furry arts discussion > Kobuk's Fursuit Guides

Fursuit Cleaning & Care Tutorial.

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Kobuk:
EDIT: 7/4/2017  Due to circumstances beyond my control, a lot of the pictures associated in my fursuit tutorial threads are now gone. The reasons for this can best be described in this thread:
http://forums.furtopia.org/general-non-furry-discussion/time-to-dump-photobucket/

When or if I fix all the threads and broken links is unknown. But when I do, it will take a long time. A lot of the "text" information in various threads will still be useful.




UPDATE -  5/17/2015    Additions, corrections, fixes, etc. to this tutorial have been indefinately postponed until further notice.




CONTENTS:


DISCLAIMER and INTRODUCTION  <--- (Please read these items first!)

1. CLEANING SUPPLIES
(Fixed and rewritten) 2-A. DISINFECTING A FURSUIT
(Fixed and rewritten) 2-B. DISINFECTING UNDERGARMENTS?
(Fixed and rewritten) 3. GENERAL CLEANING ADVICE.
(Fixed and rewritten) 3-A. CLEANING OF UNDERGARMENTS.
(99% complete.) 3-B. CLEANING OF FURSUIT HEADS
(Currently being revised)  3-C. CLEANING OF HANDPAWS.
(Fixed and rewritten) 3-D. CLEANING OF FOOTPAWS.
(Currently being revised)  3-E. CLEANING OF TAILS.
(Currently being revised)  3-F. CLEANING OF BODYSUITS.
(Fixed and rewritten) 3-G. CLEANING OF FURSUIT PADDING?
(90% done so far)  4. DRYING OF FURSUIT PARTS AFTER WASHING.
(Fixed and rewritten) 5. BRUSHING OF FUR.
(Fixed and rewritten) 6. STORAGE OF FURSUITS.
(Fixed and rewritten) 7. QUADRUPED FURSUITS.
(Fixed and rewritten) 8. FURSUIT PROPS, ACCESSORIES, AND CLOTHING.
(Fixed and rewritten) 9. SEWING AND REPAIRS.
10. Future Additional Notes and Edits. (Check this section often.)



DISCLAIMER: 

Please read this entire tutorial very carefully before attempting any cleaning processes. I make no guarantee as to the effectiveness of the instructions found within this tutorial and will not be held liable should a person inadequately take care of their fursuit and not follow directions carefully. Everything listed in this tutorial is a “guide” only. Nothing is permanent or “law” so to speak on caring for a fursuit a specific way. If you do not understand anything in this tutorial or have a question on something else, then GET HELP and ASK QUESTIONS!
Most, but not all, information in this cleaning tutorial is geared toward people who might have "basic" simple styled fursuits such as the example shown below where the fursuit does not have a lot of special extras like airbrushed markings, moderate or heavy padding, horns, hooves, wings, animatronics, or other special/unique materials and custom effects. You can still use this tutorial if you choose if your fursuit has any of that stuff, or you may wish to get extra advice from more experienced fursuiters and fursuit makers. It is optional and up to you. ;)




INTRODUCTION:

You’ve spent so much time, money, and effort getting your first fursuit, but have you considered the time, money, and effort needed to make your fursuit last? You’ll need to think about disinfecting, cleaning, and storing your fursuit, and that’s where this tutorial comes in.
Granted, not all my information here will be accurate or precise, nor will I be able to list/explain every possible scenario for how to clean a fursuit such as grass stains, blood, chewing gum, mud, etc., etc.  All my information in this tutorial is mostly gathered through long hours of research on the Internet and from talking with various friends, as well as learning how to clean and care for my own fursuit. Just as there are as many reasons why people choose to become furry and join the furry fandom, so too is the diversity of ways that people clean and care for their fursuits. What works for one suit/person may not always work for another as not all fursuits are “created equal” so to speak. Also, not everything I list for supplies and/or care instructions will be found or work in other countries as some countries will have different cleaning supplies and care products, and their washing machines or other cleaning equipment/supplies may work differently, etc., etc. What I have attempted to do here is provide as much information as possible and present some sort of “universal” or “generic” fursuit care guide. Sort of a “one size fits all” so to speak. However, as time moves along, there will be newer methods of cleaning and caring for fursuits. As the supplies and methods change during the course of weeks, months, and years to follow, this tutorial will try to be updated with the most current information where possible, or will be posted in Section 10 (Additional Notes and Edits).

