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I wear a full-body underarmour suit underneath that usually catches most of my sweat. How long do you usually wait before giving the suit an actual bath? I've heard tub-bathing isn't really necessary until yor suit stinks because it wears down the suit. Do you bathe yours after every use?
And is Lysol spray equivalent to using your diluted alcohol method? I've never heard of it having any harsh chemicals, and my suit has no airbrushing, but if it degrades my costume in any way I need to stop ASAP!
Thanks for the help B)
I wash it once it either starts smelling, or the dried sweat sticks into the fur and makes it "spike" up and hard to brush!
As for lysol, I would look into it. If it says on the bottle that it's not for clothing, prolonged skin contact, or breathing in, you probably shouldn't use it!
Here is some more information on ingredients that are dangerous: http://www.fursuit.org/node/31
I was always trying to figure out how to disinfect the head :D
NOW I KNOW.
And feet... And bodies... Haha!
I usually dry my suit parts out with a hose-type hair dryer set to Cool. Then spray out with a store-brand aerosol disinfectant, but would prefer something without a fragrance.
To get the same ratio with 70% alcohol, mix it in around an 80/20 ratio with water (final ratio = 56%).
As others have said, thanks for the guide! I didn't realize alcohol was O.K. for such purposes and am glad to know that now. :)
All it does is ruffle up the fur a bit, nothing a quick brushing won't fix!
Antimicrobial Febreze is NOT safe for clothing or anything coming in contact with your skin, and you shouldn't breathe it in either!
It can also DISINTEGRATE the foam in your fursuit head over time.
So no, not good for fursuits!
Other than that, I have always LOVED your suit cleaning tutorials. It helps SO many people Im sure who have NO idea on how to properly clean their suits!
A clean suit is a SMELL GOOD suit! :D
My own above comment deleted for errors, even tho Im sure some will still remain
But definitely very helpful to know just in case! Thank you ;D
Whenever I see a fursuiter using harsh chemicals such as End Bac, Lysol or equivalent I let them know that they're doing more harm than good to their fursuit and themselves. (Why do you wanna use what is essentially bathroom disinfectant on your critter??) I have turned quite a few fursuiters over to the alcohol\water trick. No complaints so far!
Now I know that Lysol and such will degrade foam and materials in fursuits, but I can't see Febreeze do that in moderation. I do notice that it leaves an oily residue on the surface of the fabric if the suit is doused in the stuff.
This is really useful, I'm going to try it out :)
but erm.... what IS rubbing alcohol?
also, the febreze anti-bacterial i'm using has no warning of harm to people except keep away from small children and avoiding contact with eyes. i just use that and leave it to dry.
I like it cus it gets rid of bacteria, gets rid of oils from sweat, is not harmful to the suit, and doesn't leave a smell behind!
Question:
What if your head isn't lined?
It is just foam X____X
Really great information here!
It even says on the label that it is not to be used on clothing or contact with skin.
Alcohol degrades certain plastics while others are not affected. Many plastics such as vinyl, nylon and polyethylenes (used in bottles) are not affected. Unfortunately, acrylic fibers used for faux fur and polyurethane foam are affected by alcohol to some extent. Some fibers might be more resistant than others, it depends on how it's made and what additives they use during the manufacturing process.
Plastic stuff isn't all made out of plastic either, it usually has additives such as color pigments, plasticizers (which make them flexible) and fillers, among other things. Vinyl and polyester resin (clear or colored solid parts) are not affected by alcohol, but the alcohol can leach the additives out of the mix, leaving a chalky or milky appearance. The color changes you might have noticed on old computer cases, this is caused by the additives in the plastic breaking down over time, not the plastic itself.
On the inside of the fursuit fabric and head I think it's probably OK to do this, but on the outside I would avoid using alcohol on any plastic parts like claws, eyes or teeth or on any airbrushed or painted areas. Don't douse the whole thing in alcohol.
Definitely test an inconspicuous area of the fursuit first, and let it dry completely, to check, before applying any chemicals. If you don't notice any changes, it's probably OK to use alcohol.
You may also want to ask the manufacturer of acrylic and foam materials if they are compatible with different chemicals you intend to use on them.
source: I used to be in charge of quality control at a plastics manufacturing plant.
From my research, I have found that most of the fursuiters who use the alcohol method of disinfectant are the "pro" fursuiters, the ones who have been at this for 10+ years, and also professional mascots! So I'm assuming they know what they're talking about and have done tests.
But to be sure, I will be doing some tests myself with some various fur fabrics and straight alcohol. I will douse them and lay them out to dry (probably will do this a few times) and see if there are any changes.
