Fursuit Care Guide
General Care
• Never leave your suit in a hot car or building. This can remelt the glue, warp the eyes, or damage the fur.
• Keep your fursuit in a dry place
• What To Wear: What you wear under your suit will help keep it in great shape for years to come. For full suits or suits with arm or leg sleeves, it is recommended to always wear Under Armor or a similar brand under your suit to help keep you cool and help keep moisture off your suit. It also provides a layer of protection against the scratchy backing of some furs. A balaclava will also help keep the inside of your head clean.
• You can place a dryer sheet inside the head after use to keep your fursuit smelling great!
• When you’re finished cleaning your suit, brush the fur back into the position you want while it is still wet
• Cleaning solutions for the interior of the mask can be made from equal parts distilled water and isopropyl alcohol.
Fursuit Parts
• Tails are super easy. Spot clean them when they get a few dirty spots
• If the whole tail needs help, put it through the washing machine in a pillowcase, tied shut with an elastic band. Wash on delicate, with unscented detergent that has no softeners
• The tail may need to be wrung out after washing. Squeeze excess water out, but don’t stretch your tail! It may warp! Make sure to brush it thoroughly- areas that touch the ground or your butt may need extra brushing
• When storing your hands, it is nice to keep them inside your mask. They won’t get lost, or get too hot.
• Handpaws, armsleeves and specifically canine/feline feetpaws can be put into a washing machine. Make sure to put them inside of a pillowcase, and that it is sealed with a hair-band, rubber band, etc. This helps keep your handpaws soft and unwrinkled. DO NOT ADD HEAT, and put the power to ‘delicate’. NEVER use soap that is scented, NEVER use soap that has fabric softener! Scents are made from chemicals which may be harsh on the fabric backing, and fabric softener may make your pieces feel greasy!
• For stains, a good by-hand scrub and spot-cleaning can do the trick for paws and sleeves
• NEVER put fursuit pieces in the dryer! Allow them to sit out in a dry place. For faster drying, place a fan facing towards them. Brush your paws and sleeves with a comb while they are wet to keep the fur direction consistent and non-matted
• Dryer sheets can be put into fursuit parts to help keep them smelling fresh as a short-term solution. This is nice when attending conventions, where you cannot wash your suit!
The Head
• Avoid scrubbing toony eyes, as the paint job could chip or fade
• Avoid poking or prodding the ‘whites’ of the eyes, they could become punctured or scratched
• Fursuit heads usually only need a spot-cleaning and to be sprayed inside with a human-safe cleaning solution such as fursuit spray
• Heads can be soaked in a tub with sensitive-skin non-aromatic laundry detergent for really bad cases of stink. Once finished make sure to squeeze out excess water and allow it to sit in a dry place for a few days
• You’re also able to use a Bissel Green machine to spot clean the head inside and out
Bodysuit
• First, fill a tub with lukewarm (NEVER hot!) water. Have a slicking brush on-hand for easing out wrinkles and matting on areas of the suit which rub (thighs, butt, knees and armpits.) Also have a laundry basket prepared to transport your bodysuit to the washing machine (It will become very heavy!) For a regular washing, typically just a bit of Oxyclean or laundry detergent (non-softening/no scents) is needed.
• Turn your bodysuit inside-out. If you have deep-set stains, now is the time to apply Folex straight to them and scrub them out! Folex works best when it has had the chance to set into the stain for a few minutes. Afterwards, lay your suit out into the tub so that it is not bunched and submerge it. Let it soak for a while, up to an hour, periodically making sure that the suit is getting an adequate amount of soap.
• If you have matting, turn your suit right-side out and begin working at the matting slowly with the slicking brush. Gently work at the matting in the direction of the fur to avoid pulling out clumps of fur (it will never grow back!) This may take a while, have patience.
• Drain the tub and squish out as much liquid as possible, the bodysuit is heavy when waterlogged! Do not wring the material out forcefully in a way that may stretch it! If you turned the suit right-side out, turn it back inside-out before loading it into the washing machine. Set your machine to gentle and cold. Add laundry detergent if the suit still seems dirty.
• Once the washing machine has finished, your suit should be mostly wrung out. Turn your suit right-side out. If your suit is very heavy still, do not hang it up to dry (It will stretch the shoulders) instead lay it somewhere dry (avoid direct sunlight.) It is very important that you brush out your entire suit several times and during different stages of dryness in order for the fur to stay soft and unwrinkled.
• Fursuits are almost always made from faux fur, which is made of plastic fibers. This means that bleach should not harm the colors of your suit! If you are unsure of the materials of your suit, ask your maker.
• If you have digitigrade padding, put the padding together in a pillowcase and tie it closed. The padding should be washed on gentle, with cold water. The padding may be put into your dryer, on the very lowest heat setting (no heat if possible).
Extra Tips
We recommend a few products to help make cleaning easy!
• Folex
• OxyClean carpet stain remover
• ’All’ brand washer detergent for ‘sensitive skin’ (Contains no softeners, dyes, or scents)
• Dryer Sheets
• Bissel Green Machine
• Grease-fighting Dish Soap (avoid scents)
Natural Disinfectant Solution
This solution is great for quick and easy cleaning; a must-have for conventions!
• Measure out 1:1 isopropyl alcohol and distilled water in a small spray bottle
• Slowly add ‘essential’ oils (not fragrance oils!) one drop at a time until fragrant
• Shake to mix, then spray inside masks, paws or bodysuit for disinfecting and to get rid of any odor!
• This is great for conventions and short outings, but does not replace a good bath! Always
wash your fursuit after sweaty expeditions!