…With a misleading title. lol. Today I was asked a question: (quoted with permission)
I definitely have some experience there, but let’s start at the beginning and explore just what a Tbleague body is capable of handling.
Back in late 2019 or early 2020 I bought my first Tbleague doll off of Amazon, a rare tanned elf HS (now Saffee’s head) and a pale S16A body (now Evey’s body). Oops! I also picked up a 1/12 who has had similar experiences to the 1/6, but I’ll focus on the 1/6. At this point in my life I was totally unaware of doll communities such as this; I’d picked them up to try making some kinky content after being inspired by someone else doing it. That kink is Wet and Messy (also referred to as WAM or Sploshing). This can include anything from water to gunge, foodstuffs, or my personal favorite, mud.
I put these poor dolls through it all! Cake:
Slime from old pasta water:
Chocolate:
And of course mud!
Getting dirty leads to a need to get clean but they don’t cover anything like this in the Tbleague manual! In fact, they don’t tell you much at all about how to properly clean and care for them. I guess they may not have foreseen someone like myself! Unfortunately I don’t have a copy of the pamphlet handy but I don’t even think they say that the dolls are made of a TPE. I didn’t think much of it and assumed she was made out of some sort of rubber or silicone and would simply take her in the shower with me and use shampoo on her to get her cleaned up. That was it. No proper soap, no knowledge of powder, no special precautions to keep water or anything else from getting inside her skin and around her skeleton.
I did a number of shoots like this, the last one I can find is dated mid 2021. Then she sat in a box. I don’t recall exactly when I took her back out but she sat for 1.5 to 2 years before I got into dolls with Arachne.
I told you that story to tell you this one: Tbleague bodies are tough! However if you neglect them like I unknowingly did they will show some wear. I have no doubt that some water at the very least got into her skeleton and rust might be a concern. Evey’s skeleton is stiffer to move than any of the bodies I’ve purchased since, but she’s still just as poseable as any other. Something is causing her to stick but it’s no big deal. She’s loosened up over the last year again and isn’t that bad anymore. The more noticeable wear is her skin. On her back was a couple cracks in the TPE and she’s showing some stretching in her armpits and to a lesser extent her crotch. Keep in mind that I have no idea what is in that shampoo and how it might react to TPE! I also had no knowledge of oiling or any other proper care. It is hypothesized that the multiple cleanings I gave her washed the oil out of the TPE over time and it started to dry out. Applying oil made them far less noticeable.
Conclusion: What do I do now?
After getting into dolls and minis and talking with others I have learned a few things. First off, the reason there’s no instructions from Tbleague on cleaning and oiling is because these dolls are meant to be maintenance free. They are a TPE compound but they’re denser than what you’re likely to find on a full sized doll.
Now when I get a doll dirty I’ll still take her in the shower to get her clean if that’s necessary or clean her in the sink and use a proper moisturizing soap. (I have had no problems with shampoo on the head sculpts. All of mine are vinyl to my knowledge but I am aware there are resin ones out there too) I’ll put them out to dry, typically in a pose that keeps all of the TPE skin off of the surface they’re on, using their hands, feet, or the exposed balls as the contact points instead. They are likely to be very susceptible to getting dirty again at this point as they will likely feel sticky. DO NOT DRY THEM WITH A TOWEL unless you enjoy fuzz on your doll! Once they have air dried I will apply some light oil but I’m not convinced that this is needed every time. The more you clean or get your doll wet the more likely you need to oil her. If you’re only washing some dust and dirt off her because she fell while posing outside, you’re probably fine. As is typically described in TPE cleaning guides I leave a thin layer of oil on the doll for 12-24 hours before powdering her. Now she’ll be soft and smooth again!
At the end of the day, I don’t worry too much about my bodies. Not only are they tough enough to take all the abuse you’re likely to give them and plenty more, when the day comes that they do wear out they’re relatively cheap to replace. Have fun with your dolls! Let them walk across that mucky area! They can rinse their feet off when they get to the water…
Anything can be an adventure when you’re only a foot tall!
