After a major event or at the end of your season, your mascot should be cleaned thoroughly. Our mascot cleaning service ensures that your costume looks great and is ready to go for your next big event. We can also properly store your mascot for you, to protect it from dust, moisture or other types of damage.

A mascot costume should be cleaned after every use. If professional mascot cleaning is not an option, here are some general tips to clean the mascot yourself.

What kind of mascot are you cleaning?

Different types of mascots require different types of cleaning. In general, there are 2 main categories of mascot costumes: A head & body mascot – a separate head, bodysuit or clothing, inner body, gloves, and feet, or a uni-body mascot – typically one large structure that fits over the entire body with only the arms and legs exposed.

Disclaimer: Hogtown Mascots Inc. strongly recommends that you consult the manufacturer of your mascot costume before attempting to clean the costume yourself. If you are not sure how to clean it or cannot contact the manufacturer, please inquire about our professional mascot costume cleaning services.

Watch the video below for mascot costume cleaning instructions, or continue reading below the video.

These are items that typically cannot be machine-washed. When it comes to proper mascot care of these pieces, a wet/dry vacuum is your best friend.

1. Prepare two spray bottles: One with warm water and about a teaspoon of mild detergent. The other bottle should have plain room temperature or cold water to use as a rinse.
2. Spray the soapy water on soiled areas and gently scrub to remove dirt.
3. Vacuum up the soapy water and spray the area with the clean water.
4. Continue spraying and vacuuming the water until you are confident that all of the soapy water is removed. If the soapy water is not removed completely, you will find that that the area feels filmy to the touch once dry and may attract dirt more easily.

Note: If your mascot fabric has airbrushed or painted details you will want to be careful not to remove too much of the paint in those areas.

Depending on what material your mascot is covered with, you may notice that a wet area dries with a ring around it. If that happens, spray the entire piece with clean water and vacuum out the excess. That will ensure it dries evenly and avoids a ring.

Cleaning Plastic Parts

Eyes and other plastic parts of your mascot can get scuffed and dirty. To clean plastic parts, first try wiping them off with a damp cloth. If that doesn’t work, you might have to use something a bit stronger. Rubbing alcohol wipes can be purchased from most local drug stores and are excellent for removing more stubborn scuffs and other small marks. Just be gentle and always test a small section of any painted area first, as the alcohol may remove paint.

Cleaning Feet

Mascot feet are made in a variety of different ways. If your mascot feet are made of soft foam or have removable covers, you can detach and wash them just like the jumpsuit and gloves and then secure them back to the foot forms. If your mascot feet don’t have detachable covers then you can clean the outside in the same manner as the head and uni-body mascot costume cleaning instructions above.

In most cases, the jumpsuit, gloves, and clothing of your mascot can usually be hand or machine washed in cold water and hung to dry. If your mascot has a removable tail, detach the tail from the jumpsuit and clean it the same way you would the outside of the head. If your mascot has hand sewn spots or details (spikes, lumps, claws, etc.), you are better off to hand wash these pieces and use a washing machine to spin the excess water out before hanging the items to dry.

Mascot inner bodies can usually be machine washed in cold water and hung to dry. If your inner body has tubing, you should always remove the tubing before washing and then return the tubing into the inner body after it’s dried.

NOTE: If you are not sure whether parts of your mascot clothing have been dyed, it’s a good idea to wash all parts separately to avoid color bleeding. Dry cleaning a mascot is almost never recommended as the chemicals used in the dry cleaning process can harm the mascot.

• If your mascot is made of Antron-style fleece (Muppet fabric), you may find over time that the fabric gets very matted and needs a bit of a lift. You can use the hook side of a piece of Velcro and work it over the fabric gently to lift the “fuzz” and bring the fabric back to life. See the image below where the bottom image has been refreshed and the top is still matted down. DO NOT brush Antron fleece when cleaning a mascot, as it will damage the fabric and make it very difficult to achieve the Muppet type of look again.
  
  This image shows how puppet fleece can be fluffed up using a piece of Velcro to bring it back to life after washing.
  • Faux fur mascots need their fur brushed (especially after washing) in order to maintain a fluffy look. This can easily be achieved by using a wire pet brush and gently going over the head and body parts. Be careful not to over-brush, or you may remove too much fur.
  • Velcro closures – over time the hook side of Velcro gets filled with lint or fur. You can clean the hook side of the Velcro by using a wire pet brush and gently brushing out the debris.
  • It’s always a good idea to wipe the soles of your mascot feet after each use to keep them looking clean.
  • Gum and other sticky treats are a common problem with mascot costumes so have something like Goo Gone on hand to remove sticky residue. Be sure to first test a hidden area of the fabric to make sure the product won’t negatively affect it.
  • Inside the head –  wipe with a damp cloth or anti-bacterial wipe after each use to keep the mascot fresh between professional cleanings. You can also spray with a refresher spray and leave to fully air dry.
  • ALWAYS lay your mascot out to air dry after using it. Let the costume dry completely before packing it up. As a general rule, your mascot should only be packed up to get it from point A to point B. If you have the space, keep your mascot out and exposed to air at all times.

  Is your mascot beyond cleaning?

  Our recycling program is one way to dispose of an old mascot in a more eco-friendly manner. At Hogtown Mascots, we provide a broad spectrum of mascot services, that cover from the beginning to the end of a mascot costume’s life cycle. So whether you want to recycle a costume or revitalize it, you can count on the team at Hogtown Mascots.