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Fursuit Cleaning & Care Tutorial.

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Kobuk:
3-F.  CLEANING OF BODYSUITS – Now the last item to explain about cleaning is the bodysuit. This will most likely be the hardest, but not impossible, item to wash. Your bodysuit portion of your full fursuit represents 60% of your total costume and you want to take care of it really well. Otherwise, if you didn’t, then your full fursuit/character wouldn’t be represented as a “whole” so to speak.

SPOT CLEANING BY HAND – This is the preferred method for when you are at a convention or other event. You can use the sample instructions as provided in Section 3-B further above.
SPECIAL NOTE: If your fursuit character/bodysuit has any type of wings and wing mechanical system, then make sure that is removable from the bodysuit before washing the suit. If your wings need cleaning for whatever reason, then the best option is spot cleaning by hand only with a mild spot remover solution and a soft rag or sponge.

WASHING BY HAND IN BATHROOM TUB – This presents the safest means of washing a suit, but it is also the most labor intensive.
1. – First thing to do is clean your bathroom tub! You don’t want to have any soap scum or other previous “dirty deposits” in the water and getting on/in your fursuit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01240.jpg
2. – For keeping the water in the tub and also for draining, I’ve found the following stopper to be helpful:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01238.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01239.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01644.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01645.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01646.jpg
When you go later to drain the water from the tub after washing, you pull off the top part and the water drains through the mesh bottom part. As the water is draining, the mesh catches and prevents any loose fur fibres from going down the drain and clogging the pipes.
3. – After cleaning the tub, you can then begin filling with cold water and then adding an appropriate amount of Woolite detergent or other detergent of your choosing to the water.
4. – As for washing the bodysuit in the bathtub or the washing machine, it is personal preference whether you want to turn it inside out or leave it as is. However, since all the sweat and odor is on the inside of the suit rather than the outside, it is better to turn the suit inside out (if possible depending on how the suit was constructed) to wash away all that odor and sweat. If you do leave your bodysuit “as is” and do not turn it inside out, then you do run the risk of lots of loose fur fibres coming loose and eventually clogging the bathtub drain or washing machine. If your bodysuit has handpaws and/or footpaws that are directly attached/sewn to the arms/legs of the bodysuit thereby giving the appearance of a “one piece” suit, then trying to turn the bodysuit inside out may not be possible. See Section 2-A for a sample video of how to turn the bodysuit inside out.
One possible option which I’ve heard of, but am not sure how well it would work, to help prevent loose fur from falling off and clogging the washing machine is to put the bodysuit in a very large bag, preferably a mesh type laundry bag. The mesh would allow the soap and water to pass through easily but would also help to prevent the loose fur fibres from getting into the water and then clogging the washing machine.
5. – Carefully add your bodysuit to the water and then you want to create a type of “agitation action” with your hands/arms by moving the bodysuit around in the soapy water so all the parts of the suit get wet and the soapy water can help clean the suit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01242.jpg
 If there is a particular section you wish to scrub due to a stubborn stain on the suit that needs removing, then be very careful and scrub very gently so as not to put too much stress on the fur fabric and/or pull fur fibres loose. You may wish to scrub lightly with a soft rag, a sponge, or a small brush with very soft bristles. Do not pull/tug on the suit too heavily with your hands when moving it about in the tub as the wet fur could stretch and you may bust a seam since wet fur increases the weight of a suit. If you wish, you may choose to leave the suit in the tub for a short period of time (Preferably no more than 30 minutes, Although your mileage may vary.) to let the detergent ingredients help work on loosening/removing stains and odors. If your bodysuit has an attached tail that is directly sewn on, you may wish to review Section 3-E further above.
After soaking and/or scrubbing your bodysuit for a desired period of time, you can then drain the soapy, dirty water out of the tub. As the water is draining, you may wish to additionally gently squeeze out any excess soapy water from the bodysuit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01243.jpg
6. – After rinsing out the tub of the residual soapy dirty water after you had drained the tub, you can then begin re-filling the bathtub with fresh clean cold water (minus any detergent) in order to rinse your bodysuit out of leftover soapy detergent. Add your bodysuit to the water and use your hands/arms to agitate (rinse) the suit around in the water for about 5-10 minutes or however long you desire. After a desired period of time, you can then drain the water out of the tub. As the water is draining, you can again gently squeeze any excess water out of the bodysuit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01244.jpg
7. – Although discussing drying the bodysuit should probably be put here, I have instead made a separate section for discussing how to dry fursuit parts in Section #4 further below.

