/jp/ Dakimakura Pastebin V0.1

/jp/ dakimakura pastebin 2014 v0.1
by recent OP

01. Shopping
02. Use and Care
03. Stuffing
04. Bootleg vs Official vs Doujin
05. Commission and Custom Dakimakuras
06. FAQ

This guide is intended to answer most common questions that come up in every dakimakura thread. It will be updated with each thread based on your feedback. Suggest any improvements or additions for future pastebins there.
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01. Shopping
-Vendors
Hobbysearch (Japan)
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/1016/0/1
Category: Official + Doujin
-Description missing since I havent ordered from them.

Evening Call(Japan)
http://www.eveningcall.net/Products.aspx
Category: Doujin
-Description missing since I havent ordered from them.

AmiAmi
http://slist.amiami.com/top/search/list?s_keywords=hugging+pillow&submit=Search&pagemax=40
Category: Official
-Description missing since I havent ordered from them.

Mandrake (Japan)
https://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/shop/en/search.do?searchStrategy=keyword&action=keyword&doujin=all&keyword=+%E6%8A%B1%E3%81%8D%E6%9E%95
-Description missing since I havent ordered from them.

AcHobby (Chinese)
http://achobby.taobao.com/search.htm?spm=2013.1.w5001-2090012446.4.NYMtl3&search=y&scene=taobao_shop
Category: Doujin
Chinese site with one of the best artist (Noodle). Orders can be done via facebook (English) and paid via Paypal. They include a lot of bonus stuff with their dakimakuras. Usually 1x wall scroll 2x stickers 1x badge.
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02. Use and Care
A guide to washing your dakimakura:
One thing I've encountered with other dakimakura enthusiasts is that most of them don't know how to go about washing their dakimakura safely! I didn't either, at first. I simply dove in and took a risk with some intelligent decisions. Now, I've gone through the washing process about 10-15 times. I have yet to experience any damage, or fading, though general care also helps with that.

With that said, I present a step-by-step guide to washing your dakimakura.

Note: These techniques work for ME with MY dakimakura. Your mileage may vary, and I am not at fault if you mess something up. Reprints (basically, bootlegs) may be vulnerable depending on printing method used. My one reprint did go through the washing process well, though.

1. Strip the pillow and gather your supplies!
Be gentle when you remove the dakimakura from the pillow, they're sturdy but it will still stress the fabric. If you're washing the dakimakura, you probably want to air the pillow out too. You must also decide if you want to wash the dakimakura inside out. Some do, I don't. It makes getting spots more difficult.

As for supplies, I use the following items:
a. Cheer Color-Guard detergent for me. Just one load's worth, or the '1' line on a marked cap. Make sure you don't use anything with bleach in it!
b. A small wash basin. You can use the tub, or the sink, or whatever you like, but I keep a plastic tub nearby for cleaning purposes.
c. Toothbrush. For small, troublesome spots. General soaking and such will remove most of the stuff, but for dried/caked on substances (blood, dirt, stuff from pets, etc.) it'll be helpful.

2. Fill the wash basin/sink/whatever with COLD water, dump in the detergent and get it mixed up.
Cold water is important. It will prevent the colors from running.

3. Immerse the dakimakura in the cold water, get it nice and soapy!
At this point, if you have any spots, go over them GENTLY with the toothbrush. A little toothbrush action with the detergent will get out almost anything. The most trouble I've had was blood from scratching myself in my sleep, and even that came out fairly easily.

4. Let it soak for about 20 minutes.
Make sure the water is still chilly. Walk off, let it sit for 20 minutes. Don't touch it, even if you're tempted to.

5. Dump the water, rinse the dakimakura well and wring it dry as best you can.
These things absorb water like nothing else does! If you don't wring it out, you'll soak the ground beneath where you hang it to dry.

6. Hang it up to dry for 8-12 hours.
I used to hang mine on our back porch out on the line, but we have too many cats now. I double the dakimakura over the shower curtain bar in my bathroom and let it dry for 8+ hours. It'll still be drippy even if you did wring it out well, so put towels beneath it if drying indoors.

7. Your dakimakura should now be clean! Enjoy!

General dakimakura care

Dakimakura are expensive. We want them to have a long life, as a result. There are a few simple things you can do to care for them and keep them in good condition.

1. Wash them as necessary.
Don't wash them TOO often, or they'll begin to fade. A good rule of thumb may be every 4-6 months, unless they are noticeably dirty. Are they a bit smelly? Air it out or use fabric freshener (i.e. febreze) on it first!

2. Shower before bed.
Some people shower once a day in the morning, some in the evening, some twice a day. I personally have taken to showering once a day in the evening. It keeps the pillow from getting sweaty or smelly, and also reduces the dirt it gets on it.

3. Keep animals away from it.
We have 7 cats in our house, they do not come in my room if I can help it. Cat dander, dirt, hair? Yuck! I don't want to sleep with that.

