How to Care for Your 3D Printed Toys

Our prints are made to be handled. The flexi animals are meant to be bent, the clickers are meant to be clicked, and the keychains are meant to live in a pocket. Still, a few small habits will keep them looking good for years.

Almost everything we make is printed in PLA, so most of this comes down to understanding that one material.

Heat is the real enemy

This is the big one, especially in Texas. PLA softens at temperatures a parked car reaches easily in July. A print left on a dashboard or a back seat can warp or droop, and once it does, there is no undoing it.

Keep prints out of hot cars and out of direct summer sun. A shelf near a west facing window gets hotter than people expect. That is genuinely the single most useful thing on this page.

Let flexi toys bend the way they were built to

Articulated pieces like our crab and piranha have joints designed to move through a specific range. Work them the way they want to go and they will keep flexing for a long time. Force a joint sideways or past its stop and it can snap.

Same goes for tentacles, tails, and anything thin. They are sturdier than they look, but they are not steel.

Cleaning

Dust with a dry cloth. If something needs more, use cool water and a little mild soap, then let it air dry fully.

Skip the dishwasher and skip hot water. Both combine heat and moisture, which is the worst thing you can do to a PLA print. Avoid solvents and harsh cleaners too, since they can dull or cloud the surface.

What normal wear looks like

Layer lines are not flaws. They are how the piece was made, and part of what makes a printed object look printed. Slight color variation between batches happens too, because filament changes a little from spool to spool.

Breakage from drops, rough play, an enthusiastic dog, or a determined toddler is normal toy life rather than a defect. Our refund policy covers where we draw that line, and it is worth a read before you buy.

A note for the little ones

Many of our prints contain small parts and are not suitable for children under 3.

If something arrives wrong

Damage in shipping or the wrong item entirely is on us. Email info@geauxprints.com within 7 days with your order number and a photo, and we will make it right. You are emailing a family, not a returns department.