Fursuit Cleaning Guide
I recommend this very thorough guide by Matrices for everything you need to know about fursuit cleaning, but below will be a short guide tailored to my work and preferences!
For quick between-use cleaning I recommend using isopropyl alcohol as a disinfectant for the inside areas of your suit. This helps keep it smelling fresh for longer! The best concentration for this is in the 70%-90% range, which is what’s commonly sold, but you can dilute it with water if you need to. It’s also a good idea to prop up the head with a small fan to help it dry out overnight at cons where you don’t want to put on a cold soaked head the next day. Make sure to also brush any fur that starts looking wild to prevent it from matting, especially in places like the crotch and armpits that involve a lot of rubbing.
Daily Cleaning
Everything except the head can be machine washed on cold with regular detergent, and I recommend this over bath tub washing as the spin cycle will remove a lot of the water and keep the seams from being stressed by water weight. You can then air dry or tumble dry with no heat, while making sure to brush out the fur before and during the drying as needed. This is just to protect the fibers from getting stuck with folds if they dry with them. Spot clean heads with a handheld carpet cleaner, or a cleaning spray and cloth, which you can get a more in-depth guide to in Matrices’ tutorial linked above. I do not recommend fully submerging the head as foam is prone to hold moisture for too long, unless you specifically ask for me to only use special outdoor foam that dries faster (will significantly increase price) but you can wash the neck and back of the head in a tub if needed. My eyes are sealed to be water resistant but try not to get excessive amounts of alcohol or any other cleaner that might dissolve the sealant over time. Make sure all suit parts are completely dry before putting them away as closets and bins have low airflow!
Deep Cleaning