Storing Without the Hassle

Stop – before you put your little girl's Littlest Pet Shop stuff in the donation box, know that many of those little pets and play sets are valuable. Right now, the pets that were manufactured in the early 2000s are hot, and the market is somewhat flooded with them, but as the years go by, the pets are getting harder to find. If you're not sure that your daughter is done with them forever, or you want to hold onto them for a few more years as the value continues to grow, it's important that you pack them up and store them properly to protect them from damage. Here's how.

Clean the Pets and Houses

You must clean the pets and houses before you store them for an extended period of time. Failure to do so will result in discoloration and a decrease in value.

Do NOT submerge Littlest Pet Shop pets in water. Inside their heads are small metal rings. When you submerge the pets in water, their little heads fill up with water, causing that ring to rust and possibly develop mold inside the head. Instead, use a good disinfecting cleaning solution and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to get them clean. Just be careful with the Eraser around the eyes. Sometimes, the eyes can rub off with the Eraser. Once they are clean, set them in the sun for a few hours to make sure they are fully dry before packing them up.

To clean the houses, you can use the same cleaning items as you did the pets, but you may need some cotton swabs and toothpicks to help get in the smaller areas. Be careful not to damage the stickers as you get the houses cleaned.

Pack the Pets and Houses

Don't store the pets inside plastic bags. This could cause any moisture left in them to grow mold. Instead, small cloth sacks are best. You can use pillow cases or tube socks if you don't have any cloth bags around.

When boxing the houses, slide a sheet of cardboard between each house so that they don't bang off of each other as the box is moving around. The plastic used to build these sets can get relatively fragile over the years, so that layer of protection is a must.

Store the Pets and Houses

Find a space that is cool and dry to store them. High and cold temperatures will cause the plastic and rubber to become discolored and fragile. If you don't have a space in your home that will keep them cool and dry, consider renting a small storage unit for these boxes, as well as other collectible items you need to store.

Your daughter's Littlest Pet Shop collection has given her many hours of pure joy – holding onto them for the future could be good for both of you as the value grows. To learn more about storage, visit sites like http://www.atozstorage.net.