a hidden spot first.
• Musty smell: if foam smells off (not its normal fruity scent), it likely got wet inside. Air-dry in shade 24–48h. If it persists, retire it — trapped moisture is the real risk, covered in our safety guide.

Mistakes that ruin squishies

Drying & storing

After any cleaning, dry in shade with airflow — a mesh bag or open shelf, never a sealed box while damp. For display pieces, a clear acrylic case keeps dust off so you clean less often. Rotate desk pieces so one is not compressed daily; our durability test showed foam fatigues under repeat pressure.