CARE GUIDE
Frequent care is necessary to increase the longevity of your costume!
Keep your suit looking new and smelling fresh!
Equipment
SUITING GEAR & ACCESSORIES
Essential gear:
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Cooling balaclava - Keeps you cool and protect the inside of your fursuit head!
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Cooling sweat wicking active gear - Keeps you cool and protect the inside of your fursuit parts, specifically this is required for fullsuiters.
Highly recommended gear:
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Necklace fan - Specifically one that can fit in your fursuits mouth, great for new suiters!
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Cooling vest - Great for fullsuiting!
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Cooling collar - Great for partialing!
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Travel fan - Fantastic way to cool off post suiting, also great for drying suit parts while at a convention or gathering.
SUPPLIES FOR CLEANING & UPKEEEP
Essentials for upkeep:
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Slicker brush - the key to your fursuit looking nice!
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Portable Sewing Kit - good to have handy for eventual wear and tear.
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70% isopropyl alcohol - for disinfecting between wears.
Essentials for cleaning:
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Little Green Machine
- Slicker brush
- Folex - for spot cleaning, no rinsing required!
- Gentle detergent -
- 70% isopropyl alcohol - this is also great for spot cleaning really tough spots if nothing else works, only use as a last option, double check with us first!
- A large fan
Highly recommended extras:
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Fursuit Spray - keeps your fursuit smelling nice, some can double as disinfectant, but it varies!
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Bristle brush - for gently brushing minky and mochi fabric on your suit.
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"Rechargable" silica bead packets - keeps your fursuit dry while in storage.
FURSUIT CARE TIPS
BRUSHING
Brush your fursuit in the same direction that the fur is going. Be gentle during this process, rough brushing can lead to unwanted balding- faux fur does not grow back and can be difficult to replace!
A bristle brush can be used gently on minky and mochi areas (paw pads, noses, toungues, etc), these areas can look funky with some wear, so be sure to brush them from time to time as well! Brush each part it in the direction that looks best and smoothest!
Brushing your suit regularly will ensure it will look nice throughout its lifespan!
STORAGE
We want to emphasize the importance of making sure your fursuit is completely dry before storing it. Moisture in a dark area can cause mold growth, destroying your expensive costume.
Store your fursuit in a sizable tote that can fit all of your fursuit parts comfortably. We recommend one with wheels for local travel!
HANDLING
Your fursuit is durable, but not indestructible! Handling it with care, will ensure it stays in good shape!
We recommend that you do not:
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Carry your fursuit by its ears
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Carry your fursuit by its hair
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Throw your fursuit
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Put excess unneeded stress on your fursuit; ie stretching something to "see how durable it is"
This is not to say that you can't be rough with your fursuit, you're free to do whatever you wish! Just know that more stress on your suit increases the likelihood of needing repairs!
DISINFECTING
Disinfecting is a crucial step for keeping your fursuit in tip top shape, disinfect your suit often between wears and at cons.
The best way to disinfect your fursuit is by using 70% isopropyl alcohol in a small mist bottle.
You can dilute it a little with water, but not too much. When the alcohol level is below 50% it is not an effective disinfectant.
Mist the disinfectant on the inside of your fursuit head and parts and let it dry. If you have hand painted eyes, avoid spraying those. We recommend putting some paper towels over the eyes before spraying to help avoid contact.
THINGS TO AVOID
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Using hot water to clean your costume
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Putting your costume in the drier (even if there are heat-free settings)
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Storing your costume away while it's damp
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Storing your costume on a hanger for an extended period of time
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Leaving your costume in a hot garage or car for an extended period of time
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Leaving your costume in a place accessible to unattended pets
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Leaving your costume in the sun (or even in a tote that's in the sun) for extended periods of time
From this point on, each section is a work in progress! Sorry for the inconvenience, it should be finished soon!
CLEANING
SPOT CLEANING
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Work in progress
HEADS
Fursuit Heads can be cleaned less frequently than other parts as they are the most delicate part of the costume. Deep clean as needed with a portable carpet cleaner, typically its normal to deep clean your fursuit between 1-3 times a year depending on your level of activity. Do not throw in washer, do not fully submerge.
HAND-PAWS & TAILS
Remove stuffing and or padding (if applicable) machine wash parts and padding with cold water on delicate. Use a gentle detergent and spin dry at least twice to remove access water. Brush parts out, fluff padding up, and hang to dry in an open and well ventilated area with a fan until dry. Do not leave parts hanging for longer than necessary, typically parts will dry in about a day or two! DO NOT USE A DRYER, EVEN ONE WITH "HEAT FREE" SETTINGS.
BODYSUITS & ARM-SLEEVES
Remove stuffing and or padding (if applicable) and turn parts inside out machine wash parts and padding COLD on delicate with a gentle detergent and spin dry at least twice. Brush parts out, fluff padding up, and hang to dry in an open and well ventilated area with a fan. (do not leave parts hanging for longer than necessary!) DO NOT USE A DRYER, EVEN ONE WITH "HEAT FREE" SETTINGS.
FEET-PAWS
Clean feetpaws similarly as you would a head, we recommend using a portable carpet cleaner for this process. Wash them as needed depending on level of wear. Clean inside the feet carefully, do not put too much stress on fabrics.