Fursuit Care Information

General Wear and Care

We know how exciting wearing fursuits can be! Care when wearing is all down to common sense. Here are some pointers!

– Keep parts brushed before and after wear – This will help the fur stay looking clean and new. When brushing with a slicker brush, gently push the brush away from the handle (upside down) with the direction of the fur rather than pulling toward the handle. This will keep the fur tidy but has a lower risk of pulling the fibres out.

– Wear appropriate clothing underneath – Though it’s not required, I would always advise wearing a lycra balaclava (provided with your suit head) with a head, and socks with feet. If you have body suit parts, wear something thin which will protect your skin, such as leggings and a fitted long sleeve shirt. Lycra is a good material to go with for these items. You don’t want to overheat, but having this extra layer will absorb sweat, help prevent your skin chafing and ultimately protect the inside of your suit. Clothes are easier to just throw in the wash after suiting! These clothes don’t need to be branded, but if money allows, activewear from brands such as Under Armour’s “HeatGear”, Gear X or DRSKIN are commonly used and recommended by fursuiters.

– Disinfect your suit after wear – A simple disinfectant spray can be made using isopropyl rubbing alcohol diluted with water to about 70% in a spray bottle. This will kill bacteria from your sweat, eliminate odour and doesn’t take ages to dry. Making up your own spray is cheaper and doesn’t contain chemicals that might damage your suit. Avoid spraying any on the eyes as the isopropyl can damage them.

– Keep yourself clean – While I hope you keep clean anyway, have a shower before and after suiting! This will just help lessen the risk of any bacteria finding its way into the suit when you sweat during suiting.

– Avoid extreme terrain, weather and activity – While none of these things are forbidden, just use some common sense when it comes to where and when you wear your suit. Ensure fursuit sandals are worn on indoor feet when outside or in public spaces (e.g. convention floors). Try to avoid pulling on, putting excess weight on or being rough with suit parts. Faux fur can also be damaged with higher temperatures, so keep indoors, to the shade or just don’t suit at all in really hot weather (you also don’t want to get heatstroke!). Avoid muddy, dirty or dusty terrains. Snow or water shouldn’t damage your suit but avoid near the eyes or any electronics if you do decide to venture out into these.

Travel and Storage

Storing your suit correctly is important to protect from dust, dirt or damage. This also goes for travelling to and from meets and conventions.

– After wear, give your suit time to dry fully before putting away and storing – You can use fans to help this happen quicker, just don’t use heat to dry as this can damage the fur. 

– For storage, hang the body up on a sturdy coat hanger – I recommend ones with large shoulders, like for suit jackets. Remove any heavy padding. If the body has attached feet, tail and / or wings, make sure they rest on a surface so the weight doesn’t pull on the fur and stretch it. You can keep it in a dust cover if your home gets particularly dusty or the suit will be in storage for a long period.

– Store parts in a lidded plastic box – If you have limited wardrobe space, lidded plastic boxes can also be used. Remember to keep the head near the top and protected by other parts so it doesn’t get bent out of shape. Large parts such as the body can be rolled up to save space but still protect it from creasing.

– Do not squash the head – The main head form should be sturdy, but ears, horns and other protrusions can be more delicate and the whole thing can be damaged and bent out of shape if too much pressure is put on it. Place on the top of other parts in a wardrobe. Other parts such as tails can be placed round the head to protect it when travelling or if stored in a box.

– Tape down delicate parts – Carefully tape down parts such as whiskers with masking tape when storing in a box or travelling.

– Store in a dark, dry, cool place – Direct sunlight can make whites yellow and colours fade if left too long. Dampness can cause mould and damage your suit. Heat can also damage fur! You can throw in a silica gel pack or two if you like to absorb extra moisture.

– For travel, use a large, case, bin or trunk – With wheels is even better! Make sure you can transport your suit easily and safely without having to squash parts. Vacuum packing bodies and padding is okay for short periods of time if needed, but never do this to foam based parts such as heads and feet. You can use less sturdy cases and bags if it’s easier and you’re not travelling far, just be careful when packing the head.

Cleaning Your Suit

Probably the most important part to having a suit is knowing how to wash it! Disinfecting your suit will help keep your suit clean short-term, but you will still need to wash the suit at some point, such as after conventions or multiple shorter uses.

Machine Washing

Yes, fursuits CAN be machine washed!
Not suitable for parts with foam, such as feet and some tails. DO NOT machine wash the head or any parts with electrical components such as LEDs or fans.

