How to Care
for your fursuit
We don't want no musky huskies!
Most of our fursuit parts are 100% machine washable and we highly recommend you regularly wash your fursuit to keep it clean and looking awesome!
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We have compiled a handy guide for keeping your fursuit looking its best!
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If you are unsure about anything, it is best to check with your maker. If you are unsure about any of these methods for your fursuit, contact your maker!
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Quick links:
MACHINE WASHING YOUR FURSUIT
HAND WASHING YOUR FURSUIT
HAND SCRUBBING YOUR FURSUIT
SPOT CLEANING
BISSEL LITTLE GREEN MACHINE
STORING YOUR FURSUIT
DISINFECTING YOUR FURSUIT
PREVENTATIVE CARE
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Washing your fursuit
What do you need?
- Non-bleach laundry detergent suitable for woolens and delicates. (We use Softly for delicates, which we also use for washing our hoodies and kigus!)
- StainGo for stains
- Brush (we reccomend a soft bristle brush but careful use of a slicker brush is ok in a pinch!)
- Towels (optional, highly reccomended if you are handwashing)
- Bissell Little Green Portable Spot Stain Carpet Cleaner (optional)
Note: Don't use any heat while washing or drying your fursuit - it might cause damage to the fur fibres of your suit!
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Machine washing your fursuit
You can use a washing machine to wash most parts of your fursuit - including hand paws, shoe-less feet paws, tails, bodysuits and non-foam padding. (If the part has any electronics that can't be removed or parts that can't be submerged - it is best to hand-wash, hand-scrub or use the Bissel machine).
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Machine wash on a gentle setting with cold water using a non-bleach laundry detergent suitable for woolens and delicates. Avoid washing with items that have any hard parts or abrasive fabrics. Generally the best option is to wash fursuit parts only with other fursuit parts
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If your fursuit parts still have lots of water in it, we suggest rolling it in a towel and squishing out the water.
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Avoid using heat to dry your fursuit. Hang it on a clothes airer, supporting all parts. Just hanging heavy, wet bodysuit over a single line or on a hanger may make it stretch or distort the shape. If you have a fan, place it near the fursuit and it may help speed the drying process.
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Give it a little brush every now and then to make the fur sit nice and neat as it dries.
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Wait until your fursuit parts are 100% completely dry before storing.
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Hand washing your fursuit
If you don't have a washing machine, you can hand wash most parts of your fursuit - including hand paws, shoe-less feet paws, tails, bodysuits and non-foam padding with this method. (If the part has any electronics that can't be removed or parts that can't be submerged - it is best to hand-scrub or use the Bissel machine).
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Fill your tub or bath with lukewarm water (do not use hot water) and some non-bleach laundry detergent suitable for woolens and delicates according to the bottles instructions.
- Place your fursuit parts into the water and squish it around, working the suds into the fabric. Try to avoid excessive scrubbing and be gentle with the fur. Your main focus areas will be the dirty or sweaty areas - such as knees, armpits, crotch and bottom.
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Let it soak for a while
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After your fursuit parts have soaked, empty out the water and start rinsing with fresh, clean water. Squish it through the fabric and keep rinsing until there is no detergent left in the fabric. Try not to wring the fabric as you don't want to stretch or deform it!
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Squish out as much water as you can. Bodysuits will be extremely heavy when they are full of water. Try to support your fursuit as you pick it up and try not to lift it by just a small section, otherwise you may risk overstretching or tearing the fabric. We suggest rolling your fursuit parts in a towel and squashing it - it can help get the water out. Once again, try not to wring the fabric.
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Avoid using heat to dry your fursuit. Hang it on a clothes airer, supporting all parts. Just hanging heavy, wet bodysuit over a single line or on a hanger may make it stretch or distort the shape. If you have a fan, place it near the fursuit and it may help speed the drying process.
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Give it a little brush every now and then to make the fur sit nice and neat as it dries.
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Wait until your fursuit parts are 100% completely dry before storing.