USING A WASHING MACHINE – As mentioned a few times already before in this tutorial, putting fursuit parts in the washing machine and/or dryer may be faster for cleaning, but the risk is that all the spinning and agitation within those machines could put much stress on the fabric and the seams could come apart. Therefore, use at your own risk. Also, if for any reason you intend to use a washer in an apartment building complex or at a public Laundromat where other numerous people wash their clothes, then be sure to check the insides of the washer and dryers first and make sure they are clean and don’t have any previous “dirty deposits” or forgotten laundry inside. 
1. – Add your bodysuit to the inside of the washing machine. If your bodysuit has any removable items such as foam padding inserts, animatronics/electronics, etc., then please remove those items before washing. If your bodysuit has an attached tail directly sewn on, then you may wish to review Section 3-E further above. Sample Pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01649.jpg
2. – Select “Delicate/Gentle” wash cycle and “Cold Water” settings on your washing machine if you have them. Once your machine begins filling up with water, then add an appropriate amount of Woolite brand detergent (or a different type of your choosing).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/fursuitcare/DSC01635.jpg
3. – After your bodysuit has gone through the main wash/rinse/spin cycle, you may be able to put your bodysuit through an extra spin cycle as described in one of the “NOTES” found in Section 3 (General Washing Advice) further above. This would allow you to try and get more excess water out of the bodysuit before putting the bodysuit into the dryer.
4. – For all other information about washing fursuits, please read Section 3 (General Washing Advice) further above. Drying of a bodysuit will be explained in Section 4 further below.

Kobuk:
3-G. CLEANING OF FURSUIT PADDING

Practically all fursuits have some type of foam or polyfill padding in one form or another in various places on the fursuit. Trying to clean and dry padding is difficult, but not entirely impossible. Depending on how your suit was constructed, it can take mere hours to wash and dry padding, or it can take a few days.

1. – If any of your fursuit parts have removable foam padding that is inserted into “pockets” in your fursuit pieces or you have a different system of removable foam padding, and you wish to wash that foam should it have sweat, odors, and stains on it, then you can wash that foam in cold water in a sink or tub with a mild detergent solution such as Woolite. After soaking for a few minutes, then gently squeeze out any excess water, then rinse and soak again in clear water to rinse out any leftover soap deposits. After rinsing and squeezing out the excess water again, then set aside those pieces to dry and get a fan blowing air on them IMMEDIATELY to help decrease the drying time.

2. – If your fursuit pieces and/or diveskin/unitard undergarments have foam or another type of padding that is sewn in and/or glued directly on, then you may still be able to clean those fursuit parts as mentioned in the various Sections further above, but because the foam padding is “hidden” behind fur or other fabric material, then it will be much harder for foam to dry out and air to get at it. The best hope to quickly dry any form of padding after washing is to IMMEDIATELY get a fan blowing air on those parts/areas. As the padding is drying, you can gently squeeze (If possible) out any excess water in that padding, but also be carefull not to do other damage such as rip a seam, etc. to the surrounding area of the item that is drying if you squeeze out the water too harshly. If padding is not properly dried, then any moisture left inside the padding can be a “breeding ground” so to speak for mold and foul odors. And once that happens, the only way to get rid of that mold and foul odors is to completely replace all the padding/stuffing which will take time, new materials, and money.

Kobuk:
4. DRYING OF FURSUIT PARTS

The next biggest step is: How do I dry my fursuit pieces after washing them? Well, that can take a few hours or it can take a few days depending on how you cleaned your fursuit pieces. Leaving fursuit pieces to “air dry” out in the open will take the longest. But using a fan to blow air on the fursuit parts to help decrease the drying time is usually the shortest.


1. BALACLAVA AND DIVESKIN UNDERGARMENTS
As for the undergarments that you wore underneath your fursuit and then washed, you can hang those up to air dry normally on a hanger or you can have a fan blowing air on them to help decrease the drying time. If your diveskin/unitard had any foam padding sewn/glued on to give the appearance of digitigrade legs and/or muscles on the body, then you’ll definitely want to immediately get a fan blowing air on those foamed areas to dry them out. You can also put your undergarment items in the dryer if you wish, but preferably on a “No Heat/Tumble Dry Low Heat” setting as some various fabrics could shrink over time with multiple washings/drying.
If you instead just wore regular tshirt and shorts under your fursuit, then you can wash/dry those items as you would with your other regular clothing. Example pic showing diveskin/unitard drying on a rack:

Click picture for larger image.



