How to Clean and Maintain Your Cosplay

Lisaphotos195 via Pixabay

It’s the end of your latest convention weekend. You’re feeling great, but you’re also exhausted. It’s been a long day of sweating, eating, dancing, and more. You finally strip off your cosplay, and it’s then you notice the wear and tear. A stain here, a tear here, wrinkles everywhere. And it smells!

Because most cosplays don’t consist of things you can toss in the washing machine, it’s not always obvious how to clean them. I enlisted the help of some cosplayer friends to help create a quick guide of what to do when it’s time to clean your nontraditional clothes:

• Edwin (he/him), also known as @miltowncosplays on Instagram, is a Wisconsin and Minnesota cosplayer who describes himself as a man of many masks. He has lots of experience with spandex superhero costumes, and you can often find him cosplaying as heroes and villains from Spider-Man variants to Magneto. He has been a cosplay guest at events like Twin Cities Con and the Uncanny Experience. Check out Edwin’s Linktree for more information.

• Xen, or Kyna (she/they), is a Twin Cities cosplayer known as @fluffyheichou.cosplay on Instagram. Outside of the cosplay hobby, she is also a model and a business owner of her own photo and video production company that specializes in working with small businesses, focusing on cosplay, anime, fashion, and K-pop. Her model and talent agency looks to amplify BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented voices. She plans to open a mentorship program aiming to empower the cosplay community. Visit Xen’s website for more information.

• River (they/them/fae/faer), who goes by @riverriots_ and @rivercosplayz_reels on Instagram, is a Wisconsin-based cosplayer who frequents Midwestern conventions. They have cosplayed characters from a variety of genres and fandoms, from Gogo Tomago of Big Hero 6 to Asmodeus of Helluva Boss.

Courtesy of Edwin (@miltowncosplay)

Courtesy of Xen (@fluffyheichou.cosplay)

Courtesy of River (@rivercosplayz)

Disclaimer: This article will mainly cover costumes. There are enough cosplay wig and prop tips to write a book, so I’ll leave those for another day.

Proper Transportation

The first step to keep your cosplay looking nice? Don’t just ball it up when traveling! Whether it was bought, made, closet, or destined for resale, it shouldn’t just be treated like a one-time use. River recommends avoiding wrinkles in most fabrics by folding “army style” when packing, a method that they learned from their grandpa, who served. (See “How to Pack a Bag Using the Ranger Roll” by Brett and Kate McKay for a description of this method.) For silks and satins, however, they say that hanging or laying cosplays flat in a dress bag is the way to go. If you get to or come back from a convention and find your fabric creased or folded, I also suggest a steamer or iron as a possible fix if the fabric isn’t delicate.

Steve Bussinne via Pixabay

Washing Methods

Make sure you know the correct care instructions for your cosplay before washing it. If you make your own cosplays, record the materials you use so that you know the proper care. If it was crafted secondhand from other garments, save any tags you may have removed when deconstructing.

Some of the most common fabrics are cotton (including denim), linen, nylon, polyester, rayon, silk, spandex, and wool. You can find more general washing guidelines from companies like Arm & Hammer and Tide, but here are some best practices:

• Cotton fabrics will shrink in hot water with agitation. As such, washing in warm water or a temperature cooler is preferable. Dry on medium or lower heat.
• Denim, which is usually made with cotton, should be turned inside out and washed with like colors on cold water. Remove it from the dryer slightly damp and hang it to dry completely.
• Linen can be washed on a gentle cycle with cool water to minimize color fading. Dry either on low or on a line.
• Nylon and spandex should be hand-washed or turned inside out and machine-washed delicately with cold or warm water. Dry on low heat.
• Polyester can be washed with like colors in warm water and dried on low or cool.
• Rayon should be either dry-cleaned or hand-washed with cold water. Air dry.
• Silk should be hand-washed with cold water without harsh cleaners. Air dry out of direct sunlight.
• Wool should washed like silk, but when drying, it should be flat to keep the fabric’s shape.

Keep in mind these are not hard and set rules. Different machines, cleaning products, and fabric blends may lend themselves to different methods. Check the item tag! For many of these fabrics, avoid chlorine bleach and fabric softener.

For delicate fabrics and garments with buttons or lace, I use laundry bags, which you can use to keep small articles of clothing together and reduce color bleeding during a normal wash. River washes all of their machine-washable cosplays in cool water and dries them on the gentle setting with low or no-heat dry. While they wash knits, they don’t put them in the drier, air-drying instead.

Of course, not everything can or should just be thrown into the washing machine, whether it’s too big or needs a gentler cleaning method. This is the case, for example, with spandex-based cosplays. “I hand-wash my cosplay suits in either my tub or a bucket and then hang them up to air dry,” Edwin says. “Some people will vouch for [a washing machine] on delicate settings, but that did not work out well for me, so I err on the side of caution.”

In a pinch, River says, “I’ve hand-washed cosplays using my shower before. Hang it up and use cool water to get it wet, and then use laundry detergent on a sponge to get that soap in. Rinse, wring it out, and let it air-dry.” Xen additionally advises hanging up more delicate pieces, noting that she uses a shower-curtain rod in a doorway to hang up her cosplay wings for cleaning.

Jill Wellington via Unsplash

Spot Cleaning

For treating stains like makeup and face paint, River suggests Shout Stain Remover or hand washing with white hand soap. “Blot, don’t rub!” they emphasize.

When dealing with leather, Xen says, “I like to wipe them with a gentle all-purpose cleaner or soap and warm water!” They also add that disinfectant wipes can be used for other nonwashable materials.

Making Repairs

Tears in costumes happen all the time, so don’t worry if you notice one. Having a needle and thread or sewing machine on hand is good for any cosplayer who wants to get the most out of their fabric costumes. If you don’t have your own sewing machine, see whether your community has any resources available that you can use—local libraries, like Saint Paul Public Libraries’ Innovation Lab and Ramsey County Libraries’ Maker Adult, can be a good place to start.

Mariya Muschard via Pixabay

Planning Ahead

In case the worst happens and a wardrobe malfunction or costume tear occurs at a con, River says, “I usually carry a needle and thread, hot glue, a hot glue gun, and safety pins with me.” They also note that they carry extra makeup and hairspray as quick fixes to any other small cosplay issues. Xen’s adhesive of choice is contact cement instead of hot glue, but she notes that “usually someone will have Gorilla glue or [a] Tide stick on them if you just ask!” If your props get dirty, Edwin suggests soap and water, both of which should be easy to find at any convention bathroom.

Additionally, Xen also points out, “I try not to wear super complicated cosplays for long periods of time. I try to change out of the ones that could tear or break easily,” thinking back to a time when she broke her delicate 3D printed gear to a convention when tiredly sitting down. “It’s fun to go all out and wear your cosplay- but also know when to switch out to have time to be comfy enough so you can still have fun!”

With your clean cosplay safely hanging in the closet again, you breathe a sigh of relief. Now it’s time to get to planning for your next con.

If you have any of your own cosplay cleaning tips or suggestions for articles on care for other cosplay pieces or materials, feel free to let me know in the comments below!