Before attempting to clean your mascot costume, contact your costume provider to get their cleaning recommendations. Not all costumes can be washed and improperly cleaning your mascot could end up destroying it.

In order to properly care for your costume:

DO NOT:

PUT THE COSTUME IN THE DRYER! EVER! Synthetic fur is made of plastic. Plastic melts when you heat it. A fur costume thrown in the dryer will become a nappy ball of short, crisp, melted fur. Countless costumes have been ruined by untrained people cleaning the costume. Don’t let this happen to your suit!

SPRAY ANY CLEANING AGENT IN THE HEAD,  other than a 50/50 mix of water and mouthwash. Products such as Fe-breeze and Lysol will stick in the fur, and then leak out into the performer’s eyes  once he/she begins to sweat. The water/amber mouthwash mix kills germs and odor  without leaving behind harmful elements.

STORE A WET COSTUME IN A BAG/BOX! Your costume must be dry before you store it. If not, the wet costume will  grow mold and other bacteria putting the performer’s health in danger and  creating a very stinky costume.

DRY CLEAN YOUR COSTUME! It just sprays a layer of chemicals over the suit, failing to provide proper  cleaning. Some dry cleaning chemicals can even damage your costume.

DO:

DRY OUT YOUR COSTUME AFTER AN APPEARANCE. Hang up the body and direct a fan at it. For faster results, drape the body over a fan, allowing the air to circulate inside  the costume. Put the head on top of or next to a fan. A head is very hard to clean and the best way to keep it stink free is to dry it off as soon as possible.

WASH HIGH WEAR COSTUME PIECES OFTEN.  Hands are the part of the costume that gets dirty the fastest. Jerseys as  well. Both can easily be washed in a washing machine and hung to dry.

SPOT CLEAN YOUR HEAD/SHOES: Use a spray on spot cleaner that can be rubbed in and rinsed out.

WASH YOUR COSTUME BETWEEN PERFORMERS. It is not healthy to wear a costume that has not been cleaned. A program that utilizes multiple performers should wash costumes whenever a  different performer uses the suit. For this reason it is beneficial to have multiple costumes or parts.

MACHINE WASH YOUR COSTUME. Put it  in a large washer using the gentle cycle and cold water. It is best to use a washer without an agitator as it can tear the costume. A double/triple load washer at the laundromat is ideal. Do not use too much detergent. For extra softness and scent add liquid fabric softener  during the rinse cycle. Allow several hours for the costume to hang dry.

CLEAN YOUR HEAD. Heads are hard to  clean thoroughly. Your best bet is to spray a 50/50 mix of water and vodka  inside the head. Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe out any excess  liquid. Place on a fan to dry. To clean the whole head (do not do this to paper mache or fiberglass heads) submerge it in a bathtub. Scrub a  delicate detergent on the fur. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. A full head cleaning is time consuming. You can put this off by using the 50/50  spray, making sure to air your head out on a fan, and spot cleaning dirt  on the fur.