Replace stuffing on leather-body dolls?
 

Hi out there;

I have recently acquired a pair of older (probably 1910s-1920s) metal-
head dolls with pin-jointed leather (or leather-like) bodies. They are
not in the greatest condition and are leaking the stuffing (which I
think is sawdust) in a few places; it smells kind of funky and I
suspect that it has been mouldy at some point, although it is
perfectly dry now. So I'm thinking of remove the stuffing, cleaning
the bodies a bit, and restuffing.

Questions: 1) any particular reasons why this is or is not a good
idea, and 2) should I use sawdust to restuff, and if so, what kind and
where do I get it? I'm assuming the sweepings from the local Home
Depot aren't the best choice here. :)

Thanks,
JRB