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Hand scrubbing fursuit parts you can't submerge
There are some fursuit parts you just can't put in water, such as if it has electronics that can't be removed, or foam that won't dry quickly/easily.
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Fill a small tub/large bowl with lukewarm water (do not use hot water) and some non-bleach laundry detergent suitable for woolens and delicates according to the bottles instructions. Fill a second small tub/large bowl with only lukewarm water.
- Have three towels ready - one for washing, one for helping rinse soap out and one for drying
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If there are parts you can't have any water on (such as unsealed eyes), protect them with some paper towel. Sealed electronics should be ok to get a little damp, but is best to avoid getting them wet if possible. Make sure battery packs are removed and the whole thing is completely 100% dry before using again (otherwise you might cause a shortcircuit and ruin your electronics!)
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Only working in one area at a time, work the soapy water into the area with your fingers or the towel and gently scrub the area.
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Using the non-detergent water and towel, gently scrub the soap suds out. Keep repeating this step until all detergent is removed.
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Using your dry towel, dry the area and check to make sure you have no detergent left in the fur (if you do, repeat step 5 and 6).
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Carefully brush the fur so its laying in the right direction.
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Repeat the above steps for each section you are cleaning.
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Avoid using heat to dry your fursuit. Hang it on a clothes airer, supporting all parts. Just hanging heavy, wet bodysuit over a single line or on a hanger may make it stretch or distort the shape. If you have a fan, place it near the fursuit and it may help speed the drying process.
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Give it a little brush every now and then to make the fur sit nice and neat as it dries.
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Wait until your fursuit parts are 100% completely dry before storing.
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Spot cleaning your fursuit
For spot cleaning your apparel, we suggest using a non-bleach based stain remover such as Stain Go. Make sure to test any stain remover you buy on a small, non-visible part of your garment first.
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Using the Bissel Little Green Carpet Cleaner!
This little machine is great for spot cleaning, or full cleaning your suit, especially parts you can't soak or submerge, as you're only washing the parts you work on with the machine. I have not tested this on airbrushed fabric - so please do your own testing as it could potentially ruin your beautiful airbrushing with its suction power!
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Fill your Bissel according to machine instructions - you can use the carpet cleaner that comes with the machine, or use your own detergents. Some people reccomend against using the carpet cleaner that comes with it, others have used it without issue. Do your own testing to see what works best for you.
- If there are parts you can't have any water on (such as unsealed eyes), protect them with some paper towel. Sealed electronics should be ok to get a little damp, but is best to avoid getting them wet if possible. Make sure battery packs are removed and the whole thing is completely 100% dry before using again (otherwise you might cause a shortcircuit and ruin your electronics!)
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Only working in one area at a time, follow the instructions on the Bissel, sudsing the area and then sucking the water back out. I reccommend brushing in your fur direction when sucking the water out. Take your time and go carefully.
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Repeat for each section you are cleaning. Filling and emptying machine compartments as needed.
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If your fursuit is still a little sudsy, empty out the detergent container and just fill with plain water, repeat steps 3&4.
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Once you've finished cleaning - carefully brush the fur so its laying in the right direction.
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Avoid using heat to dry your fursuit. Hang it on a clothes airer, supporting all parts. Just hanging heavy, wet bodysuit over a single line or on a hanger may make it stretch or distort the shape. If you have a fan, place it near the fursuit and it may help speed the drying process.
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Give it a little brush every now and then to make the fur sit nice and neat as it dries.
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Wait until your fursuit parts are 100% completely dry before storing.
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Storing your fursuit
You can use a wide variety of items to store your fursuit. This can be a travel case, duffel bag, plastic container. Try not to fold or compress any foam parts, as they may become deformed if stored bent or depressed for long periods of time. Also do not tightly pack/fold your fursuit - this will increase the likelihood of your fur getting crinkled. Wherever you store your fursuit, make sure your fursuit is stored in a cool dry place - you don't want mold growing in your suit because once it is there, it is almost impossible to remove and is quite hazardous to your health. If you are storing for an extended period we suggest throwing in some desiccant packets to keep moisture away.
