The popularity of suede, both artificial and natural, is primarily ensured by its external nobility, sophistication, even luxury. This is a velvety to the touch skin with characteristic villi, the tanning of which uses tanning with fatty substances. Every fashion house every season presents fashionable women with luxurious bags and shoes of this material. And the last few years, amazing suede outfits that can decorate every woman regardless of age have not left the catwalk. Demand, as you know, creates an offer, so there is nothing strange and surprising in the fact that modern women of fashion have already replenished their wardrobe with a suede dress, a skirt, of course, accessories and shoes. But how to care for such delicate material? Are there any secrets and methods applicable at home? How to clean suede? This is what we will talk about in this material.
Types of pollution
When planning to buy shoes, bags or suede clothes, you need to prepare yourself for the regular care of such delicate material, otherwise it will very quickly lose its shape and attractive appearance. Let's figure it out in order.
So, despite the prevailing stereotype, suede has excellent performance, but is still subject to a number of contaminants. The choice of method of its processing method is directly related to the nature of the pollution. Most often it is:
- Overgrown areas are the result of prolonged use of footwear, clothing and accessories. Unfortunately, this is an irreversible process, which is also impossible to prevent.
- Greasy spots - it’s not necessary to drip oil from fish or cutlets onto the surface of the material. As a rule, such pollution is the result of tactile contact and banal sloppiness of the owners.
- Whitish salt stains - they are most often encountered by residents of megalopolises, where streets and roads are actively sprinkled with chemical reagents. The neglect of regular drying of suede things worsens the situation.
- Traces of deodorants and sweat stains.
- Pollution from dairy products - they are the result of careless attitude of the owners. They are among the most difficult and difficult to remove stains, which should be removed immediately. Otherwise, the affected area will be covered with a thin film, a crust, after which it will be impossible to get rid of it.
- Traces of paint products, ballpoint or gel pens.
- Settling dust - small suede fibers, like a magnet, accumulate dust on their surface, giving the surface a faded shade of a very untidy appearance.
Care Features
Choosing the best method of cleaning, it is important first of all to start from what material you have to work with: natural suede or its artificial counterpart. The original is given out by winding grooves, multidirectional pile and variable color. Faux suede is characterized by uniform hairiness, a fairly smooth surface. If you don’t know how to clean suede, do not experiment, trust the experience of the hostesses.
Natural suede is a more durable, reliable, and therefore expensive material. But contact with moisture is fatal for her, which is why shoes and bags made of it are recommended for dry weather. When interacting with a liquid, the material, thanks to its fleecy surface, begins to actively absorb moisture, like a sponge, while swelling and becoming completely uncharacteristic for it. That is why caring for it mainly comes down to dry methods. At the same time, the artificial cloth normally tolerates wet cleaning, it is contraindicated for hard cleaning with a violation of the direction of the villi.
Where to begin
How to clean suede at home, while maintaining its unique structure, in no case harming? You will need a special tool and some skills. The modern variety of shoe care products, accessories, chemicals for removing stains and dirt from various surfaces is really impressive. It would seem that the question of how to clean boots from suede disappears by itself. Remember one simple rule: regular use of professional cosmetics for care will only extend the life of your favorite wardrobe and save your time for subsequent tedious cleaning. Moreover, using sprays and impregnations, you can protect your shoes about the negative effects of aggressive environments.
Arsenal of a modern hostess
If you are not indifferent to the noble material, you have enough shoes, accessories and clothing made of natural or artificial suede, collect your collection of care products for it:
- Water-repellent impregnations - pay attention to those that contain silicones. They effectively protect the fleecy surface from moisture, preserve its structure.
- Foam-shampoo - you will no longer have a question how to clean suede about dirt and salt solutions, as this tool will cope with its task 100%. Moreover, it returns the depth and expressiveness of the shade.
- Paint in the form of a spray or aerosol - helps to restore the nobleness of the shade and soften rough places.
Sponges and brushes specially designed to remove dirt - to remove old stubborn stains it is better to use brushes with hard bristles or sponges that perfectly absorb dirt into their surface. To restore a smooth pile, an excellent option would be the combined options: a rubberized comb, on the one hand, and a brush with a short bristle on the other.
Each professional will easily answer you how to clean suede at home. Among the advantages of mechanical dry cleaning, the ability to eliminate pollution even in the most inaccessible places, for example, in the seams. The brush perfectly combes the material, removing dust, dirt, salt from the villi. This method returns the natural fluffiness to the pile - after such a timely cleaning, your favorite products will look like new.
Alternative care
Not everyone has the opportunity to purchase an arsenal of professional suede care products. And here those tips that have already been tested by modern housewives come to the rescue.
Ammonia
If you don’t know how to clean black suede, prepare a mixture of ammonia and soda. Apply the resulting slurry to problem areas and soak for 10-15 minutes. Over time, simply remove the dirt with a soft cloth dampened with water.
Talc
Talc and starch, thanks to its excellent absorbent properties, perfectly fights greasy and oily stains, even dried ones. Overgrown areas should be covered with talcum powder or starch and left in this state for a couple of hours, after which it will simply clean off the remains with a hard brush.
Petrol "galosh"
It can be purchased at a hardware store. The miracle remedy has proven effective in dealing with complex, stubborn greasy spots. It is very important to use refined gasoline, otherwise you can only do harm.
Lemon juice
And here is another simple and effective tool in the fight against salt divorces, which is the answer to the question of how to clean suede at home. Lemon will certainly be found in the arsenal of every modern housewife. According to the recipe, it is necessary to add the juice of half a lemon into a glass of water, after which the resulting solutions should be gently wiped with a product. After processing, it is necessary to wait for the composition to dry and treat the surface with a stiff brush.
Faux Suede Care
Not sure how to clean faux suede? We will give you some useful tips. Most products from this material are machine washable, but be sure to read the information on the label. Before washing, test the detergent in a small area of the product.
To eliminate stains, it is quite possible to use a soap solution, alcohol, lemon juice - with these compounds it is necessary to treat the contaminated area before machine washing. Some spots, for example, from sweat, deodorant, even after such exposure, do not want to leave. In this case, the use of modern stain removers with a gentle effect is allowed.
We told you how to clean suede at home. We sincerely hope that you will use the above recommendations to restore your products to their original appearance. But do not forget about the regularity and proper care of such delicate material that will save you from problems and extend the life of clothes and shoes.