🐾 General Maintenance + Care! 🐾

Looking to keep your partial in tip top shape? C: Here’s a crash course in suit care! Washing a suit can seem daunting, but routine care will ensure your suit will look and feel it’s best for many years of fun to come! Washing and brushing will keep your fluff soft, fresh, and looking adorable!
(ゝ◡╹)ノ♡

~~*~~

Step 1: Brushing!

No matter how clean and pristine your fluff might be, a brushing will always do it some good! :3 General brushing with a slicker pet brush or thin toothed metal comb before and after (and even during!) wear will keep your head / suit / paws / tail looking its best! A slicker brush is best for detangling and taking away possible matting, a comb will do a better job of simple maintenance. Keeping both on hand is a great idea!

Be gentle but thorough, never pressing the bristles too hard or far into the fur. Never go against the grain! For longer fur, giving it a good shake after will fluff it up and make it look and feel super soft once again! :3

Did the fur get crimped? You can actually use a hairdryer on medium to get that right out! Just be cautious when using heat with faux fur, as a temperature that’s too high can damage the delicate strands, but it’s also indispensable to keeping everything looking brand new~!

Step 2: Storage!

Whenever your goodies aren’t in use, it’s always best to store everything somewhere out of the sun in a cool, clean, dry place c: Faux fur can get crimped if left squished under something heavy or sharp edged for long, so do your best to give your fluff a bit of brushing love in between storing times!

It’s ideal to store your head, tail or other goodies in a plastic storage tote to keep everything safe and contained. This will also keep your fluff from pets, moisture, and smells!

If storing a long tail, gently curling it into its tote is a good way to make sure the stuffing stays evenly distributed. Every once and a while if it’s been stored for awhile, take it out and give it a good brush and shake to revitalize any flattened fluffs!

Step 3: What to wear!

This gets asked a lot, what’s the best thing to wear under your suit? We always recommend wearing a spandex face mask (such as a balaclava!) or something similar underneath a fursuit head to help cut down on excess sweat from getting into your head!

If wearing a bodysuit, brands such as Under Armor or other athletic clothing brands offer leggings and shirts meant to be worn during hot summer activities, these are ideal as they wick sweat away from your body and help protect your suit!

When does everything need to be washed?

Well, that’s generally up to you! Does the fur feel stiff or matted or greasy? Is it smelly or stained? Maybe it’s just not looking its best despite your best efforts? That brings us to…

🐾 How to wash your suit! 🐾

Step 1: Decide what must be done!

Be sure to check out your fluff thoroughly! What’s it feel and smell like? :O You don’t need to wash your suit each time it’s worn if it still looks and smells fresh!

Step 2: Spot-Washing!

Before going into a deep cleaning, consider spot washing small stains or muddy bits first! Take a warm, damp (not wet!) cloth with a tiny amount of mild liquid detergent and gently blot the stain. This should lift a lot of color/dirt from the area. Go in again with a damp, but not soapy cloth and repeat the blotting. Make sure to pat and press, not wipe! Wiping can possibly spread a stain around instead of taking it out.

Using a dry cloth, repeat until dry! This should hopefully remove most of the stain and color out of the area! Celebrate! :D

Note that if you get just plain dry dirt or grassy bits stuck on or in your fur, you can usually wipe that away without the use of water. Water might just make it muddy, so be sure you really need to wash!

Step 3: Head Care!

Taking care of your head is the most scary part, but it’s quite easy to do! Beyond brushing and proper storage, cleaning the inside of the head between wearing is super important. If your head isn’t smelling it’s very best after use, here is a simple solution to help kill bacteria from sweat and moisture!

Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol!) is super useful for suit care. It evaporates very quickly and acts as a wonderful disinfectant for a smelly fursuit head! c: You can find this in any drugstore and is quite cheap, try to find the kind that’s 70%!

Add some into a clean spray bottle (the type that creates a fine mist, like a perfume bottle!), and you’re ready to go! (No need to protect the eyes, all of our new suit’s eyes are 100% waterproof and will not bleed color!)

Flip your head upside down and spray into the cavity and on the inner neck, making sure to get good coverage before leaving to dry for a short while! It should be smelling much better now! This also works great for the insides of paws as well!

You can also spot wash the inside of your head with a damp washcloth in similar steps to spot washing to make extra sure it’s fresh and clean for those extra sweaty days :3 ALWAYS allow it to dry completely before wearing or storing! Placing in front of a fan can speed along this process and is recommended!

Step 4: Machine Washing!

You can machine wash most parts of a suit in a cold setting (never hot!) with a small amount of mild liquid detergent. This is a great, easy way to make all your parts fluffy and new after lots of wear! :D Always brush your fluff before washing, as tangles can become much harder to remove after a wash!

Adding in a bit of cheap hair conditioner will also help, as it keeps the fur static free and smelling great! Make sure to choose a scent you like! I personally like strawberries~! ♪

Make extra sure the setting is on cold, with a delicate cycle. Never use hot water when washing faux fur! It can cause fur fibers to melt and become irreversibly matted. No one wants that! D: Cold (and even lukewarm!) water will not have this problem, so triple check! c:

Gently lay everything in there! Handpaws should be turned inside out and the tail allowed to pool around the inner drum if you have one (if it’s long), or tied inside a pillowcase or laundry bag if it’s small enough!

Start the cycle after adding soap and conditioner! After it’s run its course, take your clean and damp fluff and add it into the dryer. Only dry on NO HEAT! Heat is bad for fur, so make sure it’s not hot! c: Let it go on cold/no heat (your machine might say something else, try to check which is right before adding your fluff!), to get most of the water out.

Make sure your fluff is dry by squishing here or there just to be fully sure. If it’s not, you can put it back in there after giving a good gentle brush! It should all be nice and soft, and smelling great! Brush it again and you’re good to go!

Do NOT place your suit head into the washing machine! While our heads are designed to be able to be submerged completely, the machine’s just too rough around the eye adhesive. If spot washing the inside and outside, using rubbing alcohol, and allowing to dry fully just doesn’t feel sufficient, gently hand washing in a bathtub or sink can be done as an absolute last resort! Just be sure to use gentle detergent or shampoo and try not to fully soak the inner foam of the head while washing, as this will make proper drying VERY difficult!

Finally~ Don’t forget to give all your fluff plenty of brushing as it dries to keep it like new!

If you need any extra help, just send us a message and we can offer more personalized advice!

Annnnnd you should be all set! :D Enjoy the con, run around your house, do whatever you crazy cats (or dogs, or dragons, or whatever you are!) want to do looking and smelling wonderful! <3