The Definitive Guide to Fursuit Care

Good fursuit care begins before you even put it on. You can dodge most damages, odor, and dirtiness easily with simple precautions. 

SKIP TO: How to Clean Your Fursuit | SKIP TO: Repair & Service

WAIT!! Before you jump ahead, take a minute to check out our real-world advice on how to keep your fursuit nice as long as possible (without being boring). 

Fursuit Care BEFORE SUITING:

Practice good hygiene. Odors and bacteria LOVE synthetic fabric and warm, moist conditions. You can't avoid producing natural body odors, but don't give smelly bacteria a headstart. Bathe thoroughly before fursuiting. Soap up good, rinse well, use deodorant or antiperspirant, and avoid wearing artificial scents. 

Wear suitable undergarments. Use a spandex bodysuits, like Underarmour or Amazon Basics to stay comfortable and keep your suit clean from the inside out. Human skin constantly sheds oils and dead cells — trapped in a costume, that stuff can help bacterial growth and ramp up the funk. Your fursuit will stay nice longer if you put a barrier between it and your skin. If you'll be suiting several days before you can launder things (say, at a con), bring multiple sets of undergarments, or handwash the spandex in the tub and hang to dry overnight.

Scout your location. Get familiar with area hazards before you suit up! Make a mental note of puddles, mud, open flame, food, steps, fresh paint, swimming pools, and so on. These things may be harder to spot when you're in suit, so Know Before You Go™.

Fursuit Care WHILE SUITING:

Stay away from hazards. Always be aware of your surroundings and keep far away from hazards. If someone asks you for a hug or photo but they're standing next to a melted chocolate fountain, have them come to you instead. This goes double for open flames and swimming pools! Acrylic fur can be damaged or catch fire when exposed to flames. Chlorine can damage acrylic fur, and extra water weight can stretch the fabric, changing the suit's fit and possibly shortening its life. Burns or poolwater immersion may void the warranty, and you could burn or drown, so please don't. We beg you.

Stay off the floor. Rolling on the ground is probably the greatest source of suit smudges (plus let's be real: it's just nasty). When you're out and about, stay on your feet to keep your suit fresh.

Avoid horseplay. Popped seams, damaged fur, and lost claws are usually symptoms of extreme activity. Even though your suit is built to be strong, roughhousing can take its toll over time. Common sense, amirite?

Don't make sudden moves without knowing what's around you! Don't want to wear the Hofbräuhaus honey mustard glaze? Check your six. Your senses are limited, and you can't assume the way is clear without checking first. 

• Laundering Fursuit & Tail

• Cleaning Fursuit Hand-Paws

• Cleaning Fursuit Feet-Paws

• Deep-Cleaning Fursuit Head

 After every use, check your suit over from nose-tip to tail-tip, looking for any soil or stressed areas. Spot-clean as necessary using a wet cloth and disinfectant spray. Make a note for later of anything that needs more attention. Hang up the suit whenever possible (we recommend wide-shouldered hangers). Brush as necessary. 

After light use (a short suit-up without much perspiration), hang up the suit (we recommend a wetsuit dryer!) and prop the head to get air circulation and dry thoroughly. If it will be a while before the next use (long enough for the suit to dry thoroughly), disinfect the suit interior by turning inside out and spraying with a diluted solution of isopropyl alcohol, paying close attention to areas with a high sweat concentration. Spray the inside of your paws and hang from a clip hanger. Spray the inside of your paw-feet's shoes with alcohol or your favorite shoe spray. If possible, dry the head completely with a small fan and use a high velocity fan to dry your suit and paws more quickly. We also recommend using small battery-powered or USB fans to dry the feet. When you disinfect the suit or head, do not wear again until it has completely dried!

After heavy use (and before things get funky), clean the head and wash your whole suit! 

How to Clean Your Bodysuit

1. Turn the suit inside out. Remove any padding that is not attached to the suit and set aside to wash in a separate load. Zip up all zippers fully. It is not necessary to turn your paws inside out.

2. We recommend using a front-load washing machine, but a top-load agitator washing machine should do the trick if it's large enough to accommodate your entire body.

3. Set the machine to COLD. 

4. Before loading the machine, measure and add your detergent to the bottom of the machine tub. (We use Tide pods) 

5. Run the spin cycle twice to get as much water out of the body as possible, removing the body between spin cycles to reposition it. This will help it dry as fast as possible. 

6. Turn the suit right-side out and hang using a hanger with a wide collar.

7. Hang in a well-ventilated room and dry using a high velocity fan. We recommend at least two days to fully dry. If your suit is made with a foam base or has any foam inside, we recommend at least four to five days.

