Stain remover info from member ActionTony

[Ray (Flock Man)]

I have quite a few Joe heads that are set in dirt stained. I’ve tried dish soap, fantastick,
Dial, arm & Hammer bathroom cleaner, Pine sol, glycerin soap and even though most of it is clean the stains are still there. Now, I’m not talking about the bluish dye/mold/ink stains that we all see on our Joe heads. I’m talking about dirt I’ve removed the hair and beards and you can see how clean it is underneath so it’s really ground in. Maybe a solvent type cleaner, but I don’t want to us acetone because on these heads the paint is pretty good. I ask it here because I’ve left a few messages to my friend the restoration guy, but he’s in Florida until late spring and always impossible to get hold off this time of year. Any suggestions that won’t ruin these heads?
Ray

Ray,
I would try zit cream like oxy cream. It may take a few tries, but it gets in there good.
Tony

I tried this and it worked perfect!
Thanks tony
Ray

[shazones]

zit cream ray well im going to try it now not that iv got zits

[Ray (Flock Man)]

Just know it can take a week or so to work on some stains.

[zimboden]

Saw this post. There is a pretty good book on doll restoration: The Definitive Guide on the Care & Restoration of Vinyl Dolls & Action Figures, by Nicholas J. Hill.
They make a product called Remove-Zit that is specifically designed to remove stains from vinyl dolls, e.g. G.I. Joes. They also make a general cleaner called 911. Both are formulated not to leave any residual chemical that could damage the vinyl long term. It is possible to clean a doll and a few months later have the cleaner start to dry out or break down the vinyl polymers. Be careful.
Twin Pines of Maine: www.twinpines.com/