4. Trim (and file) your nails!
This is common sense and everyone should do it anyway. Some people don't, or they forget. Well-kept nails prevent scratching and tearing of fabric (and self) in sleep.

5. Keep it off the floor.
Your floor may appear to be pristine, but it'll still contribute to the dirtiness of the pillow. Avoid if possible.
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03. Stuffing
Get the DHR6000 if you can via proxy if you can afford it and are willing to pay a lot...

Where can I get the stuffing?
http://slist.amiami.com/top/search/list?s_cate3=186&pagemax=100
http://www.hobbyheart.com/dakimakura-150x50cm-hugging-body-pillow-inner-stuff-p-476.html
http://janelee922.ecrater.com/p/7762530/dakimakura-hugging-pillow-inner-stuff
Royal Pillow - Filthy bastards that only ship in Burgerland. Very cheap.
If you dont want to pay that much you can either pick up a pillow from your local bad and beyond or you order a pillow from ebay.

We recommend that you try picking up a pillow from a local bedroom/household goods store (e.g. Bed Bath & Beyond), since you can squeeze and pick out a pillow with your preferred softness level in person. You wouldn’t need to pay a rape shipping price on a giant pillow from overseas. The pillow size should be the same size as your cover. If it’s too big or too small, the art will be stretched out or wrinkled. Always buy a white pillow. Remember, no one can see the pillow anymore once it’s inside the dakimakura case.
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04. Bootleg vs Official vs Doujin

Bootleg are retraced and recolored version of official dakimakuras. They are often printed on lesser quality fabric and usually 150cm x 50cm. Most sites that sell dakimakura in english are bootleggers and should be avoided, this includes almost all ebay sellers.

Official dakimakuras are dakimakuras drawn by the official artist of the series and are often sold only for a limited time.

Doujin dakimakuras are the same as official ones but they are also sold on comiket and other expos for a limited time.

More to come...
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05. Commission and Custom Dakimakuras

WIP
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06. FAQ

What’s a dakimakura?
Dakimakura are a type of pillow from Japan, usually 150cm x 50cm or 160cm x 50cm. Dakimakura are also known as “hug pillows”. They usually have an anime or video game character printed on the cover.

What can I do with a dakimakura?
You can hug it, talk to it, cuddle and sleep with it or simply look at it. (with onahole, you can j-j-jam it in! ;_;)

Is it worth it?
All depends on a few factors. If you think you are paranoid about people coming in your room and criticizing you about it, don’t buy it. If you really love your waifu, buy it. You will never have a better sleep. Amazing back support. It will never reject you or walk out on you for some guy at the bar.

Ah! What are these fabrics? I wasn’t a Tailor in WoW!
Generally just about all covers will be 100% polyester (synthetic fibers).
Good: doesn’t stain easily, doesn’t wrinkle easily, good drape, extremely cheap for the makers to produce & turn profits
Bad: pills easily, doesn’t breathe, easy to get sweaty and uncomfortable, cannot iron on high, will melt instead of burn in case of fire.

The exact qualities will depend on the maker and batch.
2-Way Tricot is extremely smooth and stretchy, and the colors stand out. Highly recommended. 100% polyester, can be cleaned fairly easily. Most common material used for doujin dakimakura these days (via maker A&J).
Peachskin fabric is almost always used for bootlegs. It’s fairly soft, and as the name implies, has a skin-like feel to it. Durable. 100% polyester, can be cleaned fairly easily.
Velvet is the softest and most expensive if it’s real velvet. The short-pile fibers give a very distinctive “hairy” feeling. Hand-wash. More difficult to clean if it contains cotton or silk.

How do I wash my dakimakura?
Instructions are usually labelled inside.
Japanese laundry symbol table.

If yours is a bootleg and doesn’t have one, here are some tips on washing it. Wash it with only cold to lukewarm water, inside out. Set it on delicate or similar setting. Dry it with a dry sheet, also on delicate, or hang-dry. Hand-washing (in cold to lukewarm water) is recommended over machine if you can do it. In between washes, you can Febreze to keep her smelling fresh and spot-clean the most used areas. Gently snip off pilling, but usually that’s the first sign of its unraveling.

Any special care tips?
It is important for you to shave your neckbeard daily to avoid tearing the fabric. Especially if you get one that’s 2-Way Tricot. Also, take a bath daily, preferably before bed. Your waifu doesn’t want to sleep with you if you smell. It’s inevitable that dead skin cells and body oil will rub off onto the dakimakura over time, so wash it at least once a month if you are using it regularly. Let it sunbathe inside-out twice a year to allow UV rays to kill microbes for you.
Above all, try to take good care of your dakimakura and avoid getting it dirty in the first place. It will degrade faster the more you wash it, and polyester is prone to pilling (forming little lint balls) over time.