SLEEPY STAG SUITS:
CARE GUIDE
SPOT CLEANING
All parts of the suit (besides eyes) can be spot cleaned with folex or a bit of detergent on a washcloth.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND ALCOHOL ESPECIALLY WITH DARK FABRICS, AS IT CAN MAKE THEM BLEED COLOR.
Woolite is unnecessary as fur is synthetic/not wool! I like Tide Free & Clear detergent.
A Bissel Little Green is fantastic for spot cleaning. Be careful with fursuit spray as again, alcohol can make fabrics brittle over time and may make some fabrics bleed dye- especially mochi minky and some lining materials. I try to avoid bleeding materials but even so I can't recommend alcohol for cleaning.
IF you use a fursuit spray make sure it is at least diluted with water!!
HEAVY WASHING
Heads can be fully submerged in a tub of cool water and detergent (the eyes are sprayed with clear sealant and are waterproof, but try to avoid scrubbing them or spraying/pouring water directly on them to keep them looking the freshest). Don’t over-scrub, it can pull out fur. Gentle rubbing while washing works fine!
Bodysuits and parts can also be washed in a tub of cool water with detergent. After washing, rinse until the bodysuit is no longer soapy and water runs clear. Remove polyfil/pillows from parts for quickest drying time.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND MACHINE WASHING. If you do this, do it at your own risk....suits hold up much better over time when cleaned gently. If you machine wash AT LEAST make sure that the machine you use does not have an agitator.
DRYING
After washing all parts squeeze as much water out as possible.
Set all parts to dry in a room with good ventilation next to a bunch of fans (box fans are your friend!)
I highly recommend a drying rack for holding suits while they dry rather than hanging!
Don’t use heat excessively (blow dryers, hot water, hot dryers)!!!!!! It can damage fur fibers which are made of acrylic. If fur gets creased you can use a steamer or a hairdryer and brush for short periods of time to get it looking fresh again but be aware that acrylic can melt if heated for too long. Gentle brushing while drying is okay and usually is enough to help fur dry neatly!
STORAGE + BRUSHING
Store your suit in a cool and dry place! Excessive heat is bad for faux fur.
Try to avoid leaving in a hot car in direct sunlight as well. Hanging things up to store is better than folding because fur will crease, but creases can be resolved by carefully steaming or blowdrying for short periods of time and brushing the fur back to normal.
When brushing, either use a soft bristled boars hair brush....or use a slicker brush and push it rather than pulling (basically, brush following the fur pile, but with the brush backwards). Slickers are great for smoothing fursuits when used like this, but are made to pull out shed fur on real animals and can pull out faux fur when used in the normal pulling motion! I recommend soft bristled brushes for shaved or delicate areas like the face, and for fleece parts of suits specifically. For curly/textured/mongolian furs I recommend a wide-tooth comb!
I like to store my heads on motorcycle helmet wall mounts, square ikea wall shelves, or just mannequin heads on a table or desk! I don’t recommend storing the head in any place where the foam is being squished down (it may deform if stored like that for long periods of time).