2. FURSUIT HEAD
As mentioned before in this tutorial, fursuit heads are NOT washed in a tub/washing machine for whatever reason due to the amount of foam padding on them and the damage that can be incurred to the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. After “spot cleaning” the head by hand though, you can simply set the head aside someplace to air dry. If for any reason your fursuit head accidentally came into contact with a large amount of water or other liquid, the odds of trying to dry your head, even with a fan, and preventing mold/mildew and foul odors is almost impossible IMO without completely “ripping apart” the entire head to dry it out. If you do have “catastrophic” damage to your fursuit head due to a liquid, then you’re almost better off making a completely new head or trying to rebuild your existing head with new foam and other materials.


3. HANDPAWS
Fursuit handpaws can either be hung up to air dry as shown in this sample pic:

Click picture for larger image.


Or you can have a fan blowing air on them to help decrease the drying time. You can also put them in the dryer, but preferably with a “NO HEAT” setting.


4. FOOTPAWS –
Footpaws are mostly spot cleaned by hand. After doing this, then you can just set the footpaws aside somewhere to air dry.
While I have heard of people putting footpaws in the tub/washing machine to help get them clean, drying them afterward will take quite a lot of time due to any amount of foam used. It is probably preferable to set the footpaws aside somewhere and have a fan blowing air on them to help decrease the drying time. As the footpaws are drying, you may wish to gently squeeze the footpaws/padding from time to time to help get more water out.

Click picture for larger image.



5. TAILS
If you spot clean your tail by hand (Which is highly preferable.), then you can just set the tail aside someplace to air dry. If your tail was washed in the bathtub or washing machine for whatever reason, then you’ll want to get a fan blowing air on the tail immediately to help decrease the drying time since there’s a large amount of foam or polyfil batting inside the tail that will be wet. Sample pic: V

Click picture for larger image.


 As the tail is drying after having been in the tub or washing machine, you can also gently squeeze out any excess water from the tail. Hopefully before you washed your tail, you took out (if possible) any animatronics/electrical items (for a movable tail), or a “chain spine” (for a weighted tail), or any other armature, padding, etc. if you had any. You can put those items back in once the tail is 100% dry. See Section 3-E further above for more advice about tails.

When doing any kind of cleaning on a tail (especially if the tail had to be put into a tub/washer for whatever reason), whether it is directly attached (sewn) onto the bodysuit or not if it's a seperate piece, It is preferable if the tail were laying on a flat surface to dry. If you hanged a tail when it is still wet, then all the water still in the tail will flow down into the lower areas of the tail and all that weight from the water will start to pull/stretch the upper portions of the tail/fabric. And once that happens, then you’ll have to do some major alteration/sewing work to adjust the tail to fit correctly again.


6. BODYSUITS –

Drying a fursuit bodysuit is probably the most tedious and longest to do. If you just spot cleaned by hand certain areas of your bodysuit, then you can just set the bodysuit aside someplace to air dry.
If your bodysuit was cleaned in the bathtub or washing machine, then it is preferred that you DO NOT immediately hang your bodysuit up on a hanger to dry after washing it! Lay the bodysuit on a flat surface instead!
If you were to immediately hang it, then all the water still in the suit will flow down into the lower areas/legs of the suit and all that weight from the water will start to pull/stretch the upper portions of the bodysuit, especially in the shoulder areas where the hanger is. And once that happens, then you’ll have to do some major alteration/sewing work to adjust the upper portions of your bodysuit to fit correctly again.
Once your bodysuit has started drying after a specified number of hours (12-24 hours, Although your mileage may vary.) to get rid of most of the water/moisture and is then “semi-dry” – meaning that it is slightly damp or half wet/half dry, then you may choose to switch to hanging your bodysuit on a hanger if you wish, preferably on a wide/thick hanger for hanging medium to heavy type garments.
Also, if you turned your bodysuit inside out when you washed it, then you may wish to turn the suit back to it’s normal configuration so that the fur is on the outside and it can properly dry. Because the bodysuit will be so heavily weighted down by water, then make sure you very carefully turn the suit back to it’s original configuration and you do not stretch the fur fabric and/or bust a seam. Work slowly and carefully. However, it is personal preference if you wanted to do this or if you wanted to wait till the suit is 100% dry, then turn it back to it’s original configuration. You may also decide to open up the  zipper/velcro entryway area on the fursuit so more air can get inside the suit and the inside can dry faster.
Sample pics showing suit turned inside out, and also back to normal configuration with fur on the outside, with suit being hanged when it is slightly damp or “semi-wet/dry”.