How you disinfect and clean your suit is all up to you. It’s all personal preference. This tutorial is meant as a “guide” only and can be used not just for full fursuits, but also partial fursuits and/or cleaning of individual pieces like tails, ear sets, handpaws, etc..
Also, not everything in this tutorial will pertain to care of a fursuit at home AND at a convention. A lot of the cleaning advice in this tutorial is mostly recommended for when you’re at home and have the time and resources to properly clean a fursuit. But when you’re at a convention or other event, then about the only cleaning option available to you is to spot clean your suit by hand and check for individual stains and marks. Conventions are only 2 to 4 days long. It doesn’t pay to try and fully clean your fursuit at an event as you may not have the time or proper supplies/resources to wash and dry your suit.
While the following link does not explain that much on cleaning a fursuit, It does list sample items that you may need for an emergency “maintenance kit” to take along to an event for caring of your fursuit:
LINK: http://forums.furtopia.org/index.php/topic,31805.0.html

When it comes to caring for your fursuit, If you have any doubts or questions on anything, then the first, and best, people to ask are the fursuit makers themselves who constructed your suit (If you commissioned/bought a fursuit) as they will know how your suit was constructed, the materials used, any special airbrushing used, etc., etc. You can also ask other experienced fursuiters too who are at conventions, furmeets, or you can find additional information here:
LINK: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=fursuit&keyword=Washing/Cleaning&filter=all

And lastly, from time to time in this tutorial, I will be mentioning instructions that will get repeated over and over again such as Using a fan, Not using heat to dry fursuit parts, Using cold water only to wash fursuit parts, etc., etc., etc.  Granted, it will get bothersome and tiresome to hear certain things repeated so many times, but a fursuit tends to cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and you do want to take good care of it, don’t you? Otherwise if you didn’t, then spending all that hard earned money would have been for nothing? If you want your fursuit to last and to get a lot of enjoyment out of it, then you need to take the responsibility of properly caring for it. Nobody else will do it for you. It’s your suit, therefore, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

Kobuk:
1. SUPPLIES  

What follows is a sample list of supplies and products you may or may not need for disinfecting, cleaning, and storing your fursuit. What you use and the amounts of items you use to care for your fursuit are completely up to you and are optional. It is all personal preference.

IMPORTANT NOTE: WHEN DISINFECTING OR CLEANING ANY PART OF YOUR FURSUIT WITH ANY TYPE OF SOLUTION, PLEASE READ DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY, AND TO TEST THE SOLUTIONS FIRST ON A SCRAP PIECE OF FUR FABRIC AND/OR IN A HIDDEN AREA ON THE SUIT TO CHECK AND SEE THAT THE SOLUTIONS DON’T ADVERSELY AFFECT THE FUR FABRIC TOO HARSHLY IN ANY WAY.
SECONDLY, NOT ALL OF THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS MAY OR MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN YOUR CITY, STATE, OR COUNTRY. THIS COULD BE THAT THE STORE DOES NOT CARRY THE PARTICULAR PRODUCT, OR THE PRODUCT IS DISCONTINUED AND NO LONGER MADE, OR SOME OTHER REASON. ALSO BE CAREFUL AS SOME PRODUCTS MAY CHANGE BRAND NAMES, LOGOS, BOTTLE STYLES, LABELING, ETC.
AS TIME MOVES ALONG, I OR ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL WILL UPDATE THIS LIST TO ADD ANY NEW PRODUCTS THAT WILL HELP IN THE CLEANING AND CARE OF FURSUITS.  

Here are some sample supplies/products to consider as shown in the following links and descriptions:

Click picture for larger image.



RAGS/TOWELS/SPONGES
Good for spot cleaning in small areas/sections of fursuit parts.

FEBREEZE ANTI-MICROBIAL SPRAY DISINFECTANT
See picture above. ^

ANTI-BACTERIAL SPRAY DISINFECTANT
This stuff generally comes in a purple and blue can, and can be found at Wal-Mart for about $2-$3. It is the EXACT same stuff as End-Bac spray disinfectant, but only much cheaper. So if you can’t find End-Bac anywhere or don’t have a lot of money to spend, then this is the cheaper alternative.
EDIT: Please read these LJ entries and/or the Furtopian thread here for more information:
http://fursuit.livejournal.com/3431424.html
http://fursuit.livejournal.com/4011637.html
http://forums.furtopia.org/index.php?topic=31805.0

LYSOL DISINFECTANT SPRAY
Another good option for disinfecting fursuit parts.

