Accessories and shoes made of suede are quite popular. This circumstance is due to the softness of the material and its exquisite appearance. Suede can be painted in almost any color, therefore, along with leather, it is a good material for tailoring boots, shoes and handbags for them. Shoes are particularly comfortable, soft and very elastic. But it also has its drawbacks. Unfortunately, this material quickly gets dirty. Therefore, having products from it in your wardrobe, it is useful to know how to clean suede shoes at home. So that your favorite boots always remain attractive, you need to properly operate, store and clean them from pollution. Our article will tell you how to put it into practice.
Enemy Suede
Before considering ways to clean suede shoes, you need to know the main pollutants of such material. The most common and common is street dirt. But it’s easiest to get rid of. There are quite complex spots, the removal of which will require certain efforts and special tools:
- Grease stain. Oil can get on shoes. It so happens that the suede section glistens with frequent friction. In this case, all the attractiveness of the material disappears.
- Traces of coloring matter, red wine or juice. They will require immediate action, otherwise the stain will subsequently be difficult to remove.
- Water drops. If suede shoes get caught in the rain, drops can leave ugly stains on the shoes.
- Salt and mixtures sprinkled on the sidewalk in winter. They get into suede and leave ugly marks on it. Light shoes are particularly affected.
Home Cleaning Products
How to clean suede shoes at home is of interest to many clean housewives. To significantly facilitate the process, in the arsenal you must have the following:
- Special cleaning products for suede. They are available in the form of foams, sprays and liquids. Manufacturers are trying to diversify the range, so the choice is large. Each drug may vary in composition and scope. Before use, it is recommended to test the product in an inconspicuous area.
- Vinegar. It is useful for removing small oily spots and raindrops.
- Salt. It has proven itself in the removal of large oily contaminants.
- Ammonia. Literally dissolves street dirt and stains from liquids.
- Halves of matchboxes with sulfur. Suitable for cleaning brown suede.
- Refined gasoline. Able to remove the most persistent stains. However, it has a rather pungent odor and may leave iridescent stains if used improperly.
After a walk in wet and slushy weather, the question of how to clean suede shoes at home becomes very relevant. To do this, you need a stiff brush, one side of which is rough, the other is rubber.
The brush may have natural or synthetic bristles. To remove stains more intensively, manufacturers add thin metal wires to the accessory. If there is no double-sided brush, then the rubber side can be replaced with a large and thick eraser.
Proper care
It is important to know how to properly clean your suede shoes at home. Dry shoes are brushed intensively. If the shoes are wet, they must be dried by filling them with dry newspapers. You can use special ultraviolet devices. If you dry suede shoes near radiators, then it loses its properties, warps and becomes unattractive. Depending on the contamination and the specifics of the stain, choose your own cleaning method.
Salt stains
In winter ice, sidewalks are often sprinkled with salt mixtures. From them, the appearance of the shoes deteriorates and unattractive stains remain. Dark boots and boots are particularly affected. To bring the shoes in proper form, you can use proven methods.
Soap solution
From water and soap should prepare a solution. It is necessary to take a bar of white color, without reagents. The resulting liquid with a cotton swab is used to treat the sunken places. After that, the shoes are dried and combed with a stiff brush.
Do not use washing powder. Its use spoils the quality characteristics of suede, making it coarse. The material loses color, is deformed, becomes coarse.
Vinegar comes to the rescue
If the salt does not cope with the problem, then you can use a solution of 9% vinegar. To remove salt stains from shoes, moisten the brush in this substance and wipe the problem areas. Next, the shoes are wiped with a soft cloth and dried naturally. Recall heating appliances are completely prohibited in the case of suede.
In the case of salt stains that are not amenable to cleaning, you can use paint for suede products.
Dirt is not a problem
No one is immune from the banal pollution of shoes. Sometimes the weather is very moody. Even if it was dry in the morning, it might rain in the evening. In this case, it’s useful to find out several ways to quickly clean your suede shoes at home. After all, running dry cleaned every time after commonplace pollution is too difficult.
Water and soap
You will need a glass of soapy water and a teaspoon of ammonia. Soap must be taken without dyes. Contaminants are removed with a brush moistened in the prepared solution. After that, the boots are dried. You can use the electric dryer.
The above ingredients will help when there are shiny spots. To do this, a set of measures should be carried out:
- With a cotton pad moistened with ammonia, greasy spots are rubbed.