Click pictures for larger images.
 



* DRYING BODYSUIT AFTER TUB WASHING –

Hanging a fursuit immediately after washing is NOT recommended for the reasons I already gave above. What I usually do myself is a 50/50 mix of having the bodysuit vertical and horizontal when drying, kind of like in a step pattern:

Click picture for larger image.




After an hour or two, I’ll then flip the suit over and let the other side dry for awhile. I’ll usually continue to flip the suit a few times every so often so that the front and back sides get equal drying time, and I’ll also have a fan blowing air on the bodysuit to help decrease the drying time.
Another option for drying is to lay your bodysuit completely flat on an area to dry so that no one section of the suit is being weighted down by water and stretched. One option to lay your suit on is a bunch of milk crate type containers. These have numerous holes in them that would allow the air and water to pass through. Just make sure to flip the suit over every so often to let the other side get dry and to keep flipping occasionally so each side gets evenly dried.

Click picture for larger image.





* DRYING BODYSUIT AFTER WASHING MACHINE USE –

After cleaning your bodysuit in the washing machine, you can use the methods for drying I already mentioned above or you may choose to put your bodysuit in the clothes dryer. If you do this though, then try to make sure your bodysuit is not too overly wet. Putting your bodysuit through an extra “Spin Cycle” (If possible, and if your washer has that setting) may help to remove more excess water before you decide to put the bodysuit in the dryer. Also, if your tail is directly attached to the bodysuit, then you may want to try and gently squeeze out as much excess water out of the tail (or other foamed areas in the bodysuit) as possible before finally putting it in the dryer. And as mentioned numerous times before, Any fursuit parts that are put in the dryer are to use a “NO HEAT” setting if your dryer has that setting. Using any amount of heat will melt and damage the fur fibres on your fursuit parts. Sample pics: V   Click each image below for a larger picture.

Dryer settings:                               Suit turned inside out:                         When heat “melts” fur:





OTHER DRYING METHODS FOR FURSUITS/FURSUIT PARTS -

7. FANS
Do I really have to mention it again? GET A FAN! Using a fan to help dry your fursuit parts by blowing air on them will greatly decrease the drying time of those parts.
Another option to dry your diveskin/unitard undergarments and/or fursuit bodysuit after disinfecting or washing those items is to use the example fans as mentioned in the “Supplies” section at the beginning of this tutorial.


8. HOME-BUILT DRYING FANS
From time to time, some fursuiters will make their own small portable home-built fans to dry their fursuit parts and/or their undergarments. Usually, these types of home-built fans are made with a wood/plastic/metal framework, small motor, CPU computer fans, batteries, and other assorted components. An example of a home-built head drying system is shown here: (Sample LJ link used with permission from Jase the Husky a.k.a. “loup_garou_wolf”)
LINK: http://loup-garou-wolf.livejournal.com/54474.html


9. USING A DEHUMIDIFIER
As strange as it may sound, not only do dehumidifiers “wick/pull/suck” the moisture out of the surrounding air during summer time, but they can also help to “pull” the moisture out of fursuit parts after you washed them. Just lay or hang your fursuit parts someplace, then set your dehumidifier nearby.
LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehumidifier


10.  DRYING OUTSIDE IN SUNLIGHT/FRESH AIR
This is probably the easiest out of all the drying methods mentioned. However, there is a “slight” downside to this option. While drying out in the warm air and sunlight will definitely speed up the drying process, overexposure to sunlight can possibly fade the fursuit colors, especially white. Now something like this won’t happen overnight or within hours, but it could happen over a course of days, weeks, or months, and how often you put your suit outside in the direct sunlight. Instead of putting your suit in the direct sunlight to dry, it would probably be recommended that you had your suit hanging or laying somewhere in a shaded area instead.

