Care Guide

This is a guide on how to care for a Howlmetal Horrors suit. Always consult your maker personally before attempting maintenance.

While it’s common for a suit to need repairs during its lifetime, there are ways to properly maintain it which allow for better longevity.

Storage

Heads should be stored in a way so that they’re not compressed over a long period of time (this is extra important for realistic resin-based heads). Foam does tend spring back to its original shape after 24-48 hours, but the risk of permanent disfiguration is something to be mindful of.

In that case, I prefer to place my heads on shelves. If you do not have shelves, a desk or any other flat surface is fine. It’s okay if the neck fur compresses.

You can place your fursuit parts on the shelf if you have the room, though they’ll do just fine in large containers with a lid. You don’t have to worry about these parts being compressed or bent out of shape. For a little extra freshness, keep a couple dryer sheets in the bins.

A bodysuit can be stored hung up in a closet, a clothing rack, or put into a bin. If you’re hanging it, make sure to use 4-5 hangers as to evenly spread out weight at the shoulder seams.

Care

Brush your fur before and after wear to prevent matting. A little shedding is normal. The brush I recommend for this is a TEASING COMB with bristles, NOT a wire slicker brush. A teasing comb is shown below and can be found in most beauty stores or online.

I believe wire slicker brushes to be too aggressive for fur and can easily be used the wrong way. They pull out the fur and can cause seams to rip if the teeth get caught. A teasing comb brushes through knots and tangles but is gentle on the fur.

In addition to brushing, you will want to purchase an alcohol spray made for fursuits. This is also something I plan to include with suits in the near future, but until then, I recommend Norsewolf Creations. This spray is not a substitute for proper washing, but is great to freshen up a suit after wears. Give a few spritzes inside the head and on the face, in the neck, and in the mouth. It’s okay if you get it on the eyes, but try not to spritz it directly on. Let the alcohol dry and then give the suit a good brush.

For resin-based heads, I recommend using a disinfectant wipe, such as a Lysol wipe, on the inside. Wipe down the forehead foam, the chin rest, and inside the muzzle. You can use the alcohol spray on the outside of the head, but a disinfectant wipe on the inside is the most effective. After wearing a resin-based head for a long time, it will likely be wet inside due to condensation from the breath. Wipe this down with a paper towel before cleaning.

To keep your realistic feetpaws in best condition, I highly recommend a pair of fursuit sandals.

Washing - Bodysuit

Washing your suit isn’t as intimidating as it looks. Before and after a convention, after a really sweaty outing, or after a handful of casual wears it’s important to wash your bodysuit. Remove ALL stuffing from the padding (there are holes in the lining to allow stuffing & de-stuffing) and make sure the suit is zipped back up. Put it in your washing machine and select GENTLE or DELICATES, or the alternative for your machine. WATER TEMPERATURE MUST BE COLD! Warm or hot water will melt the fur fibers and make them all matted. Use a low spin.

You can use a small amount of the detergent you regularly use for washing clothing. Do not use any bleach or fabric softeners.

Once your suit has been washed, take it out and lay it flat in a room with a ceiling fan OR use smaller fans to blow onto the suit. DO NOT PUT IT IN THE DRYER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE! The heat will melt the fibers.

It’s important to keep the suit elevated, and so here I used the same bins I stored my fursuit parts in. You can use whatever you have on hand as long as it allows the suit to be elevated and have some airflow.

Brush the suit (with your teasing comb!) immediately as you lay it down. Flip the bodysuit over every half hour to an hour for the first few hours after washing it and give it another brush every time you do so. Be prepared for the bodysuit to take 24 hours to dry completely because the liners like to hold water. DO NOT hang up your bodysuit until it’s completely dry! It will stretch.

Washing - Parts

Handpaws, tails and feetpaws (indoor & outdoor) can be thrown in the washing machine using the same gentle/delicate setting with cold water. Use a low spin. Like with the bodysuit, put these parts near a fan or open window and brush them while they dry. Feetpaws tend to take a long time to dry, so be patient!

Washing - Head

Toony heads made before November 2021 should not be machine washed. The teeth are made of a material that will not hold up in water, and if you have a head made prior to May 2021, the eyes will still be made of foamies. These do not hold up in water. In that case, all cleaning should be spot-cleaning only. I have not tried it myself, but have heard great things about the Bissell Green Machine being used on heads than cannot be submerged in water. Use at your own discretion.

Toony heads made during or after November 2021 are waterproof, including the teeth and the eyes. Wash it as you would any other parts: gentle/delicate, cold water, low spin. Brush as it dries and set it before a fan or an open window. Make sure to remove antlers or horns before washing if your head has any.

Resin-based heads should not be submerged in water, and definitely should NOT be put in the washing machine. As mentioned before, spot cleaning, alcohol spray and using disinfectant wipes on the inside is the best method of cleaning, and is very effective as resin does not hold bacteria/sweat like foam-based toony heads do.

Other Tips

If you find that your fur has crimped in any way, you can use a blow dryer to carefully blow the fibers in the direction they’re supposed to run and brush it as you blow. Move the dryer from side to side instead of letting it blow one area for too long.

If a seam has popped, you can contact me and send it back for repairs OR I can give instructions on how to fix it yourself if it’s a small hole. It’s always good to have basic sewing knowledge if you own a fursuit!

If you have any questions about washing or maintaining your suit, feel free to contact me at any time.