Suede, just like leather is now season-less and can never go out of fashion. However, cleaning suede is a complicated task. While it is best to get it done professionally that might also work out to be a tad bit expensive. So for those of you who love the look and feel of suede but worry about its high maintenance cost, here we guide you on how to clean your suede shoes/clothing at home without damaging the fabric or cutting short its longevity.
Learn How To Clean Suede Shoes
1. Use A Toothbrush to Clean Suede
Since you can’t wash suede like how you wash your regular cotton or polyester fabric, it can start to look old and frayed after some time. To tackle this problem, you can brush them gently with a toothbrush in the opposite direction of the fibre. This will help renew the suede and make it look fresh and new. Just make sure to be very gentle as you do not want to rough up the fibre and make it look coarse.
2. Water to Clean Suede
If your suede shoes or jacket got wet, they can end up with splotchy water stains. There is a simple solution for this. Just wet a soft cloth with lukewarm water and use this to gently brush the suede. This will help dampen the fabric and when they dry, the stains will be gone.
[Also Read: Shower Shoes]
3. Vinegar to Clean Suede
For stains, try dipping a towel in some vinegar and rubbing the stained area with it. Be extra gentle so as not to fade the original colour of the fabric. Wipe with a wet cloth and let it dry to see if the stains gone.
4. Eraser to Clean Suede
You can use an eraser to effectively get rid of scratches and other surface stains. Just rub the affected area with an eraser and see the scratch/stain disappear. You’ve literally erased the stain away. How cool is that? But this only works for light surface stains. If you’re stain is very old or has gone in deep, this method might prove useless.
This is one of the most easiest ways to clean suede.
Source: wikihow.com
5. Nail File to Clean Suede
For lumpy mud stains and such you can try filing them off with a nail file. This works amazingly well, you just have to be very gentle and patient while doing it to avoid scuffing up the fibre.
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For wet stains, always blot it with a paper napkin, taking care not to rub it or smudge it any further than necessary. Avoid using any form of commercial stain removers as they will end up not only damaging the fibre but also in fading off the colour, leaving you with uneven blotches. For oil stains, degrease the stained area with powder or corn flour and blot it with a cloth dipped in vinegar. Allow it to dry to see if the vinegar has done a good job of removing the oil. If you feel a stain is too stubborn to be removed by any of the above mentioned methods, then going to a dry cleaner is your best option.
Now you never have to worry, now that you know how to clean suede.
Things to Remember
- Never blow dry your suede shoes or clothing to speed up the drying process. Always allow it to dry naturally (in shade) to prevent uneven fading.
- Avoid storing suede in plastic covers or bags as this might result in mouldy, stuffy-smelling fabric. Use cloth bags instead to store your suede in, thereby allowing the fabric to “breathe”.
- If, worst case scenario, your suede clothing gets faded unevenly or the stain refuses to come off, you can consider having it dyed to a darker colour that will cover up any obvious inconsistency in colour.
If you are putting away your suede clothing during summer and will only be taking them out during winter, remember to occasionally get them out of storage, letting them breathe and letting the fabric unravel from its folded state. This ensures that your suede remains relatively new and does not get any unwanted wrinkles or creases from being put in storage for a lengthy duration.
Still worried and not sure if you can clean suede yourself? Well, we have the perfect video for you. Watch this video on how to clean suede at home.
Hope this post on different ways to clean suede has helped you. Now do not worry if they are your suede shoes or your suede clothing, just remember these ideas or refer to our blog for best solutions to all your problems. Now you can be fearless and buy those pretty suede shoes you had seen at the store and clean them without any problem.