- Water is boiled in a wide bowl and suede products are kept over steam for a couple of minutes.
- Next, the shoes are rubbed with a rubber brush or a wide eraser.
After a similar procedure, suede takes on its former appearance.
Greasy spots
An overview of how to clean suede shoes will be incomplete if you do not consider removing oily contaminants. It is very difficult to get rid of such spots, but gasoline and some other substances that it is advisable to have at home will come to the rescue.
Gasoline and Talc
If oil stains are found on the shoes, then they should be lightly rubbed with a brush dipped in refined gasoline. Next, you need to sprinkle everything abundantly with talcum powder. The two components react and gradually absorb the oil. The composition is left on the shoes for 2-3 hours. After that, the talcum powder is removed with a stiff brush.
You must be careful. If you use gasoline in large quantities, then the product will remain hard to remove rainbow stains. In a fuel solution, a cotton swab should be moistened and then only act on the stain area.
Ammonia
How to clean suede shoes at home if you don’t have any suitable products on hand? For this, ordinary ammonia is quite suitable. It will perfectly cope with rough places and refresh the appearance of shoes. It is necessary to prepare a solution from a glass of milk, a teaspoon of ammonia and a pinch of soda.
A cotton swab is moistened with a solution and problem areas are wiped. The method will not only remove street dirt, but also restore the elasticity of the material, give the shoe a fresh look.
Shoe shine
Light suede is quite moody. In order for products from it to remain intact for a long time, care must be taken regularly. To clean light suede shoes at home, you need to use the following methods:
- Small spots are removed with hydrogen peroxide or ammonia. However, such funds should not be used more than once every two weeks.
- Salt with white suede is cleaned with a stiff brush, and then rubbed with a rubber eraser. If the stain turned out to be persistent, then you can wipe it with vinegar.
- To clean suede white shoes at home, you will need milk, soda, and ammonia. To do this, take a glass of milk, a teaspoon of baking soda and a couple of drops of ammonia. The resulting solution using a cotton swab, wipe all the spots.
After such procedures, even white suede shoes will remain fresh and attractive for a long time.
Suede Care Products
Having become the owner of a stylish and soft pair, you should learn how to clean suede shoes. Methods are divided into national and industrial. The store offers many options for the care of such shoes. In the arsenal you must always have the following:
- Impregnation for suede. The most famous brands are Salamander, Niki Line Anti Rain, Ecco. Means well protect suede shoes, extend its service life. Impregnation does not interfere with natural air exchange and helps shoes dry faster.
- Water repellent sprays. This is a real find for slushy and rainy days. The product forms a thin film on the shoe, not allowing moisture to linger on the material. In this case, air freely penetrates inside, the circulation is not disturbed.
- Reducing paint. The product is able to successfully mask minor scuffs, scratches and stains that cannot be removed. The paint also protects against dirt and prevents excessive accumulation of moisture, allows you to return the shoes a noble and rich color.
- Stretcher. It will come in handy if initially the shoe sits uncomfortably on the foot, and there is no way to turn it over or change it. Suede shoes are not recommended for larger sizes because they have stretch properties. Therefore, stretchers will help at the very beginning of the use of shoes to feel comfortable. In addition to stretching, the agent softens suede well.
It is advisable to purchase all of these drugs at the same time as buying suede shoes. Then shoes, boots or shoes will remain as new for a long time, the service life will significantly increase.
Storage rules
We examined how and how to clean suede. Suede shoes after the end of one season of use must be properly prepared for the next. It is cleaned, dried, treated with special impregnation and packaged in dry boxes.
So that the shoes and boots are not damp and do not undergo excessive deformation, a crumpled newspaper is placed in each pair. Special bags should be put in the boxes to prevent the formation of excess moisture. They can be found in packages with new shoes.
conclusions
If you wear suede shoes for a long time and do not undergo regular cleaning, then none of the above methods will save you. Many are worried about how to clean suede shoes with quality. In this case, the limitation of pollution plays a decisive role, and not just the means used. Shoes must be put in order after each walk. Shoes after a rainy day or walking on a snowy sidewalk sprinkled with salt mixture are subject to special care.
Do not forget to refresh your shoes with special deodorants. Suede is breathable. Legs in such shoes do not sweat. However, preventive measures should not be ignored. But the product selected for this purpose should be marked that the product is suitable for suede.