WOOLITE
Woolite is probably the main detergent solution you’ll end up using for cleaning your fursuit parts as that is the most delicate for cleaning fursuit parts and will not harm most fabrics.  
LINK: http://www.woolite.com/

FOLEX CLEANING SOLUTION
Folex is a really great stain remover solution. It is marketed as a carpet stain remover, but can get out a lot of other stains on a lot of other fabrics as well. It is especially good for keeping white footpaws clean! It must be mentioned though that it is for spot cleaning by hand only and is not recommended for use in washing machines or hand washing in a bathtub. A bottle of the stuff can usually cost around $5-$10 and you can try finding it at Target, Wal-Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Linens n’ Things, Kmart, or a specialty carpet cleaning or upholstery store.
LINK: http://www.folexcompany.com/

RESOLVE
Another good solution for spot cleaning by hand is Resolve anti-stain remover. Please see picture further above.

DRYER FABRIC SHEETS
After you’ve cleaned your fursuit and are ready to put it away in your closet till your next performance, It’s a good idea to put some of those nice smelling dryer fabric sheets inside the head, the bodysuit, and any other fursuit parts, to keep those parts smelling nice and fresh.

FANS AND/OR HAIR DRYER
As your fursuit parts are drying after disinfecting and/or washing them, You’ll want to have a fan blowing air on/around them to help decrease the drying time of those parts.
As your suit begins to become less and less wet over time as it dries after you washed it, you may want to consider using/investing in one of these:
LINK: http://community.livejournal.com/fursuit/1843033.html

I bought my hanger from Scuba.com for $50. A bit expensive, but definitely well worth it!
LINK: http://www.scuba.com/shop/product_display.asp?SKUCode=032986&Action=Search

Click each picture for a larger image.


You can also use the above hanger fans at conventions too to help dry your fursuit after a performance/parade, or for when you need to dry your lycra diveskin/unitard undergarment after washing them.
Another item you can use to help dry areas of a fursuit is a hair dryer, BUT WITH PREFERABLY A COLD SETTING! Trying to use any heat from a clothes dryer, hair dryer, or anything else will damage and melt the fur fibres/fabric of the fursuit parts. DO NOT USE HEAT TO DRY ANYTHING!

HANGERS
Try to find and use hangers that are thick/wide and used for hanging medium to heavyweight type items, as these will be preferable for hanging your suit after washing it and also storing in the closet.



LARGE TUB OR OTHER CONTAINER
If you do not plan on washing the bodysuit portion of the fursuit in the bathtub or the washing machine, Then another option is a large plastic tub.

Click picture for larger image.


BRUSHES
You’ll need 1-3 different brushes for brushing the fur on your suit after you’ve washed it and/or for general preventative care at an event, etc. One type is known as a Slicker Brush (Blue colored brush) which is shown below. It can be found at most pet supply stores and has lots of thin metal bristles which are good for trying to get knots or tangles out of fur fabric or pet hair.

Click picture for larger image.


DRYING/HANGING RACKS
After you’ve washed your suit and it’s time to dry it, consider drying it on one of the following racks:

* ACORDIAN/FOLDABLE STYLE RACK
A good type to put your suit on after you washed it is this acordian style foldable clothes drying rack.

Click each picture for a larger image.



Or even some of these sample types which can be found/bought from various home supply/laundry/storage stores or websites.
(New links coming soon.)

* HANGING RACK
This is good for when your suit is semi-dry (half wet/half dry) after you’ve washed it and you don’t want to have any wrinkles develop in your suit if you laid it on something to dry. The rack I got is a simple pole/frame rack with wheels on the bottom for movability. It can be bought from Wal-Mart, Kmart, or most other retail stores for about $20. It is small and compact for portability ease.

Click each picture below for a larger image.




Either the Acordian style rack and/or the Hanging rack would be good to take to an event as they are portable, lightweight, and would be good for when you are drying your diveskin/unitard undergarment, or drying your suit after you disinfected it.