8. While the suit is drying, brush periodically from top to bottom following the direction of the fur.

9. Make sure the suit is 100% dry before storing to prevent any mold.

10. Removable padding can be washed along with the body suit, in its own load, or in a load with pretty much anything, so long as you have the space in your machine.

How to Clean Your Fursuit Tail

Most canine, feline, or polyfil tails can be washed in a washing machine using the same methods as the body suit. If you have an extra large tail with a foam core, remove the foam before washing. Allow for extra drying time for these particular kinds of tails.

How to Clean Fursuit Hand-Paws

• Paws with plastic claws and/or rubber pads can be hand-washed with detergent, or using the Bissel Machine (see Fursuit Head instructions). 

• Paws with only plush claws or pads can be washed in a washing machine (see the Bodysuit instructions).

To dry washed fursuit paws, hang with clip hangers and dry using a high-velocity fan for at least 24 hours. Once or twice during the drying process, brush the paw fur out, following the grain of the fur.

How to Clean Fursuit Feet-Paws

• Between uses, keep your feet fresh by rolling down the ankles and treating the interior with a disinfectant spray. Let dry completely before next use. 

• Deluxe paw-pads can be cleaned using a Magic Eraser or similar product. Try it first with just water; if you need a little extra cleaning power, add any rubber-safe cleaner. 

• Feet-paws with all plush pads & claws can be cleaned in your washing machine! (see the Bodysuit instructions)

• Feet-paws with rubber pads and/or plastic claws can be hand-washed with detergent or using the Bissell Machine (see Fursuit Head instructions)

To dry washed fursuit feet, set the feet in front of a high-velocity fan for 2–3 days (or get a ski boot dryer!), making sure that both the exterior and the shoes inside are completely dry. 

How to Deep Clean a Fursuit Head

Note: Protect your fursuit head's eyes from chemicals during all cleaning procedures. Many cleaning agents can damage the paint or finish of your eyes. 

Light cleaning

• Keep the inside of your head fresh by spraying with a disinfectant spray. Avoid spraying the eyes directly. Dry the interior completely before next use. 

• Spot-clean your head exterior using a moist cloth. If water doesn't do the trick, try a mixture of baking soda and water: create a thin paste, apply to soiled fur, and massage in gently. Leave in however long you want — you can remove it with a wet cloth, or let it dry and simply brush out.

You can deep clean your fursuit head using a Bissell Machine, following the instructions in this helpful Little Green Machine tutorial video from our friends at Fursuiters World.

Deep clean your fursuit head without a machine

• Spray the inside of your head with a disinfectant spray. Avoid spraying the eyes directly, both from the inside and outside.

• Mix water with a small amount of soap/detergent, and saturate a small towel. Use the towel to sponge the inside of the head, squeezing the soapy water in thoroughly. 

• Saturate a fresh small towel with clean water and sponge inside the head to rinse out the soapy water. Repeat if necessary.

• Use a dry small towel to sponge out as much water as possible. Repeat if necessary.

• Dry the head thoroughly using a high-velocity fan for at least 24 hours.

• Spot clean the exterior using a mixture of baking soda and water: create a thin paste, apply to soiled fur, and massage in gently. Leave in however long you want — you can remove it with a wet cloth, or let it dry and simply brush out.

• Brush lightly using a slicker brush or flea comb, following the grain of the fur. Brush from the tip of the nose to the back of the head. Brush ears from the base to the tip. 

Pop a seam? 

Don't worry! In most cases this is something you can easily handle yourself. Check out our quick Seam Repair video (~ 3 min) to get yourself back in the action. 

Ready for a tuneup? 

We got your back! More Fur Less suiters have exclusive access to genuine MFL repairs and alterations. Don't let wear & tear or a change in body mass keep you from being the best you. 

Email us a description of your requested service, with photos of the issue (if applicable), and we'll give you our best estimate (subject to change upon physical inspection). Once we have the suit inspected we will be able to give you an exact cost of the repairs as well as an estimated completion time. 

Commissioner will be responsible for the full cost of non-warranty repairs and/or alteration orders, including shipping and return shipping. The finished order will be returned after payment in full. 

Any fursuit parts sent for alterations or repairs MUST be fully clean before submission! For health reasons, MFL will not work on unclean suit parts. MFL reserves the right to refuse service, and/or you may be charged a steep cleaning & handling fee for submitting unclean suit parts. Please don't.