Costume Care Guide
 

Putting on the costume:
When putting on your costume or costume pieces make sure you slide them on gently and give a gentle tug were needed. 
Make sure to slowly zip up making sure you're not getting any fur jammed in the zipper.  "No cramming it on fast and pulling on the fur violently." 

It's helpful and suggested to wear a spandex or lycra under-body suit as it keeps you comfortable and helps with catching the sweat.

It also makes putting on and off the suit much easier, especially with digi-leg costumes.  Another handy thing is a balaclava to wear over your head to keep hair and sweat out of your poor eyeballs.

​

- Sleeves always go over hand gloves when putting them on and leggings over the feetzies. (Or zipper on depending on what you have.)
- When getting into a fursuit a helper is always helpful as the name suggests!

After wearing the costume/storage:
Make sure the costume is dried out and brushed down as matting may start to form in areas prone to sweat and rubbing such as between legs and under armpits. 
It's always good to brush them out before they start to get worse.
You will want to spray the inside of the bodysuit, head, feet, hands with disinfectant spray to help keep any mould from growing and stinking up the suit.
Once dry and brushed you can store away your costume on a hanger in a closet or folded it up in a spacious box. 
Make sure where you keep your costume it's not in any direct sunlight or heat as this can melt certain parts of the costume and fade the fur color over time.

​

- When storing in a car for a short time make sure you're parked under shade.
- Make sure the head isn't getting squashed when storing especially if it has whiskers or a moving jaw.

Cleaning the costume:
Parts of your costume can be machine washed with a gentle cleaner on a soft cycle with warm/cold water such as the bodysuit, leggings, sleeves and handpaws. If you're unsure don't hesitate to ask me.
You can also hand wash these items in a bathtub with the same gently cleaner and warm/cold water. You just have to make sure you rinse the items 2-3 times until all the soapy stuff is out.

The feet, tail and head can be spot cleaned on the areas needing it, meaning just use a warm damp cloth with a bit of soap to remove any dirt or stained areas.
With white fur bleach may be used to spot clean to get out stains, just rub a little on and leave to dry, once dry brush the area a bit and the stain should be gone. Bleaches may differ so you might want to try it first on an extra bit of white fur or hidden area to test it'll be ok.
An alcohol antibacterial spray can be used inside the head and on the inside of the body suit, hands and feet in-between washes to keep any odor down.
For drying, NEVER put it in a machine dryer, as this will melt the fur fibbers and all hope will be lost.....
Air drying is what I do and suggest, just remember to brush out the fur every so often until it's dry to keep the fur smooth and flowing in the right direction.

​

- Never use a hair dryer on the costume! It will curl and melt the fur.
- Never use very harsh stain removers or bleach except on white fur but I would always suggest to test first on an extra piece of white fur.

Minor repairs on the costume:
After some time the costume might eventually need a minor repair for a rip/hole or maybe a claw popped off. 
These can easily be fixed by yourself or an "expert" friend.

Use a strong thread to sew any rip or hole up and hot glue where needed. 
I have most items on hand like eyes, noses, paw pads, maybe a bit of extra fur of the same color you may need. 
If you do come across a problem that you can't fix on your own just give me a poke and I'll definitely try to help you out! =D

From your friendly neighborhood suit-maker, 
~Sparky!

​