MILK CRATES
If you don’t have any type of hanging or other clothes drying rack, you can lay your fursuit over some plastic milk crate type containers that you can purchase from an office supply store. The holes in the crates allow air to circulate through and excess water to drip from the suit to the bathtub, etc. (Black crates shown in pic underneath legs of bodysuit.)

Click each picture for a larger image.


PLASTIC STORAGE BAG OR BINS
When you’re all done cleaning and drying your fursuit, you’ll need to think about how to store it till your next convention or other event performance. There are many various ways of storing a suit: Either in a box, Hanging in a closet, Laying flat, etc. It is all a matter of personal preference. Just make sure to choose a good method that will protect from dust, liquid spills, insects, etc., etc. What I have done with my suit is shown below:

Click each picture for a larger image.


I store/hang the bodysuit portion of my fursuit in one of those clear long dress/suit bags that I managed to find from a "Bed Bath & Beyond" retail store for about $10-15. It’s not quite as long as I thought it would be, but it’ll work just fine. I wanted a clear bag to put my suit in so that I could see any damage to the suit if anything happened to the bag in the future. Your feet, head, handpaws, and tail can be stored in either bags, boxes, or something else if you wish.

LINT ROLLER
A lint roller is something that you probably wouldn’t need for caring for a fursuit. But it is quite useful for if you had to remove loose fur fibres off your clothing, furniture, etc. that may have come off your fursuit. Ones that are small and can fit inside a fursuit head would be good to pick up any loose fur fibres that accidentally got inside the head. After all, you wouldn’t want to be coughing up any furballs now, would you? LOL!
LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lint_roller

SAMPLE LIST BELOW OF LINKS TO VENDORS AND RETAIL STORES WHERE SUPPLIES CAN BE FOUND/BOUGHT:

* Bed, Bath, & Beyond store: V
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/default.asp?order_num=-1&
* Linens n’ Things: V
http://www.lnt.com/
* Kmart: V
http://www.kmart.com/
* Target: V
http://www.target.com/
* Wal-Mart: V
http://www.walmart.com/
* Scuba.com: V
http://www.scuba.com/
* The Container Store: V
http://www.containerstore.com/
* Laundry supplies: V
http://www.laundrybagstoreonline.com/
http://www.handylaundry.com/
* Folex Stain Remover: V
http://www.folexcompany.com/
* Lysol Disinfectant: V
http://www.lysol.com
* Fans: V
http://www.laskoproducts.com/fans-2/
* Containers and other organisation. V
http://www.stacksandstacks.com/

Kobuk:
2-A. DISINFECTING A FURSUIT  

When you get done suiting at a convention or any other type of event, the first thing you’ll want to do is disinfect your fursuit (Head, Hands, Feet, and Body). Disinfecting a tail is generally not necessary. When should you disinfect and how often? The answer to this will vary from fursuiter to fursuiter, and also will vary depending on how long you suited and how much you sweat. But IMO, it is best to disinfect the insides of your fursuit parts, regardless of how long you suited or how much you sweat/stink, EVERY time after you fursuit.
While you may think that wearing a lycra diveskin or unitard undergarment, and also an extra balaclava, etc. will soak up/wick all your sweat and keep the sweat from permeating to your suit, this is of course not 100% true or effective. Depending on what you get and wear for undergarments, they will help to keep you cool and soak up/wick the sweat from your body and prevent it from getting into the fursuit, HOWEVER, there is always a limit as to how much sweat/odor a lycra diveskin or other garment can handle before it gets soaked and the excess sweat gets absorbed into the fursuit.

If you do not disinfect your fursuit parts, then any germs, bacteria, sweat, odor, etc. that permeated to the fursuit from your body or undergarments will make the suit smell worse and those germs/bacteria will multiply and mold could develop on the insides of your fursuit parts. And once that happens, the only way to combat that severe odor/mold is not with spraying more disinfectant spray, but by washing your fursuit with cold water and detergent.
When you spray the insides of your fursuit parts (head, hands, feet, bodysuit), you don’t need to spray disinfectant so heavily that the insides of everything are soaking wet. Just a couple of spritzs/passes will be fine. Depending on how your bodysuit was constructed, you may be able to turn the bodysuit inside out (If possible) to make it easier to disinfect it. If you do this though, then be sure to turn the suit inside out slowly and carefully so as to not rip any seams or cause any other undue damage.

Click picture for larger image.


