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Wearing

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• It will become hot inside the suit while wearing, especially if you have a fullsuit. Make sure to take a break and cool off every now and then, and stay hydrated.

• Wearing a balaclava (made of thin material such as lycra or spandex) under the head can help keep you cooler and absorb sweat, which will better protect the inside of the head between cleanings.

  • If your head does not have lining, a balaclava is highly recommended.​

  • When wearing a fullsuit or arm sleeves + leg pants, I also highly recommend Under Armor HeatGear, or anything of the like, in the form of leggings and a thin long-sleeved shirt. This can help keep you cooler and absorb sweat, better protecting the inside of the bodysuit between cleanings, and generally feels more comfortable than the fur backing on bare skin.

• I recommend brushing the fur before and after wearing to help keep the fur looking smooth and soft.

  • The best brush to use is a wire slicker pet brush.​

  • Avoid using a comb (if you do, be careful); it may get caught on seams and either break the thread or the comb itself.

• If your fursuit head has removable lining, please be gentle when taking it out. Ripping it out forcefully might also rip out some of the foam.

  • If you have removable lining, you may sometimes hear what sounds like a ripping sound when you take the head off and on. This is most likely just the velcro shifting around.​

  • If you take the lining out and notice some black areas on the inside foam, do not panic; excessive isopropyl alcohol may cause the lining to bleed a little dye. This should only be visible on the inside foam and not affect the fur. To be on the safe side, avoid completely soaking the lining with alcohol or fursuit spray, or take it out of the head and spray it separately.​​

• You may notice the foam inside the head start to turn yellow over time. This is normal with age and should not be a cause for concern.

• Sometimes static electricity can cause the fur to stick up, especially during colder months. Rubbing a dryer sheet on the fur can help fix this.

• If certain features were requested, some parts of the suit contain neodymium magnets. These may cause damage to electronics (and sometimes credit cards) if held too close, so avoid touching these areas with phones, credit cards, or computers.

  • If your suit has any of the following features, it contains magnets:​

    • Magnetic/adjustable eyelids: Magnets are around the eyes and inside the eyelids.​

    • Poseable tongues: Magnets are on each side of the muzzle and at the end of the poseable tongue.

    • Magnetic/removable hair tufts: Magnets are on top of the head and inside the bottom of the hair tuft.

    • Neck fluff pillow attachments: Magnets are at each end of the pillow.

    • Piercings: If piercings are removable, they typically have magnets at each end.

• If you have magnetic/adjustable eyelids, avoid having them on in situations where you are moving around a ton and could easily lose them.

• You can use fursuit spray, or an isopropyl alcohol solution in a spray bottle, to disinfect the suit after wearing and before you’re able to wash it (while you’re at a convention for example, and have been fursuiting). This is explained more in-depth below.

• IF YOUR FURSUIT HEAD WAS MADE IN 2019 OR EARLIER: Your fursuit eyes are NOT waterproof. Please take extra caution to avoid getting them wet, as this will likely cause the paint to run.

  • If you're not sure when your head was made, go to my Gallery page and click on your suit. The text underneath the image will tell you the completion date.​

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Storage

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• Store in a cool, dry place such as a closet. Make sure all suit parts are completely dry before putting it in storage, especially if you’re using a storage bin. Any moisture left can cause mold to grow.

• Bodysuits, arm sleeves, leg pants and tails are best stored hanging up. If this is not possible, roll everything up (except the tail) instead of folding. Folding can make it easier for creases in the fur to develop.

• If you have fursuit sandals, do not store them attached to the feetpaws. This will develop creases in the fur after a while. (This also applies to any accessories you get for your suit such as glasses, collars, etc)

• If storing in a bin, I recommend putting silica gel packets into the bin. If some moisture happens to get in there, these can help absorb it.

• Do not squish the head or feetpaws for an extended period of time; this will cause the foam to stay in that position. The ears and chin may be especially vulnerable.

  • As of late 2022, most larger ears will have a more stiff EVA foam base so they won't bend as easily.​

• Do not leave in excessive heat (such as a hot car) for an extended period of time. This can damage the fur and also melt some of the glue.

• If you store the suit for a long period of time, I recommend taking it out and brushing it every few weeks if you can. This will help prevent creases in the fur from developing.

  • If you need to fix creases in the fur, use a hair dryer on the fur (set to low heat) and then brush it while it's still warm.​ This is probably the only time I recommend using heat on fur, just be careful not to use so much heat or do this for so long that it damages the fur.

