How to clean suede at home using special and improvised tools

Suede is an amazingly beautiful and versatile material. Any products made from it look stylish and noble. But, alas, during operation, especially when it is active, the material loses its ideal appearance and becomes dirty. A visit to the dry cleaning will help to return to its former splendor. Or you can figure out how to clean suede at home and do it yourself.

Suede, both natural and artificial, reacts extremely negatively to contact with water. It becomes rough, fine hairiness is smoothed out, and bald spots form on the surface of your favorite thing. For this reason, you should not wear accessories in wet or rainy weather. And it is necessary to clean the capricious material only using a special technology.

Primary processing

In order for your favorite thing to last as long as possible, it is important to carry out initial processing. Along with a comfortable pair of shoes, an original bag or gloves, you need to purchase several care products and accessories:

1. Suede brush. It is desirable to have a double-sided one, so that it has a regular brush with a coarse short bristle and a special rubber comb.
2. Spray or protectant. It can be either colorless or tint.
3. Foam for cleaning suede. This tool will help you quickly and effectively deal with any dirt.

Before the first publication, a shoe or an accessory must be sprayed. It will create a protective film that repels moisture.

With such a kit in your arsenal, you will not have to worry about how and how to clean natural suede, everything you need will be at hand.

Foam for cleaning suede

With this tool, dealing with dirt is as easy as shelling pears. Apply foam generously to the dry surface of a bag or shoe and after 2-3 minutes, remove the excess with a sponge.

Then thoroughly brush the material with a brush and finish the procedure by lifting the nap. For these purposes, use a special or stationery eraser.

The caring components of the product will help maintain the noble appearance of the material.

Removal of saline stains

Whitish stains are the most common contamination of shoes in the autumn-winter period. They arise due to the contact of suede with reagents, and the composition of rainwater is far from sterility.

If stains appear on the shoes, they should be removed immediately. Once dry, it will be much more difficult to deal with them.

Immediately after entering a dry room, shoes should be wiped with a soft cloth slightly moistened with ammonia. Not wet at all, but barely wet. If the streaks have not disappeared, the procedure can be repeated. And after drying, straighten the pile with a rubber brush.

If, after the manipulations, the suede has crumpled and began to shine, an ordinary kettle with boiling water will help to correct the situation. The accessory must be held over the steam and brushed immediately. This method will remove shiny stains and light dirt from any suede surface.

Alternative cleaning methods

You can also update the look of your favorite accessory without any special tools. To do this, it is enough to figure out how to clean the suede with ammonia and other improvised means.

It is quite possible to renew with a soapy solution. To do this, add a few drops of shampoo or liquid soap to a ladle or bowl of warm water. Moisten a sponge and treat especially dirty areas. Remove excess foam with a clean, damp cloth. And of course, dry the product: at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.

You can also use a mixture of skim milk and baking soda to freshen up suede. From these components, you need to prepare a gruel (ratio 1: 1), apply it to the contaminated areas and after a few minutes remove it with a damp sponge.

For cleaning this silky material, ammonia is also widely used. To prepare the solution, you must mix a teaspoon of ammonia with 3-4 tablespoons of pure water. Apply the mixture with a sponge to greasy or dirty areas. And after 2 minutes, wipe with a clean damp cloth. Finish cleaning by restoring the nap with an eraser or fine-grained nail file.

Cleaning faux suede

Shoes and accessories made of artificial suede cannot be washed and washed in the usual ways. For processing, you can use special formulations or improvised means. Do not forget that post-processing is necessary with an eraser or brush.

It is important to know how to clean faux suede so that the material does not lose its appeal. The contaminated area should be gently cleaned with a sponge slightly moistened with soapy water. After that, quickly repeat the manipulations, but with a clean sponge.

After complete drying, fluff the pile with an eraser or brush.

The product should not be abundantly soaked, twisted and dried near heating devices.

Restoration of things made of light suede

The most difficult thing is to return a noble look to accessories and shoes made of suede in light shades. On such things, dirt is very conspicuous, and excessive diligence during cleaning can leave streaks. What to do? How to clean light-colored suede quickly and efficiently?

To do this, you can use the following methods:

1. Dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of warm skim milk. Saturate the sponge with this compound and treat the stain. Light contamination disappears after such manipulations.
2. A solution of hydrogen peroxide (1 part hydrogen peroxide and 4 parts water) will help deal with stubborn dirt. The stain should be lightly rubbed with a damp sponge and then remove the remnants of the composition with a clean cloth.
3. A crumb of white bread will also help remove dirt. It should be applied gently to the stain without rubbing too hard. As the dirt passes, the crumb needs to be changed.

Finish off any cleaning with an eraser. This treatment raises the pile and makes the suede look sleek.

But gasoline or turpentine should not be used. They will leave on suede, especially light-colored, greasy, practically impossible to remove stains.

For suede products to last as long as possible, they must be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each season. And before starting a new one, update over steam and treat with protective equipment. And then silky delicate gloves, handbags or shoes will serve for a long time.