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Washing your Hadatai

Hadatai like any other garment can get dirty. Especially if you are wearing it out and about some areas like the hands can get quite discolored if you arent careful, although most stains are usually solveable.

A little bit of maintenance after wearing it goes a long way to keeping it looking good as new.

Summary​

  • Spot treat stains, particularly any marks around hands and feet
  • Handwash if you want to play it safe
  • If you need to use a washing machine:
    • Use a gentle cycle, cold water
    • Do not mix with other clothes
    • Put the hadatai in a mesh laundry bag
  • Do not put in a clothes dryer, let it air dry
  • Do not bleach or use fabric softener

Stain Removal​

If you get a stain on your hadatai, don't panic, it happens to the best of us. Do however keep in mind that the longer you wait to clean it, the more difficult it may be to remove.

Many kigurumi swear by a trusty bar of Ivory soap to remove stains, particularly around the hands and feet. Lightly dampen the area of the hadatai with water and rub the soap in as a pre-treatment.

Enzyme based stain removers are often a more specialized choice, and can be more effective at removing stains, these can be more costly than sulfectant based removers but are engineered to be more effective at removing stains.

Bottle of Shout Dual Enzyme Stain Remover

Shout Dual Enzyme Stain Remover for example

If you are using a stain remover you haven't tried before, like with regular clothes before using it on a highly visible area try testing it on a small inconspicuous spot of the hadatai first, leaving it to sit for a few minutes before rinsing off to ensure it doesn't discolor the fabric. A stain remover shouldnt, but it's always better to be sure.

Washing​

Detergent​

Hadatai owing to being spandex are not as sensitive to detergents as other fabrics, but that doesn't mean you should throw it in with other clothes.

Many kigs swear by Woolite, however this wiki seeks to dismasntle this suggestion focusing on science. Woolite is named so due to being a sufactant based detergent, that does not use enzymes to remove stains. As the name suggests, Woolite was made for wool, owing to it being a natural fiber and not a synthetic one enzymes can interact in potentially unwanted ways, hence an enzyme based detergent. Hadatai are not wool, they are entirely synthetic which can greatly benefit from an enzyme based detergent.

Based on tests by the "Project Farm" youtube channel, Tide's liquid detergent was found to be one of the most effective detergents. Consumer reports and The Wirecutter also found similar results, with Persil being a strong performer as well.

As hadatai is covering a large area of your body, ultimately pick a modern liquid detergent that has a scent you are comfortable with.

tip

Borax can help your detergent work better to remove stains, especially if you have hard water in your area. A little goes a long way.

Tide liquid detergent

Liquid, not the pods as those can sometimes have issue disolving

Hand Washing​

Hand washing is one of the best ways to care for your hadatai or other delicate garments such as cosplay outfits. If this concept is new to you, honestly it's not that difficult, will preserve the fabric, and is a good skill to have. That said learning how to is better left to videos on youtube or tiktok.

Just remember, it's the rinsing that really gets dirt out, rinse well if not multiple times. Rinse by soaking it in water, not by running water over it. Dont wring the water out by stretching the fabric, a faster way to get water out is to lay it flat on a towel and roll it up briefly.

Machine Washing​

If you need to use a washing machine, use the most gentle cycle your machine has. Use cold water, and not too much detergent. Put the hadatai in a mesh laundry bag to protect the hadatai from getting snagged or caught on the washing machine.

Ideally wash the hadatai by itself but adding shapewear in their own mesh bags usually wont cause harm. The key point is dont mix with other colors, or with heavily stained items, dont give opportunity for stains to transfer.

Drying​

warning

Leave the hadatai to air dry, do not put it in a clothes dryer.

Ideally hang it up to dry in a spot with good air circulation, even a decent clothes hanger can do just avoid pulling the fabric. Ideally a proper drying rack of some kind is best, google has plenty of diy ideas if you dont have anything suitable.

If you absolutely need to use a dryer, use the lowest heat setting possible to avoid damaging the fabric. Do not use dryer sheets.

Post Wash Care​

With use your hadatai may start to show signs of wear and tear, the most common being pilling around high friction areas such as hands and feet, or around the joints. Using a fabric depiller can help remove the pilling and prevent buildup, keeping your hands looking their best.