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CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

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Disinfecting

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If you’ve been spending a lot of time wearing your fursuit (at a convention for example) and can’t fully wash your suit right away, I recommend disinfecting it at the end of the day. You can either use:

Isopropyl alcohol – You can find this at almost any store, usually in the pharmacy section. Any percentage will do, but I wouldn’t go higher than 91%. Make sure to get an empty spray bottle to put it in (unless you happen to find some that already comes in a spray bottle)

Fursuit spray – This comes in a variety of scents and can be found online in places such as Etsy. You can probably also find someone selling fursuit spray in the dealer’s den at most furry conventions. Fursuit spray is great to have if you want your suit to smell like vanilla/lavender/coffee/anything you want, or even if you simply just don’t like the smell of plain isopropyl alcohol.

If you have a bodysuit, arm sleeves, or leg pants, turn those inside out before spraying. When spraying, focus on areas that get sweaty the most, such as inside the head and feetpaws, around the armpits, the rear and between the legs. The outside of the suit can be given some light spritzes.

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If your head has removable lining, I recommend taking the lining out and spraying it separately from the head. If it has sewn-in lining, avoid completely soaking it with the alcohol or fursuit spray.

If your head was made in 2019 or earlier, your fursuit eyes are not waterproof. Do not get any of the spray on the eyes, whether you’re spraying inside or outside. To be on the safe side, cover them with paper towels before spraying.

If you have fursuit sandals, they can just be sprayed and wiped down, or you can use a disinfecting wipe on them.

Make sure the alcohol or fursuit spray dries completely before putting the suit away.

 

 

Washing

 

• Handpaws, arm sleeves, feetpaws, bodysuits, leg pants, and most tails can all be machine washed.

• If your head has removable lining, the lining can be machine washed as well. I recommend washing it separately from the rest of the suit. You can also go a bit longer without giving the head itself a more thorough washing, depending on how much you wear your suit and whether it gets dirty.

• The head itself should either be hand washed or cleaned using a carpet cleaning machine.

• Any normal laundry detergent should be fine to use when washing your suit. I recommend using a free & gentle detergent from Tide or Downy. Do not use bleach or laundry detergent pods. Laundry detergent pods may get stuck in fur.

  • ​I recommend against using Woolite (despite having recommended it in the past). Woolite is actually intended for organic fabrics such as wool to help them retain their natural oils, while faux fur is essentially plastic, and you want to get those oils out from sweating. Woolite may not get it completely clean.

  • Folex carpet cleaner can be good to help get stains out. Scrub it on the affected area before washing.

• Always wash using cold water. Some parts can be machine washed and then either air dried or put in a dryer on AIR FLUFF/NO HEAT.

  • ​If your dryer does not have an air fluff/no heat setting, DO NOT USE IT TO DRY YOUR SUIT. The low heat setting can still damage fur. You’ll have to air dry it instead.

• Some parts will need to be air dried, or may not get completely dry in the dryer. I highly recommend a box fan or other large portable fan to speed up the air drying process.

  • ​Feetpaws and sometimes handpaws are susceptible to not drying completely in the dryer, so if you have those, you may need a fan to dry them the rest of the way.

    • Heavier feetpaws (such as large shoepaws) may not be tumble-dry safe and should be entirely air-dried.​

  • Arm sleeves, leg pants and bodysuits may need to be turned right side out again halfway through and put back in the dryer to finish drying.

• You can use a carpet cleaner machine, such as a Bissell Little Green, to clean your head (or even other suit parts if you wish). It’s a lot less of a hassle than hand washing, and will get it more thoroughly clean. They can get a bit pricey though

  • ​If you use an old one or purchase one second hand, make sure to replace the brush, and make sure the clean water tank is completely clean (If you can’t get the dirty water tank 100% clean, that is okay)

  • Do not use the same machine for actual carpet cleaning.

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Washing the head lining (if you have removable lining): The lining should be washed after every convention/event/outing where you are fursuiting for a significant amount of time.

 - I recommend washing it separately from the rest of the suit.

 - Carefully remove the lining from inside the head. I recommend putting it in a mesh laundry bag or in a pillowcase to help prevent anything getting stuck to the velcro.

 - Machine wash cold, on gentle or hand wash cycle.

 - Hang to air dry.

 - When it has fully dried, put it back inside the head, making sure the pieces of velcro line up correctly. (I usually reattach the velcro pieces in this order: above the eyes, on the chin, the cheeks and then the back)

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Washing the head: Even if you have removable lining, the head itself will need to be cleaned at least once in a while. You can either use a carpet cleaning machine or hand wash it. Do not put it in the washer or dryer.

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With a carpet cleaning machine:

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• If you have 3D/follow-me eyes, crumple up some paper towels and put them in the eyes. Have some extra paper towels on hand to replace them if they start to get really soaked (damp is fine)

  • ​If you have standard 2D eyes, you generally don’t need to cover them, just be careful not to scrub them.

  • If your head was made in 2019 or earlier, your eyes are not waterproof. In addition to putting paper towels in the eyes, completely cover them up with some painter’s tape. The inside will need to be hand-washed instead of using the machine.