I've been doing this for a few years now and haven't noticed any ill effects what-so-ever (even rubbing down the outside of the fur with the alcohol) so I THINK it should be okay on fur! But I will do some tests.
Thanks again for the info! :)
And considering the nature of the furry fandom where people tend to do stupid things with some regularity, it should be mentioned, that there are things you shouldn't do... like don't do this around open flame for example, alcohol is flammable, and it's worse when you spray it as a fine mist.
I'm interested to see the results of your test, especially if there are different brands that you could test. I kind of suspect the better brands will be more resistant but I don't know about the cheaper. Test the foam too if you use foam. I suspect it will actually be more sensitive than the fibers.
Will probably keep repeating the experiment and see if I get any effects.
My original head I first made needs a good-good spray down with alcohol, because it has a funk to it. (Extremely guilty, now) So, I think I'll go do that right now! 8) Thanks for this wonderful guide, hon! I plan to be a nice smelling suit!
I have to park in a grass lot in college and I put my head (freshly sprayed with fabreeze)in the trunk for a 3 hour trip. Once there, I learned my car had ant inside and they had infested my head in that short amount of time, using the fabreeze as food. Thankfully they were easier than expected to remove and the head is totally fine now.
I know this won't happen to everyone, but if anyone stores their suit in a garage or shed should be weary!
(I'm also getting a bottle ready for FWA ;3 Gotta keep them suits clean!)
Second, I'm thinking it might be helpful to cover the eyes while cleaning the head, to prevent any accidental exposure to the alcohol; especially from spraying. Paper towels should do the job just fine. Cotton rounds, used for removing nail polish, might be convenient, if the eyes are no larger than that size. I would avoid using any kind of tape to hold the masking material (paper towels, etc.) in place, as the adhesives may not be compatible with one or more of the materials in and around the eyes. Just some thoughts that came to me while I was reading this. ^!^
I have never had a single issue and I've sprayed my heads more times than I can count, along with friends' and customers' heads. Just be careful, that's all!
Still, cleaning that method would be a hassle, especially at a con. I wouldn't expect most people to do that, but if it works for you, go for it :)
I've heard many methods to this, i just want to know yours.
But mine have never really been dirty, so I've never had to clean them. Just water and a washcloth is the most I've had to do. However, I have heard good things about Folex carpet cleaner, though I've never used it myself. Sorry I can't help more!
I got my suit on Halloween, so I've only worn it 5-6 times, but I do this afterwards and have had no problems!
On time I wore it as a partial for just 30 minutes or so, so I didn't bother cleaning it out, but I put the head on later that week and it was pretty stinky, but I did this and it smelled better fast. C':
Very helpful, and I'll be sure to follow your other tutorial when it comes time to wash my suit.
A friend of mine swears by using Vodka. Cheap stuff. He says he's used it for 10 years. It must work, as I've never detected much foul suit odor, just the beers he likes to drink!
Great tutorial!
And yes, cheap vodka works much the same as long as it doesn't have flavoring or sugar in it!
Also infinitly more helpful then when i asked the guy who MADE my suit how to fix this problem, his response was "Trying to repair a head from extensive water damage is not a good idea. And that isn't something you want to be putting on your head as it can make you sick. To be honest, I can't really give you any advice... other than you shouldn't leave fursuits in wet places. "
If you need additional help, please let me know. I have washed a few fursuit heads before with good results, I could be able to help you too.
Definitely try lots of disinfecting first and keep it on a fan for a while.
One question I have though, is Would it be a good idea to mix in a fragrance of some sort, like mint, with diluted alcohol?
I'll definitely reference this tutorial during MFF and future cons where I'm suiting
Thanks for your advice, and I may see you at MFF if you're going.
...plus there's no $50k apologies neededafter the emergency room.
Clean is good.
Besides that, it will also leave a greasy residue buildup over time, slowly eat away at the foam, and possibly through the fur backing as well. It is a very harsh chemical not suited for contact with skin or being inhaled.
For more information please visit https://www.CleanFursuits.weebly.com
I know from personal experience that it eventually deteriorates foam AND fur over time & is not safe for use/inhaling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=1120&tid=240
That isn't to say though, that Febreze might not be bad for your fursuit in the long run.
Alcohol denatured - Also disclosed in the ingredients of Febreze, it's linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, organ system toxicity and skin, eyes and lung irritator
That is exactly what isopropyl alcohol aka rubbing alcohol is.
If there's better and safer alternatives out there, why use something that could be bad?
If you find out anything else let me know, I would love to learn!
However I have left scraps of regular fur soaking in it for hours to no ill effects whatsoever.