Sample Video Links: V
Turning bodysuit inside out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8breNzzlieY
Disinfecting fursuit parts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCYGDUmjO_k

After the parts have air dried after a length of time, you’ll want to use your nose and “sniff around” and check to see if there’s any spots you missed and any odors that are still emanating from various areas, and then give any areas you may have missed a short spray of disinfectant. It may sound funny to do this, but it is the only way to be sure that you sprayed every area that you needed to. Make sure you pay particular attention to the insides of the feet, the inside of the head, and also the bodysuit – especially the armpit areas.
If your bodysuit is not able to be turned inside out due to how it was constructed, then just spray the inside as best you can by reaching down through the arms, legs, etc. You may also wish to open up the zipper/velcro entryway on the fursuit to allow the inside to dry and air to flow through:

Click picture for larger image.


And if you want the suit to dry a bit faster, then you can have a fan blowing air on it to help decrease the drying time.

One item that may be particularly challenging when disinfecting a fursuit is if the hands and/or feet are directly attached to the arms/legs of the suit. Or in other words, it looks like the wrist or ankle areas are seamless so as to give the impression of a more realistic or “one piece” fursuit. The best way to disinfect these areas is to try and follow the advice given above as best you can for turning the suit inside out and/or reaching down through the arm sleeves or leg pants parts.

Another item you may want to pay attention to when disinfecting a fursuit, especially the head, is any electrical/animatronic items that might be in the head/suit. If any of these items are removable in any way, then remove them before you disinfect. You can put them back in after the fursuit parts are 100% fully dried. If the electrical/animatronic items are not removable in any way, then the best course of action, especially for disinfecting the inside of the head, is to spray a sponge or rag with some of the disinfectant solution, then carefully wipe around the inside of the head or other areas of the suit where the electrical items are, with the sponge/rag. This would also be a good method if you had sections of fursuit parts where you couldn’t reach with a spray bottle or can.

SPECIAL NOTE: While doing various research for this entire tutorial, I have learned that some fursuiters will use isopropyl rubbing alcohol to disinfect their fursuits. While I myself have not used this solution to disinfect my own suit and do not know how good it would work, I would like to offer the following link to a LiveJournal entry which has some posts in it that discuss some hazards when using rubbing alcohol, especially if your suit has any amount of airbrushing with inks, dyes, paints on it.
LINK: http://community.livejournal.com/fursuitlounge/515016.html?style=mine

Kobuk:
2-B. DISINFECTING UNDERGARMENTS?

So after disinfecting your fursuit parts, you may be wondering about if you should disinfect the undergarments that you wore under your fursuit such as the extra balaclava you wore under your fursuit head, your lycra diveskin bodysuit or unitard, etc. The answer to this question would be a No. Simply for the fact that these items are coming into direct contact with your skin and are therefore collecting or “wicking” the sweat from your body so that it doesn’t touch the fursuit, and because these items are collecting so much sweat and odor, you’ll need to wash that sweat and odor out of those items. Disinfecting these items would only “hide/mask” those odors, not get rid of them completely. Washing of undergarments will be explained later in this tutorial. If possible at a convention or other event, try to have multiple pairs of balaclavas, diveskins, etc. so that you can change into a fresh new pair if the other pair is dirty.
HOWEVER…….if you only had ONE balaclava and/or diveskin/unitard to use at an event, it is personal preference if you wanted to disinfect those items. For example, If you find yourself finishing one fursuit event at a convention, and then wanted to go to another event a short time later, you can then quickly disinfect those items without washing them. But if you were going to be suiting a second time much, much later, then you can choose to wash those items and then hang them up to dry.

Kobuk:
3. GENERAL CLEANING ADVICE

Ok, now we come to the most difficult task of all: Washing of fursuit parts. This is probably one of the most difficult tasks to do/learn simply because of the multitude of various ways to clean fursuit parts. What works for one person or suit may not always work for another. You really have to do your research well and ask plenty of questions.
Before I go any further, THIS IS NOT HOW TO PROPERLY WASH A FURSUIT!  V

Click picture for larger image. Scrub a dub dub, Husky in the tub!  :D  :D


Ok, all jokes aside, there are a few different ways of cleaning fursuit parts and each method has it’s own Pros and Cons.
* - You can wash some of the parts by hand in a bathtub or a large plastic container tub. This IMO, presents the safest means of washing, but it is also the most time consuming and labor intensive.
* - Or you can wash some of the parts in a washing machine. Washing/Drying some fursuit parts this way may be faster, but all the spinning and agitation within those machines could damage the suit by putting stress on the seams/fabric, or the claws on handpaws could get damaged, etc., etc.  
* - There will also be times when you need to do “spot cleaning” by hand. This allows you to check stains more closely and remove them, but you are only checking certain areas/spots and not cleaning the suit as a “whole”.

