What to wear
We strongly advise that you invest in a set of underarmour or similar clothing used to keep you cool and wick sweat away from your body. I will not only keep you moderately comfortable but it will also help keep the suit more or less dry and clean for longer. It's worth the investment!
Storage
How you store your suit really does matter and makes a difference on how it holds up in the long term. We suggest that you hang the body in a dry room away from direct sunlight, a suit cover is helpful as it will keep dust from settling on the fur but otherwise not needed if the suit is regularly handled. As for the paws, padding and tail, they can be put into a storage box as long as they are not cramped if they are then the fur will crease. After washing makes sure that every part of the fursuit is fully dry to prevent mould. Heads can be stored on a shelf or in a spacious box, again some sort of plastic cover is a good idea if the head is not handled regularly. A position away from direct sunlight will prevent sun bleaching.
Transportation
A hard plastic suitcase is highly recommended for transport, if the flight is short you may use vacuum storage bags for the body, padding, paws and tail. Please take care when placing the fursuit in a vacuum storage bag, fold and stack the fursuit neatly to prevent major creasing. (make sure to de-compress the suit as soon as you check in to your hotel and give it a brush over.) The head can be placed in your carry-on, most heads can be gently folded in half but before trying to do so on your own contact us to make sure. Packing up the suit after a convention or outing make sure to let it dry somewhat, turn the body inside out and spray with fursuit disinfectant. which is usually 1 part rubbing alcohol and 1 part water. do the same with the feet and hands except don't turn then inside out. alcohol based Disinfectant wipes can be used to clean hard to reach areas that cant be sprayed including the inside of the head(take care to not wipe over the inside of the eye even if a sealant was used on them)
Washing the body
Prepare a bathtub using lukewarm water and a handwash friendly detergent eg: Woolite. Remove the upper padding and place the body into the filled bathtub. gently rub the fur starting with the dirtiest areas of the body working the soap in and dirt out through the entire suit. Take care not to rub roughly! This can damage the fur and cause bolding. After you're happy with the wash you can drain the bathtub and squeeze out excess water. DO NOT LIFT THE SUIT AT THAT POINT it will be very heavy. Refill the bathtub with clean lukewarm water to rinse out the soap, put enough water in that the bath is fully submerged and gently start to flip it inside out taking care not to lift it too high out of the bath. you can repeat the process of adding detergent and washing the backing or you can drain the bath and squeeze out the excess water( avoid ringing it out!)Once you can't get any more water out of the suit move it gently into a laundry basket or something to help you transport it, you can try and place the basket in the bath to avoid lifting the body too much because at that point it will still have some weight to it ! Place the body in the washing machine on a cold rinse, make sure it is the delicate/ short cycle. After the rinse turn it out to the right side and hang to dry the rest of the way in front of a fan or two and brush every 3/4 hours.
Washing the feet, tail and hands
Wash the feet, tail and hands the same way as the body but do not turn inside out, put them in a pillowcase and tie the end before putting them on a cold gentle rinse. dry the same way.
Washing the upper leg padding
Lycra should be hand washed in the bath too, using lukewarm water and gentle detergent (avoid softeners) to rinse use the same method as above. you can drip dry or put it in a dryer on low heat. IF there are any stains on the padding please use an oxygen based-bleach (brand names are: OxiClean, Nellie's All Natural Oxygen Brightener, or OXO Brite) these are safe to use to brighten and remove stains. If there is a strong odour you can fill the bath or bucket with cool water and add one cup of baking soda. Allow the padding to soak overnight. Then wash as usual or rinse with cool water and dry in a breezy spot. Note that after namy washes and use the stuffing can clump up making it seem like there is less stuffing then when you first got your suit ! You can fix this by pulling the fibers apart in the padding or if you have basic sewing skills you can partly rip open a seam to make a small enough hole to remove the old stuffing and put new stuffing in. (plans are being made to include a small zip on the padding for easy access in the future)
Washing the head
You may clean the inside of your head with a mixture of two parts water, one part alcohol in a spray bottle or alcohol-based disinfectant wipes. Be sure not to spray on the eyes and to use lightly. The mixture will help sanitize your suit without the chemical effects that Frebreeze and other deodorizers have. The outside can be spot cleaned with Folex. Do not attempt to machine wash your head, if you wish to deep clean it please consult us.
Other Tips
Folex works well for spot cleaning. DO NOT use any form of heat on your fursuit, fake furs are made up of small plastic fibres which can melt under enough heat. Always be cautious of your surroundings when suiting and avoid dirty/messy areas, it will help keep your suit cleaner longer.
These are the basic cleaning guidelines. Some suits may need different or special care. If in doubt let us know and we will try to help out!