How to care for suede shoes?

When choosing a new pair of shoes, we often pay attention to stylish and attractive suede shoes. But some people believe that such material is capricious and difficult to care for. This common misconception is because they simply don’t know how to care for suede shoes. In this article we will tell you the basic rules and secrets, compliance with which will allow you to enjoy the well-groomed look of shoes for a very long time.

to contents ↑

Care Features

Suede is a high-quality leather material that is obtained from the skin of a deer, elk or small cattle. To give it a beautiful appearance, tanning is performed in a fatty way. Due to this, suede is characterized by increased softness, which means that special care for suede shoes is required.

The basis of care for your favorite shoes is as follows:

1. Frequent but delicate cleaning. Strong pressure can bend the fibers and ruin the look of the shoes, so it’s best to use special suede brush with a flannel pile.
2. Additional protection measures. Immediately after the purchase, a new pair of shoes should be brought home and, having cleaned the surface with a soft flannel cloth or with a suede brush, apply a protective agent on it. The use of special care products for suede shoes will help to maintain an attractive look for shoes for a long time.

Important! Protective equipment has a different purpose. For example:

• for a summer or spring pair, it is appropriate to choose aerosols that repel dust and create an antistatic effect;
• for winter - best suited moisture and salt protection productsas well as special paint sprays.

to contents ↑

How to clean suede shoes from dirt at home?

To ensure that suede shoes always look well-groomed and attractive, clean them of dirt after each “light”. Often, specialized suede care products can be ineffective or simply unavailable for some reason. Fans of this gentle material have the secrets of caring for suede shoes at home.

Washing suede shoes

When dirty and dusty shoes fall into our hands, there is a desire to wash them. But immediately the question arises, how to wash suede shoes and is it even possible to do this?

Of course, with a great desire, you can, following some tips, and wash the product from this material.

Important! Poor quality shoes or shoes made from expensive suede may not survive the experiments and go bad. Based on this, before resorting to such care for suede as a sink, think carefully, it may be better to give preference to more delicate means.

But if you decide to wash, then adhere to the following rules:

1. In a container of warm water designed to wash the shoes, add a little washing powder. Stir until a little foam appears.
2. Dip a little liquid ammonia into the resulting foam.
3. Moisten a brush to clean suede in soapy ammonia.
4. Thoroughly wash the contaminated surface, without excessive pressure and heavy movements in different directions.
5. Gently wash the product under cold running water, or even better - wipe with a soft sponge dipped in clean water. So leaving will be more gentle, so - suede shoes will last longer.
6. Blur already washed shoes with a damp soft cloth (best if it is made of flannel). Wipe with a dry cloth made of the same material.
7. Leave the shoes to dry.

Important! Remember that you cannot keep suede in close proximity to heat sources. Therefore, make sure that the product is as far away from the battery or radiators as possible.

Steam cleaning

A great way to wash suede shoes safely is to steam them. This cleaning option was used by our grandmothers when there were no special tools for suede shoes.

To get a truly high-quality result and not damage delicate material, follow these rules:

1. For a few minutes, soak the shoes over a stream of steam from a boiling kettle. For uniform processing, constantly turn the product with rotating movements. It will be even easier to do this if you have at home steam cleaner.
2. Clean by combing the wool with a stiff brush with frequent bristles in one direction.
3. Wipe the surface with a warm, damp cloth from the flannel and leave the shoes to dry under natural conditions at room temperature, not in direct sunlight.

Important! If you notice a subsidence of the pile in one of the sections, to restore suede shoes, it is necessary to treat the places of subsidence with ammonia. It is most convenient to apply and rub it with a rubber brush. Glossy wool can be raised with a regular school eraser.

to contents ↑

Restoring the color of suede shoes

It sometimes happens that our favorite shoes after a long service life can change color or lose their brightness. There are some practical tips on how to restore the color of suede shoes:

1. If you are a happy owner of black or dark suede products, you can use coffee grounds to express color and so that the surface does not brighten. Rub a little coffee mass with gentle movements into the surface, and after drying, shake off with a dry rag.
2. In winter, white streaks of salt may appear on the surface, which are easy to remove with acetic acid. Moisten a soft brush in 6% vinegar solution and smoothly get rid of plaque.
3. If the shoes have already served you for several years and have lost their color due to time, a special coloring spray will help in the restoration. We spray the paint onto the surface with an even layer, after drying we lift the colored pile using a rubberized brush or an ordinary eraser.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

Follow the instructions and tips that make you always look very attractive.