1) Remove any padding cushions – You can wash these too, just make sure they’re separate.
2)Turn any parts you can inside out – Parts you cannot turn inside out, and parts with solid claws should be placed in a tied off pillowcase, laundry bag or inside the body.
3) Wash on a COLD and DELICATE / GENTLE cycle – Some machines may have a “hand wash” setting. DO NOT use heat as this will damage the fur. You can use whichever detergent you want. A lot of people use Woolite for suits but this isn’t necessary. If you have a lot of large parts, do a couple separate loads.
4) Hang up the body and brush all the fur – Turn all the parts right side out and brush all the fur in the correct direction. Heavier bodies should be supported at more than one point to prevent stretching. You can lay it over some chairs or on a clothes horse if you have one. Make sure the body is not soaking wet if you hang it up otherwise the fur can stretch; your machine should have a spin cycle at the end which will remove most of the water.
5) Leave to air dry – Always air dry your fursuit. Fans can be used to speed up the process. DO NOT put fur items in the dryer or use heat such as radiators or hair dryers to dry your suit. Re-brush every so often while the suit dries.

Bathing / Submerging Method

Not suitable for parts with foam, such as feet and some tails. DO NOT submerge wash the head or any parts with electrical components such as LEDs or fans.

1) Remove any padding cushions – You can wash these too, just make sure they’re separate.
2) Turn any parts you can inside out – You do not have to put any other parts in anything with this method. You do not need to turn anything inside out either, but it makes the washing part a little easier. It will be the inside you need to focus on washing as this is where sweat  (and therefore bacteria) will get to.
3) Fill a bath (or sink for small items) with cool to room temperature water – DO NOT use hot water as this can damage the fur. Fill enough water that you can submerge all the parts you are washing completely.
4) Mix a laundry detergent of your choice into the water – Use a decent amount and mix into the water well!
5) Gently scrub with your hands – Make sure you aren’t too rough but get into the fur thoroughly. Focus more on areas of high friction such as armpits, hands and between the legs as these areas will build up more sweat and therefore more bacteria.
6) Drain the bath and squeeze out excess water – DO NOT wring or twist anything as this can damage the suit.
7) Thoroughly rinse the suit parts – Use a showerhead if you have one, pour clean water over the suit parts, or refill the bath a couple more times to rinse out any excess soap. You do not want any residual soap left on the suit.
8) Squeeze out excess water again – As before, gently squeeze as much water out as possible and do not twist or wring the water out. If you have a machine with a spin cycle only setting. you can put the parts in just to help spin the extra water out. If not, keep squeezing as much water out as you can.
9) Hang up the body and brush all the fur – Turn all the parts right side out and brush all the fur in the correct direction. Heavier bodies should be supported at more than one point to prevent stretching. You can lay it over some chairs or on a clothes horse if you have one; do this instead anyway if you are unsure whether you have removed enough water. Make sure the body is not soaking wet if you hang it up otherwise the fur can stretch; your machine should have a spin cycle at the end which will remove most of the water.
10) Leave to air dry – Always air dry your fursuit. Fans can be used to speed up the process. DO NOT put fur items in the dryer or use heat such as radiators or hair dryers to dry your suit.

Hand-Scrubbing

For foam based pieces, including the head, feet and foam structure tails!
For this method, avoid getting the eyes or any parts with electronic components wet. If unsure, carefully cover any of these parts to protect them.

1) Mix up a bowl or spray bottle of water and detergent – Use cool water and just a small amount of detergent. Choice of detergent is up to you. Woolite is not necessary but perfectly fine if desired.
2) Wet the area you wish to clean – Carefully spray the area of the part or wet a cloth with the soapy water to and gently rub onto the area. Do one suit part at a time rather than trying to do multiple at once.
3) Gently rub the soap into the area – Use your fingers or a cloth to massage the soap into the area you wish to clean.
4) Rinse the area – Spray with just plain water or wipe with a wet cloth (no soap) to rinse the area. Do this a couple of times.
5) Gently towel-dry the washed area – Rub the area lightly with a towel to dry it
6) Brush gently and air dry – Once washed and rinsed, place the item in front of a fan. DO NOT put fur items in the dryer or use heat such as radiators or hair dryers to dry your suit.
7) Repeat for all the parts and areas you wish to clean. You can go over areas multiple times if they are particularly grubby, such as on the feet.
8) Head necks can be washed with the submerging method – but if you do so avoid submerging any area with foam as it’s harder to dry.

Ultimately your washing decisions are your own, and other sources may give different advice. This is just what I would do! If you feel confident that you can dry foam based parts sufficiently with the machine or bathing method, it is possible. A small amount of water shouldn’t damage the eyes as they are sealed, but still best avoided if you can.