Sometimes fur can become crimped if stored for long periods of time, even if folded loosely or stored appropriately. You can reverse this by using a hairdryer on a low heat setting and carefully going over the area until it lies straight. Brushing it may also aid the process. Do not use a high heat - you may irreversibly damage the fur fibers.
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Don't forget to wash your whatever it is you store your fursuit in! Duffle bag, tote, box, whatever! Keep it clean. Also clean out your storage/travel item every couple of months by washing it out, disinfecting, and making sure it is 100% dry before putting fursuit items back in. Things can get dirty quick with dirt from the feet and sweat from the suit itself. If it's not clean, and you put your suit in there, your suit won't be clean anymore either! So always keep this in mind.
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Disinfecting your fursuit
This is a good way to help keep your fursuit smelling fresh between washes, such as when you are at a convention! Please note, this is not a substitute for actually washing your suit!!
You can make your own disinfecting spray by mixing isopropyl alcohol and water to a 30-70% mix depending on how strong you want it to be (If you use less than 100% pure isopropyl you will need to take into account its already diluted). While isopropyl and water mix will remove most odours, you can also make your fursuit smell awesome with fragrance or essential oils - however you will need to test them before use to make sure they don't discolour your fur or degrade the foam (Eucalyptus ESSENTIAL oil is known to degrade foam, the eucalyptus FRAGRANCE oil we use in our range does not).
If you don't want to be mixing and testing your own sprays, we have a huge range of fragrances in our SHOP!
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If your suit has airbrushing, or if you are disinfecting the head (painted eyes) - do not get any isopropyl on the paint, this includes if you are spraying the backing as it can soak through to the paint at the front!
Spraying your mask - take care to protect the eyes as isopropyl alcohol will probably make the paint run. Spray the inside of the head and the neck and the mouth area. You can also take a cloth, dip it in the disinfectant mixture and wipe around the inside of the head - this is great for resin masks or masks with electronics.
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Spraying your bodysuit - Turn your bodysuit inside out and spray your fursuit all over, focusing on areas like the crotch, armpits and bottom (places that are likely to get sweaty and smelly)
Spraying hand and feet paws - simply open up the paw and spray inside!
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Spraying tails - Tails generally need a proper clean if they get dirty, disinfecting them is entirely optional, as they rarely get sweat on them.
After you have sprayed your items, let them dry out completely before wearing or storing!
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Preventative Care
There are simple steps you can take to make your fursuit last longer, look better and make it easier to keep your fursuit looking it's best! Most of this is common sense, but it's worth keeping in mind!
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BRUSH YOUR SUIT! This helps it stay nice and fluffy, helps reduce mats and makes it look awesome for photos! Brush when you go to wear your suit, when you finish wearing your suit, and before you put your suit away! We recommend a plastic brush with wide spaced bristles and no sharp points so it doesn't pull out the fur. We do not recommend a slicker brush, as this can pull out fur or damage the backing if used incorrectly. Don't brush your suit too vigorously - as even with a suitable brush you can pull out fur if you're too rough. Your focus areas will be spots like the armpits, crotch, inner thighs and bottom (areas that tend to rub on other parts and most likely to mat).
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Wear underarmour and a balaclava (or any piece of sweat wicking exercise gear). This helps make suiting not only more comfortable, but also makes it easier to clean your suit! If you plan on suiting a lot (such as at a convention), have several pieces of sweat wicking gear that you can rotate and clean. Wearing the same sweat soaked piece of gear is basically the same as not wearing any (it will make your suit dirty and smelly).
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Stay away from dirty areas and puddles. Avoid food and drink while suiting as they can stain your suit - the exception to this is water. Simple things like that means there's less to clean later!
Don't be too rough in your suit! The maker is not responsible for damages made by you while suiting. Even a well made suit will get popped seams if you over do it enough.
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Don't leave your suit out in the sun or in a hot car. You can bleach the colour out of your suit, damage the fur fibers or deform parts of the suit if the temperatures get hot enough!