Lightening faux fur

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So for my after-christmas present I just bought a somewhat inexpensive faux fur (dog) suit. (didn't want to spend $300+ for it). Really it's more of a cross between a sleeper suit and a halloween costume. This one: https://www.halloweencostumes.com/a...176566907458784497887678780270276480164332289

The problem is its a lot darker than I actually want, so I'm wondering if or how there is a good way to lighten the faux fur. My fist guess is to just spray on a mix of bleach and water, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse it out. Repeating to slowly get it lighter to the shade I want. Would this work without damaging the suit too much? Or should/can I soak it in a bucket of bleach and water? For how long and at what ratio of bleach though? Has anyone tried this before with decent results? If it does work I want to also try spot lightening the fur too. Thanks.
 
Ok, I'm going to try and soak just the paws first (since they can be easily replaced if needed). I'm going to start off with about a 1 part bleach to 10 parts water and see how well soaking them will go. Not sure how long to do that though, or if that's a strong enough mix, maybe I'll just keep monitoring them and as just as they progress. Will definitely rinse them like you suggest, was even thinking of throwing them in the washer afterwards- just to make sure any bleach residue gets removed.
 
Another option for you to consider could be to use an airbrush to change the colours/markings.
 
DanielW said:
. Here's a video I found. 1 in 10 might be too week though, It would be good to sterilize fur though
Click to expand...
Yeah, I saw that too. Not sure I want to spray paint my fur though. Might save it for a last resort.
 
that is not a bad fur outfit at all. Specially for the price. After how depressing the super insane cost of actually having a REAL fursuit is
 
Soaking the suit in bleach water didn't do a whole lot after all. I ended up soaking it for an hour with very little difference. So I strengthened the mix to be closer to 1 part bleach and 3-4 parts water. Let it soak for nearly 3 more hours, and still barely any difference. The 'undercoat' base is a lot lighter brown now, but most of the fur is still a really dark brown, or almost black.

I put it through my washer on delecate, then hung it to dry. While later brushing it out I noticed the backing seems thinner. Possibly even somewhat dissolved from the bleach. Also found one small hole, so I sewed it back up. Given the barely noticable result and possible damage I will not be trying that again.
 
I'd think at this point the airbrush option might be a good avenue to pursue. If you know what the faux fur is made of, you can get air paints that are good for that kind of material - and you'll even be able to add markings and gradients if you wish. Not that I think you don't know this, but airbrushes and spray paint aren't at all the same thing.
 
Traemo said:
I'd think at this point the airbrush option might be a good avenue to pursue. If you know what the faux fur is made of, you can get air paints that are good for that kind of material - and you'll even be able to add markings and gradients if you wish. Not that I think you don't know this, but airbrushes and spray paint aren't at all the same thing.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I do not have an air brush system, nor do I want to spend $100 on one for just this. So that option is out. I'm still mulling over the spray pain option, but may just leave it as is.
 
Faux Fur is make with synthetic fiber which have the dye embedded in the plastic. Bleach is very unlikely to be able to reach anything organic to break down. Unfortunately, your only option is to paint the fibers. I know some professional dyers that can do amazing things with fur but they have access to chemicals and dye vats I can only dream about.
 
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