Kemonokapi Fursuit Care Guide
Download a PDF of our physical care and travel guide here.
This is an online version of the care guide sent to all commissioners.
Storage
Keep your suit stored unfolded. For best keeping, remove any padding and hang on a wide shouldered hanger (such as a dive suit drying hanger). Keep out of sunlight. Brush every few weeks if left stored for extended periods. Keep out of damp or humid environments. Place dryer sheets in the feet, head, and body to keep your suit smelling fresh over time.
At-Home Care
When washing your suit at home, you may use a regular washer on cold water setting only. Your bodysuit, handpaws, tails, and fabric-only parts are all machine washable. To machine wash a bodysuit, turn it inside out as much as possible and wash on a normal cold cycle with normal detergent of your choice. If your soap has trouble washing out, you can put it on a short water-only cycle again. Tails can also be washed in a similar way if they are not attached to your bodysuit. If your tail has a zipper, unstuff before washing.
To machine wash small parts such as paws or other accessories, place them in a laundry bag or pillow case. If your handpaws have the extra-squishy mochi-style fabric and stuffed pawpads, please hand wash only with regular soap and only surface clean the pawpads, otherwise the stuffing may be ruined.
Your bodysuit padding can also be unstuffed via the zipper and machine washed. Be careful when restuffing and work slowly around the stitches that keep the stuffing from traveling inside the padding. The padding may be machine dried.
When all of your furred parts are finished in the washing machine, hang them to dry and brush every thirty minutes with a slicker brush as it dries. If any parts could not be de-stuffed or have foam inside of them, make sure to squeeze out all of the water. Don’t forget to brush short fur areas too!
To clean your head, spot clean with folex or a hand-held carpet cleaner. Make sure to squeeze any water out of the foam and take care around the eyes of your head. Only the neck may be fully submerged in soapy water and hand washed. Make sure no electronics are in the way to get wet. All suit parts can be hand washed. Dome eyes may be cleaned with a paper towel and glass cleaner such as windex.
Traveling with your Fursuit
Always use the largest possible suit-case that can be checked in. Check with your airline for their limits. Recommended are hard-shelled suitcases or pelican cases. If using a soft-shelled case, put your suit parts inside plastic bags in case of water leakage. You may vacuum pack all parts of your suit except the head for a maximum recommended time of 24 hours.
Always carry your head onto the plane. It will be safest under your seat or in your lap after take-off.
At-Con Care
While at a con, you may leave your padding and stuffing in your suit when hung up. After each wear, brush your suit with a slicker brush and lightly spray the inside and outside of each part with a disinfectant spray (I recommend the fursuit spray line by Lobitaworks. You can purchase my own cleaning scent from them as well, called Bishoujo Blossom). Crotch and armpit areas need thorough brushing. If possible, place your head over top of a fan to dry. When you brush your suit, brush the short fur areas too!
In the case of major spills or stains while at con, all parts can be hand washed in cold water with regular soap in a sink or bathtub. Always hang to dry.
Suit repairs At-home or At-con
It is recommended to learn some basic hand-sewing skills to maintain your fursuit over time. Popped seams can be common depending on your amount of in-suit activity, or they can simply pop open in the wash. Your bodysuit is sewn with a stitch that will not unravel, so you do not have to worry about any loose ends around a popped seam.
When traveling with your suit, please bring a small care kit with needle and thread, small scissors, mini hot glue and glue gun, and a small tube of e6000 or your choice of super glues. Do not use upholstery thread, it is stronger than fur and will rip your fur before it breaks. You want the thread to break, not for the fabric to rip.
To repair popped seams, a blanket stitch is recommended. Please see an online tutorial for the blanket stitch. If you need to sew a completely hidden seam on something such as a fleece or minky surface, it is recommended to use a ladder stitch (or Henson stitch).
For any repairs you cannot perform on your own after warranty has ended, please contact me at [email protected]
Storage
Keep your suit stored unfolded. For best keeping, remove any padding and hang on a wide shouldered hanger (such as a dive suit drying hanger). Keep out of sunlight. Brush every few weeks if left stored for extended periods. Keep out of damp or humid environments. Place dryer sheets in the feet, head, and body to keep your suit smelling fresh over time.
At-Home Care
When washing your suit at home, you may use a regular washer on cold water setting only. Your bodysuit, handpaws, tails, and fabric-only parts are all machine washable. To machine wash a bodysuit, turn it inside out as much as possible and wash on a normal cold cycle with normal detergent of your choice. If your soap has trouble washing out, you can put it on a short water-only cycle again. Tails can also be washed in a similar way if they are not attached to your bodysuit. If your tail has a zipper, unstuff before washing.
To machine wash small parts such as paws or other accessories, place them in a laundry bag or pillow case. If your handpaws have the extra-squishy mochi-style fabric and stuffed pawpads, please hand wash only with regular soap and only surface clean the pawpads, otherwise the stuffing may be ruined.
Your bodysuit padding can also be unstuffed via the zipper and machine washed. Be careful when restuffing and work slowly around the stitches that keep the stuffing from traveling inside the padding. The padding may be machine dried.
When all of your furred parts are finished in the washing machine, hang them to dry and brush every thirty minutes with a slicker brush as it dries. If any parts could not be de-stuffed or have foam inside of them, make sure to squeeze out all of the water. Don’t forget to brush short fur areas too!
To clean your head, spot clean with folex or a hand-held carpet cleaner. Make sure to squeeze any water out of the foam and take care around the eyes of your head. Only the neck may be fully submerged in soapy water and hand washed. Make sure no electronics are in the way to get wet. All suit parts can be hand washed. Dome eyes may be cleaned with a paper towel and glass cleaner such as windex.
Traveling with your Fursuit
Always use the largest possible suit-case that can be checked in. Check with your airline for their limits. Recommended are hard-shelled suitcases or pelican cases. If using a soft-shelled case, put your suit parts inside plastic bags in case of water leakage. You may vacuum pack all parts of your suit except the head for a maximum recommended time of 24 hours.
Always carry your head onto the plane. It will be safest under your seat or in your lap after take-off.
At-Con Care
While at a con, you may leave your padding and stuffing in your suit when hung up. After each wear, brush your suit with a slicker brush and lightly spray the inside and outside of each part with a disinfectant spray (I recommend the fursuit spray line by Lobitaworks. You can purchase my own cleaning scent from them as well, called Bishoujo Blossom). Crotch and armpit areas need thorough brushing. If possible, place your head over top of a fan to dry. When you brush your suit, brush the short fur areas too!
In the case of major spills or stains while at con, all parts can be hand washed in cold water with regular soap in a sink or bathtub. Always hang to dry.
Suit repairs At-home or At-con
It is recommended to learn some basic hand-sewing skills to maintain your fursuit over time. Popped seams can be common depending on your amount of in-suit activity, or they can simply pop open in the wash. Your bodysuit is sewn with a stitch that will not unravel, so you do not have to worry about any loose ends around a popped seam.
When traveling with your suit, please bring a small care kit with needle and thread, small scissors, mini hot glue and glue gun, and a small tube of e6000 or your choice of super glues. Do not use upholstery thread, it is stronger than fur and will rip your fur before it breaks. You want the thread to break, not for the fabric to rip.
To repair popped seams, a blanket stitch is recommended. Please see an online tutorial for the blanket stitch. If you need to sew a completely hidden seam on something such as a fleece or minky surface, it is recommended to use a ladder stitch (or Henson stitch).
For any repairs you cannot perform on your own after warranty has ended, please contact me at [email protected]
