Fursuit Care Guide
What to do: General care between short uses: Brush your fursuit using a slicker brush, brushing gently away from yourself in the direction of the fauxfur before and after wear to keep the fauxfur fibers looking good. - For fleece/minky faced heads and other parts on your fursuit made using fleece/minky fabric MMM recommends using a soft bristled pet brush to brush them, it helps keep your fleece/minky areas looking great. - Use a 50/50 solution of water and isopropyl alcohol inside the head (making sure to avoid spraying the eyes or any drybrushed areas), inside of feetpaws, insides of bodysuits ect to help disinfect inside after each use. Ensure all parts disinfected are fully dry before storing or putting on again. Deeper cleaning your suit - best after longer wear or many shorter uses: -Tails, handpaws, armsleeeves and bodysuits with no dryrushing can be washed in a washing machine on a cool wash (no higher than 20ºC/68 f) as to not damage the delicate fauxfur fibers and put on a gentle spin to help get out excess water. When washing parts in a washing machine be sure to turn bodysuits and armsleeves inside out and place smaller parts such as handpaws and tails inside a washing bag or pillowcase to help protect the fibers during washing. Another option is to wash by hand in lukewarm water and gently wipe with a cloth in the direction of the fauxfur pile to help clean away any dirt spots. You can use an antibacterial laundry cleanser when washing your suit parts. Head cleaning without an upholstery cleaner: Heads should be surface washed using a cold or luke warm cloth with gentle rubbing in the direction of the fur pile to help clean it. Fleece and minky faced heads should be cleaned in the same way a standard furred head should and disinfect using isopropyl alcohol (50/50 or 70/30 mix with water). Head cleaning with an upholstery cleaner: Using a handheld upholstery cleaner, ensure the machine is cleaned beforehand, especially if its been used to clean carpet or other household furniture. Use a skin safe, anti bacterial laundry cleanser with a mixture of lukewarm water in the cleaning liquid tank. Use a ratio which you feels works best with your machine, if unsure try a tablespoon approx of the laundry cleanser in a liter of water and alter if needed if you feel its needs more or less ect. *Dont use too much cleaner as it will be much harder to get all the suds completely out. Start by covering the eyes to minimise getting them wet, you may do this with kitchen towel and then spray down the inside of a small area of the head with the cleaning solution and slowly go over the areas to suck the water out. You may have to repeat over certain areas a few times to get them fully clean and get any grime out. You should clean both inside and outside of the head and get as much water out as you can. After you have gone over and cleaned your head then you should go over your head with just water to ensure you have gotten all the suds out. Dry the head as usual and ensure it is fully dry before storing. *If your head has drybrushing you can thoroughly clean the inside using this method, but its recommended to use a damp cloth to clean the fur, especially on drybrushed areas* Feetpaws can be cleaned using this method as they tend to dry much faster this way. General tips: After cleaning inside your head it is advised to place it in a highly ventilated area and if possible point a fan at the inside to help speed up the drying process. When drying your fursuit you should make sure to gently squeeze out any excess water, especially on tails, puffy paw fingers and other stuffed areas such as digi pillow padding. Wet fursuit parts from washing should be periodically brushed as they dry. Wet bodysuits should be laid over a drying rack ect to avoid the extra weight of the water from stretching the fabric. Stains: Be mindful of your surrounding when fursuiting, there are many things that can stain or damage your fursuit. If your fursuit gets a stain, MMM recommends using a vanish bar on the area, cleaning it directly by hand. Build up a lather on the stained area with the vanish bar and then gently rub using a luke warm, damp cloth until all suds from the vanish is gone. Repeat a second time if your feel necessary, then air dry the fursuit part fully before storing. Be sure to treat any stains first before washing. - What NOT to do: NEVER USE HEAT ON YOUR FURSUIT. Heat will damage the fauxfur fibers which is irreparable meaning the damaged parts will need to be replaced. DO NOT FULLY SUBMERGE YOUR FURSUIT HEAD IN WATER. This could lead to internal damage if water gets trapped inside/ doesnt dry fully and sits in the foam, leading to mold growth and making your head a health hazard. DO NOT SPRAY ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL DIRECTLY ON FURSUIT EYES. This may lead to the paint being damaged/running so they will need to be replaced. DO NOT PUT FURSUIT PARTS IN A DRYER. This may lead to irreversable damage on your suit due to the heat. DO NOT STORE A WET FURSUIT. This can cause mold growth on your fursuit which is a health hazard, especially in the head. DONT SWING FURSUIT HEADS BY THEIR EARS OR USE EXCESSIVE FORCE ON PARTS. |