How to clean suede shoes at home

To look beautiful and elegant, you need to take care not only of your hair or clothes, but also of your shoes, especially if it is made of suede. This material is soft, thin and velvety, it has good insulating properties, therefore it is used in the manufacture of clothing and haberdashery goods: bags, gloves, etc. Despite the capriciousness of suede, it is no less popular than leather products and, in order not to be inferior to them in practicality, should be properly looked after.

Before buying suede products, you should consider its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

1. Elasticity and porosity prevent the penetration of moist air and moisture.
2. Soft and pliable material helps people with a wide foot or foot diseases to get used to shoes quickly (cone formation, non-standard bones).
3. Deformation of suede products is practically invisible, there are no creases and excesses.
4. The shoes are easily combined with both women's dresses and men's jeans, which makes it universal in use.
5. According to physical properties: in cold weather, it is warm in suede products, and cool in warm.

Disadvantages:

1. If protection against moisture penetration is created inside such a product, then the outside quickly becomes dirty.
2. Regular and thorough care.

As you can see, there are more advantages, so after making such a purchase, read the recommendations for care.

Sock preparation

In fact, any shoe needs to be looked after - both textile and leather, but the means and methods of cleaning should be different. At the time of purchase of shoes, you need to pay attention to related care products: brushes, sprays, creams, impregnations. The seller can advise you when and how to apply the cleaning agent correctly and will present you with the whole range of suede care products.

Even though the shoes are new, they need to be prepared for wearing. Brush off the dust with a rubberized brush or clean off small dirt, if any. Next, apply a layer of water-repellent aerosol and wait until it dries completely. After applying another one, this creates protection against street dirt and getting wet. Such preparation will avoid problems with cleaning in the future, since contaminants cannot penetrate deep into the material.

Suede Care Tips

1. It is necessary to clean this material (like velor, nubuck, etc.) only in a dry form, otherwise it will not only be a futile task, but can also lead to even greater pollution.
2. To speed up the drying process, you can fill the product with paper. Dry your shoes only naturally. From direct sunlight, gas, heaters and batteries, the material coarsens, cracks and warps.
3. Treat dry shoes with a special brush. If it is not, then you can use an ordinary stationery eraser. By removing dirt particles and dust with a special foam cleaner, you will give the pile a more attractive look.
4. If the pollution has eaten into the pile, the shoes need to be held above boiling water, the material will be removed from the steam and it will be easy to remove dirt. Make sure that the suede is not very wet, but only slightly moistened.
5. Apply shoe care products to a dry and clean surface. The presence of nap in suede determines the susceptibility of the material to dust. Even if you wear suede shoes only in dry and sunny weather, dust particles will clog between the villi, spoiling the appearance of the shoe. Therefore, make it a rule to clean your shoes every time you return home.

The most malicious enemies of suede material are street dirt and various kinds of spots. To bring them out and return the shoe to a beautiful look, you need to know a few tricks.

Spot Removal Tips

1. Grease stains, drops of oil or greasy spots can be removed with ammonia. You need to wipe the stain with a cotton pad or a soft cloth moistened with alcohol. Also, ammonia will help remove traces of mold.
2. Stains from drinks (juice, wine, etc.) and traces of ink should be removed as soon as possible after contact with the material. Gently wash the stain with vinegar.
3. Salt is quickly absorbed into the material and leaves white streaks. Wipe the problem area with ordinary soap and water, sometimes this is enough. If it doesn’t help and the stain remains, try wiping it with a stiff brush. White solutions should be washed with vinegar.
4. Severely coarse traces of dirt will help cleanse the milk. You need to mix half a glass of milk with three drops of ammonia, add one tablespoon of soda. Apply the solution to a dirty place - the stain will disappear.
5. To clean light-colored suede shoes, you can use talcum powder, potato starch. If there is no brush at hand, use foam rubber.
6. To add shine, dampen the sponge in castor oil and treat the outside of the shoes.

In addition to thorough cleaning, the material must be soaked. Special impregnations will create protection against active rainfall. At home, preparing such a composition is not difficult. To do this, mix lard with pure fish oil. Put on fire and cook until smooth. After the mixture has cooled, it can be gently applied.

Proper storage

Suede products should be stored in a dark, dustless and ventilated place. Dry, clean and impregnate shoes. Treat the sole with a soapy solution. After putting the shoe pair in a spacious box, such products should not be stored in a plastic bag. In shoes, you can insert special pads to maintain shape or fill with paper.

Such material as suede gives its owner a presentable look, a sense of luxury and style. If you still have doubts about purchasing shoes made of suede material, then you can safely refuse it and choose, for example, leather. But no skin can please you with such softness and such rich colors.

Video: how to clean suede shoes