• Fill the clean water tank with water and add roughly a tablespoon of detergent (you don’t need to add more, otherwise it might be hard to get out). Mix it up and put it back into the machine.

• Turn on the machine and use as directed. I recommend doing sections of the head at a time so the soap does not have time to dry. Spray the soapy water onto the head, scrub it with the brushes, and use the vacuum to suck up the soap and water. Try to go along the direction of the fur, not against, while doing this.

  • ​Make sure to also clean the inside of the head. Be careful not to scrub the eyes.

  • Try not to spray a huge amount of water on or in the head; you don’t want it to soak too deep into the foam, otherwise it might not dry completely.

• After you’ve cleaned the whole head, turn off the machine, empty the clean water tank (if there’s any still left in it) and refill it with just plain water, no soap. Put it back into the machine.

• ​Repeat the process of spraying the water onto the head and sucking it up with the vacuum. This is to help ensure there’s no soap left behind (dried soap may feel sticky and unpleasant)​

• Feel around the fur to make sure there’s no areas that are still soapy. If there are, spray some more water and use the vacuum again on that area.

• Thoroughly brush the head and let it sit to dry. Use a fan to help speed up the process. You may need to periodically rotate the head so the fan reaches different areas such as the front, the back, and the inside. Give it another quick brush or two at some points during the drying process to ensure the fur dries in the right direction.

• It may take about 24 hours for the head to fully dry. After it has, brush it one more time, and you’re done!

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Hand-washing:

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Skyehigh Studios has a good video tutorial on hand-washing, just make sure to also clean the inside.

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• Fill a bowl with cool water and add a small amount of detergent. Fill another bowl with just water.

• You will need three towels. Make sure to keep them separate so you don’t mix them up. Use different colors if possible to help with this.

  • ​One for cleaning with the soapy water

  • One for rinsing

  • One for drying

• If you have 3D/follow-me eyes, crumple up some paper towels and put them in the eyes.

  • ​If you have standard 2D eyes, you generally don’t need to cover them, just be careful not to scrub them.

  • If your head was made in 2019 or earlier, your eyes are not waterproof, so putting paper towels in the eyes is especially important. Unlike when cleaning with a carpet cleaner machine, covering with painter’s tape is not required, as it’s easier to control where the water goes when hand washing. Just make sure not to drip water in that area.

• I recommend washing sections of the head at a time. Dip the soapy water towel into the soapy water and squeeze it out, and gently scrub the section of the head you are washing. Then dip the water towel into the plain water and use it to rinse out the soap. Make sure all the soap is out, wipe it down with the drying towel, and move on to the next section.

  • Make sure to also clean the inside of the head. Be careful not to scrub the eyes.

  • If your head was made in 2019 or earlier, absolutely DO NOT scrub the eyes when cleaning the inside. Stay as far away from them as possible. Scrubbing them will make the paint come off.

• After the whole head is washed, rub the drying towel around the head one more time, and make sure there is no soap left over. The towel will not get it completely dry right away, but will help get out some excess water and speed up the drying process.

• Thoroughly brush the head and let it sit to dry. Use a fan to help speed up the process. You may need to periodically rotate the head so the fan reaches different areas such as the front, the back, and the inside. Give it another quick brush or two at some points during the drying process to ensure the fur dries in the right direction.

• It may take about 24 hours for the head to fully dry. After it has, brush it one more time, and you’re done!

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Washing everything else: Handpaws, arm sleeves, leg pants, feetpaws, bodysuits, and most tails can all be machine washed.

If your tail is too big to fit into the washing machine, wash it the same way you would wash the head.

When machine washing the handpaws, feetpaws, and tail, I recommend putting them in a mesh laundry bag or pillowcase to help protect the fur.

 

Bodysuits, arm sleeves, and leg pants should be turned inside out.

 - If your arm sleeves have handpaws attached, leave them right side out and put them in a mesh laundry bag or pillowcase.

 - If you have a digitigrade bodysuit or leg pants with stuffing pockets, remove the stuffing and then turn it inside out. Put stuffing back in after washing and drying.  If you have pillow padding, the pillows can just be washed separately.

Make sure to use cold water and set the cycle to either hand wash or gentle. When the washer is done, thoroughly brush the fur. Then you can either put them in the dryer (set to AIR FLUFF/NO HEAT) or air dry them. Use a fan to help speed up the air drying process.

Some parts such as the handpaws and feetpaws may not get completely dry in the dryer. If this is the case, air dry them the rest of the way. (Note: Bodysuits, arm sleeves, and leg pants may need to be turned right side out midway through drying and then put back into the dryer).

 

When air drying the handpaws and feetpaws, I recommend positioning them so the fan is blowing into the inside.

Make sure everything is completely dry before putting it in storage! Be sure to check both inside and out. Also give the tail a good squeeze to make sure you don’t feel any moisture inside.