When should you clean a fursuit and how often? This is probably one of the most difficult questions to answer. It all depends on a few things:
* - How many times you wear your fursuit. Once a week, Twice a month, Less? Or more?
* - How long you wear your fursuit such as minutes or hours.
* - Where you fursuited such as city street, beach, forest trail, etc. and how dirty you get at a location.

It’s probably best to clean your fursuit after major events such as conventions where you’ll be suiting a lot, or perhaps if you’re suiting during summertime events where you’ll be sweating a lot due to heat. If you’ve been suiting at a lot of smaller events for perhaps shorter periods of time, then maybe washing might not be needed and you only need to do some spot cleaning by hand. The best advice is to use your best judgement/discretion and check your suit often for stains and odors. However, the more times you clean your fursuit parts, then the more stress you’ll put on the fabric/seams of the suit which could rip and/or come undone, and you’ll risk possible other damage to claws, pawpads, airbrushed markings, padding, etc.


IMPORTANT NOTES:

Test the Cleaning Solutions - Before preparing to wash any fursuit parts in the bathtub, washing machine, etc., you may want to practice washing/drying and/or spot cleaning some scrap pieces of fur fabric to test various solutions and techniques that will or won’t work for you. Just make sure to follow directions carefully for usage of cleaning solutions and operation of any machines/equipment.


Check Fabric Cleaning Instructions - If you have bought fur, fleece, or other fabrics yourself and constructed your own fursuit rather than commissioning someone, you may wish to check if the store or the website you bought the fur from, or even the manufacturer of the fur, has any specific cleaning instructions which may be different from what is listed in this tutorial.


Special Effects (SFX) for Fursuits - When it comes to “special effects” which have been added to your suit such as, but not limited to:
* Foam padding in special places (Digitigrade legs, Chest muscles, etc.)
* Airbrushed markings on the fursuit
* Claws on hands/feet
* Taxidermy eyes/jawsets
* Wings/feathers and movable wing systems
* Animatronic/electrical items inside fursuit pieces
* Horns/antlers on a fursuit head
........Or any other unique materials, systems, or items that were used in the construction of your suit, then the best advice would be to get any special cleaning instructions from the fursuit maker that you commissioned the fursuit from first, as they will know how your suit was constructed, materials used, and what can or can’t be done in regards for cleaning of those items. If you have any animatronic/electrical or other removable items inside any fursuit pieces, then make sure you remove them (If possible) before you start cleaning your fursuit.


Airbrushed Markings – EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Fursuits that have airbrushed markings need to be especially careful of cleaning as some inks/dyes that may have been used could smear, run, fade, etc. if washed and/or any cleaning solutions used had any adverse effects on the dyes/inks. Contact a fursuit maker or other fursuiters first before washing a suit to get any special cleaning instructions. You may also need to check any special instructions on bottles of inks/dyes you used if you constructed and airbrushed your own suit. It is also preferable in order to help protect airbrushing from fading/smearing, that you turn your bodysuit and handpaws inside out (if possible) when washing them in the tub or washing machine. Footpaws, Tails, and Heads should preferably be spot cleaned by hand.


Fursuit Padding – Fursuit parts (Digitigrade legs, Handpaws with pawpads, Footpaws, etc.) that have any amount of padding (foam, polyfil, etc.) added to them “may” be able to be washed (NOT FURSUIT HEADS THOUGH!), but you will need to be very carefull with foam/padding as it is very difficult to get all the water out of padding and they take a very long time to dry. If it's possible to remove any padding out of your fursuit parts, then please do so before you wash those fursuit pieces. More information about padding will be explained later in this tutorial.


