Why squishies break
Squishies are made of soft foam or of a stretchy filling inside a thin skin. That material is soft on purpose, because otherwise squeezing it would not feel good at all. The downside is that it tears as soon as you stretch it too far or put too much pressure on one spot.
Most squishies that break do so in the same three ways. All three are easy to avoid.
1. Never fold it in half
This is the big one. When you fold a squishy in half, all the tension ends up on a single crease. First a white line appears there, and after that a tear. Squeeze it with your whole hand instead, so the pressure spreads out.
2. Do not stretch it to the limit
Stretchy squishies can take quite a lot, but not everything. Once the material turns see-through and feels thin, you have reached the limit. Let go at that point and give it a moment to pull back into shape.
This matters even more for slow rise foam. That material is the softest of them all, which also makes it the most fragile.
3. Keep sharp nails out of it
Long nails or a ring will make a hole in the outer layer in no time. On a filled squishy that is the end of it straight away, because the filling leaks out. Squeeze with your fingertips rather than your nails.
Storing it: dry and out of the sun
Direct sunlight fades the colours and makes the material harder and more brittle. A squishy that sits on the windowsill for months bounces back noticeably worse than one from a drawer.
Heat is a bad idea for the same reason, so do not leave it in a warm car.
My squishy is sticky, now what?
Stickiness almost always comes from dust and grease settling on the surface. Wipe it down gently with a slightly damp cloth and then let it air dry completely. Do not use soap or cleaning products, because those attack the material.
If it stays sticky, the outer layer has been damaged and sadly there is no way back from that.
It does not bounce back anymore
With slow rise foam the material can lose its spring after a lot of use. Leave it alone for a day without squeezing it and it often comes back into shape after all. If that does not help, it has had its run.
The short version
- Squeeze with your whole hand, not with your nails
- Never fold it in half
- Do not stretch it all the way to the limit
- Store it dry, cool and out of direct sunlight
- Clean it with a damp cloth only, no soap
Looking for a new one? Browse all squishies, or go straight to the butter squishies.
Tip: bewaar je squishies in een la of doosje in plaats van op je bureau. Uit het zonlicht blijven de kleuren jarenlang goed.
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