Kobuk:
5. BRUSHING OF FUR

As was previously mentioned in the “Supplies” section, you’ll need 1-3 different brushes for brushing the fur on your fursuit after you’ve washed it and/or for general preventative care at an event, etc.
One type is known as a Slicker Brush which is shown here:

Click picture for larger image.


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.

Another type is also shown to the right of the blue slicker brush in this picture here:

Click picture for larger image.


Whatever brushes you decide to get, you should probably make sure they have soft bristles on them. If you pull/tug on the fur too harshly when you brush, then you’ll have clumps of fur coming out and be left with “bald spots” on your fursuit pieces. Once this happens, there is no way for the fur to “grow back” since fake fur is not like real hair. You want to use short strokes when brushing fur and to always go “with the grain” so to speak to use an old woodworker’s phrase, and follow the direction that the fur is in, which is usually downward. Although the following link talks and shows about how to fur a fursuit head during construction, I figure the pic could also help show how to brush the fur on a fursuit head by viewing the directions of the arrows on that picture in the entry.
LINK: http://community.livejournal.com/fursuit/693806.html

Sample video link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb7dJ0O9yQs
One reason for using multiple brushes is that since fursuits are made with multiple colors, you can use one brush for one color, then switch to a different brush for another color. If you only used ONE brush for ALL the colors on your suit, then you may accidentally be mixing loose fibres of one color into a different color on your fursuit. It would look kinda funny to see green fibres mixed in with white fibres or pink fibres mixed with black. LOL.
It is also personal preference whether you want to try and brush your fursuit pieces after you washed them when the fur is still wet or semi-dry, or if you’d rather wait till your fursuit is 100% dry. IMO, I find it is often best to wait till the suit is 100% dry before brushing.

Kobuk:
6. STORAGE OF FURSUIT PARTS

And now we come to the last section of caring for a fursuit: How to properly store it. There are many ways to do this and what you choose is personal preference.
After your fursuit has been washed/dried or you’re done suiting at an event and are ready to put your suit away, then you should at least disinfect your fursuit pieces one last time before finally putting them away in the closet or wherever else before your next future event. Just make sure to let the suit dry out after you disinfected it before packing up the fursuit.
Another option to keep your fursuit pieces smelling clean and fresh is to put a dryer fabric sheet in each of the pieces:
* One sheet in each handpaw
* One sheet in each footpaw
* One sheet in the head
* One sheet in each arm sleeve of the bodysuit
* One sheet in each pants leg of the bodysuit
* And one sheet in the main body.
You can put fresh new sheets in the parts every 3 months or at a time of your choosing.

For packing up the fursuit, it is personal preference whether you want to hang it or lay/fold it someplace. Hanging is preferably better as that takes up the least amount of space, but you want to make sure your bodysuit is hung on a thick and sturdy hanger. And if your bodysuit is hung for a lengthy period of time such as weeks or months without getting used, there “might” be the possibility of the shoulders getting stretched from hanging on the hanger too long. You can also put your bodysuit in one of those clear dress garment bags if you wish to help protect the suit from dust, insects, liquids, etc.

Click picture for larger image.


Laying/folding the bodysuit is another option, but the downside to that is you could have wrinkles in your bodysuit if you folded it too much or your bodysuit became flattened too much over a period of time.

Click picture for larger image.


This would be especially true if you used one of those special “space saver” bags where the air is expelled out of the bag so that the bag can be compressed and you can fit more garments or other items in a closet or other area. Using those types of bags would probably not be recommended.
What you choose for containers or garment bags to put all your fursuit pieces in is your choice. One sample place to buy containers from is here:
LINK: http://www.containerstore.com/index.jhtml

Also, when putting away your fursuit pieces, then place them in a cool and dry area away from moisture/humidity and also away from sunlight. Your bedroom closet is a good place or maybe the closet where you store your family coats in the hallway. Also be careful of any extreme heat or cold temperatures as they may affect the bonding qualities of the hot glue which was used to attach fur and foam, and/or other substances and materials.

Special Note: When storing your fursuit parts, especially the head, then please be sure that no other objects are stored in the same containers as your fursuit parts. You don't want to have anything else poking, pushing in, or doing other damage to your fursuit. Fursuit heads should NOT be compressed/compacted in any way as you will incur damage to the eyes, nose, ears, etc.

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