Cleaning Deterrgents – As far as cleaning detergents to use when washing fursuit parts in a tub, sink, or washing machine, the most common to use is Woolite as that is the most delicate for fursuit parts and won’t harm most fabrics. If you don’t have any Woolite or don’t want to use Woolite, then select a different mild detergent and/or fabric softener solution that is color safe for fabrics and also contains NO bleach. Just remember to read directions carefully for cleaning solutions and also to test them on a scrap piece of fur fabric first to see how well it works. It is also preferable that you do not use any sort of powdered detergent, especially in the washing machine, as there may be the possibility that not all the powder will dissolve in the water and you may be left with undissolved powder residue on your fursuit pieces. It is preferable that you use liquid detergents only.


Dry Cleaning Stores – Another important piece of information is to never take your fursuit to a professional dry cleaning shop. Dry cleaners may not have any experience working with/cleaning mascot suits, plus the fact that they use steam/heat for some of their cleaning processes, and also they may use cleaning solutions or other agents that you might not be familiar with and could possibly harm the fursuit.


Heat – The most important bit of advice on cleaning a suit has to do with heat. Washing and drying fursuit parts with any amount of heat, whether it is from hot water in the washer/tub or hot circulated air in a dryer, or heat from any other source, will melt and damage the fur fibres of the fabic. Once this happens, there is no way to return the fur fabric to it’s original softness and fluffiness. Why is it so important not to use heat? Fake fur is actually made of lots and lots of really thin strands of plastic (and/or other synthetic compounds) fibres. And what happens to plastic when it is exposed to extreme heat? It starts to melt! DO NOT USE ANY AMOUNT OF HEAT FROM ANY TYPE OF SOURCE TO WASH, AND ESPECIALLY DRY YOUR FURSUIT! More information on drying fursuit parts will be explained later in this tutorial.
Sample Pics: Notice how the fur has been “damaged” slightly in this pic? That’s what will happen to your fur fabric if you use any amount of heat from any source to dry your fursuit parts. The fur fibres will melt and the fur will become matted.

Click each picture for a larger image.



Cold Water & Machine Settings – Washing any fursuit parts in the washer, bathtub, sink, etc. must be done with COLD WATER ONLY. If you wash fursuit parts in the washing machine, then use a DELICATE/GENTLE wash cycle if your washing machine has those settings. If drying in a dryer, use a NO HEAT and/or a DELICATE setting if your machines have these settings.
Example of Washer (Left) and Dryer (Right) settings. Click each picture for a larger image.




When washing some fursuit pieces in the washing machine, you may choose to put the items through an extra “Spin” cycle setting on your washer (If you have that setting on selected models of washers) so that when the main washing cycle is done, the Spin cycle will start and by using centrifugal force and gravity, will “pull/extract” any extra water from the fursuit pieces out through the sides/bottom of the washer tub. However, putting fursuit pieces through any extra spin cycles increases the likelihood of more stress on the fur fabric and seams possibly coming apart.

As for which is better: Top loading washer or a Front loading washer, I have no answer to this. It is personal preference what you use. For more information on how washing machines work and comparisons on function, etc., you can check this link here:
LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing_machine


Scrubbing of Fursuit Parts – If you intend to scrub any fursuit parts because of stubborn spots or stains, then please scrub VERY GENTLY so as not to put too much stress on the fur fabric and/or accidentally pull fur fibres out. Scrubbing can be done with a sponge, rag, or a small brush with very soft bristles. If you scrub too harshly, then fur fibres will come out and you may end up with “bald spots” on your fursuit. Fake fur is not like real hair. Once the fake fur is gone, it cannot grow back.

Click each picture for a larger image.



Excess Water – After washing any fursuit parts in the bathtub/washing machine, whether they had any padding or not, you can try to GENTLY SQUEEZE, but do not wring/twist, those parts to get as much excess water out of them before you go to dry them with other drying methods. Just don’t squeeze too harshly otherwise you could rip a seam or do other undue damage.


Damage to Seams, Fabric, & Other Parts - It will undoubtably get tiresome hearing this in this tutorial, but try not to tug, pull, lift, push, brush, etc. the fur fabric on your fursuit parts too harshly or excessively, especially when they are wet such as a bodysuit for example. Doing so will put too much strain/stress on the fabric and especially the seams (and/or other areas or parts), and you may incur damage such as rips, tears, seams popping, etc.  Also be careful how you handle padding, claws, pawpads, animatronics, taxidermy eyes, etc. lest those items become damaged as well due to excessive or harsh cleaning and handling.

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