↠Pin & Needle Works↞
↠Fursuit Care Guide↞
If you want to keep your suit looking nice, here are a few tips to help you out!
Keep in mind that these care tips are what is recommended for suits made by Pin & Needle Works and may be different for suits made by other makers.
Basic Care
Brush your suit! That is one of the most important things to keep in mind before and after suiting. This will keep the fur from matting. A slicker brush is perfect for brushing, and can be found at any pet store or online. Places that rub together while suiting may need extra brushing to get rid of the matted fur.
Disinfect your suit! With bodysuits, you will obviously get hot and sweat at least a little. Inside your head will get hot as well. To get rid of the odor inside your head, you can use a disinfectant such as a mixture of water and rubbing alcohol. Just a few sprays will work! Do not use Lysol or Febreeze as it can make the foam disintegrate over time. After wearing your suit, turn your bodysuit inside out and hang it up, spray it with the water/alcohol mixture, then let it air dry.
To keep some of the sweat from getting on your bodysuit, you should wear Under Armor or something similar. This will keep you from getting as hot and will feel better against your skin compared to a normal T-shirt and the fur backing. For heads, wear a balaclava. You can even wear one if the head already has one built in! This will keep your hair out of your face if you have long hair, and keep you cooler and prevent sweat from getting all over the inside of your head.
Cleaning
Bodysuits, tails, handpaws, footpaws etc. can be washed in the washer (cold water only) with regular detergent. Woolite is the best to use because it makes the fur soft and smells nice! Remove any padding if possible before you wash your bodysuit! You may also use carpet stain remover like Folex to remove stains from your suit while washing. Conditioner can be used to keep the fibers soft. The biggest thing to remember is to brush your suit after washing, otherwise the fur will look very clumpy and gross once dry.
Heads MAY be put in the wash, you may ask us first whether it is okay for your head to be put in the washer. Some of our older heads may not be machine washable but can still be spot-cleaned with a wet cloth or in the bathtub, just avoid wetting the eyes. If your suit only requires spot cleaning, it can be cleaned with Folex (a carpet stain remover).
Put the head on an extra spin cycle, if you can, to get most of the water out. If you have a newer head from us, your head will withstand machine washing, just be sure to set your washer to 'delicate'. Front-loading washers work best as they do not have an agitator. Keep your head in a pillowcase so the paint in the eyes do not scratch against anything. The water and detergent should not affect the paint in the eyes, though we would not recommend using bleach in case it were to fade or wash the paint out. Last but not least, do not attempt to lift your head out of the washer if it is soaked with water, it will be heavy and may stretch or rip the fur or foam. We do not recommend that you wash your body or head in the bathtub for this reason.
Drying
NEVER dry a suit in the dryer with the heat setting on. Doing so can melt the fibers on your suit and completely ruin it. Instead, put it on tumble dry/fluff (if you dryer has it), or hang your bodysuit on a hanger to let it air dry. It's best to have the fur side showing and to brush it out using a slicker brush. You can put it in front of a cool fan to speed up the drying process. Handpaws, heads, and other fursuit parts may also be dried this way. For smaller parts, you may also use a hair dryer on the cool setting only when the fur is wet. Be sure to keep checking back on your suit while it is drying and brush it to keep the fur from clumping and to make it nice and soft.
Heat Correcting
A good way to help fix matting, wrinkles, or just the general look of the fur is by heat correction. This method works well with both long and short/shaved furs. You will need a hair dryer and a slicker brush. Hair dryer may be used on the heat setting, this is how to helps straighten the fur fibers. Believe it or not, it will not damage the quality of the fur since it is being controlled!
First, make sure that the fur is completely dry before starting. Choose a section of the suit that needs to be fixed and use the hair dryer to heat up the fibers while using your slicker brush to continuously brush the fur. You may brush the fur in different directions to help straighten the fibers. This may take a good amount of time to correct the fur, but it will look almost as good as new once you're finished! You'll find that your fur will be much softer.
Storing
For long-term storing, it is best to keep your suit in a cool, dry place. Do not keep it in a place that may get too hot as the glue on the head may melt! You can hang your bodysuit on a hanger and let the head and other parts sit on a shelf. Storing your suit in a storage container for long periods of time is not recommended since the fur may crinkle and get oily over time.
Traveling
When traveling, keep your suit in a plastic container or something heavy duty that cannot be crushed. You can keep dryer sheets in the head, feet and bodysuit to keep it smelling fresh while being transported. If you are traveling by car with your suit, keep it air conditioned, and do not leave it in your car for long periods of time in the sun as this may melt any glue.