How do you clean a stuffed toy, the furry/hairy kind without ruining its softness or furry texture?

This is a white polar bear stuffed toy. It's the regular kind of soft, hairy stuffed toy. I want to wash it. I tried to see what washing will do so I tried to wet the ears part, the fur got all curly and seemed to stick together. I have a lot more of these to clean. Any kind of suggestions would help. Thanks!|||I've washed lotsa stuffed animals, and usually I wash them in cool water on the gentle/hand wash cycle with mild soap like Dreft, you can use a fabric softener if you like, but whatever you do DO NOT STICK THEM IN THE DRYER. The dryer makes them frizzy, and ruins the texture of their fur. Just let them dry naturally, and gently brush them out after they've dried. Good luck.|||Washing it, The same thing you did but use cold water. don't ever use hot water it ruins it soft texture, then after washing DON'T put it on the dryer that will cause it texture to stick together, Anyways, Let it dry on it's own, don't forget to put detergent.|||If the fur gets messed up, use a wire brush lon the stuffed animal ike you'd use to brush a cat or dog's fur.|||I wash my daughters stuffed animals on a gentle cycle in a lingerie bag (you can buy them at walmart, target lots of places. they come in different sizes) then dry on a fluff cycle w/ dryer sheets and a tennis ball (this helps keep the fluffing inside from bunching in a particular area.) HTH|||Get a plastic bag big enough to accomodate the toy. Put it in the bag. add about a cup of salt, close up the bag and shake. This trick works great on silk foliage/greenery, and I'll bet it works for plush toys, too. Good luck to you!