How to care for suede shoes. Proper care of suede at home

This article was prepared by our beloved partners - the #GMfood - an online store of superfoods and craft eco-products.
Just for registering in the store you will receive 300 rubles to your personal bonus account and 2 more interesting gifts (Grab your gifts here)
In the store's assortment you will find not only superfoods, but also healthy sweets, breakfasts, herbal teas, peanut butter, master classes for body health and facial beauty, and this is only a small part of the goodies and benefits!

Subscribe to Instagram #GMfood using this link and regularly receive new PP recipes with superfoods, see useful guides to the world of proper nutrition, and also look for gifts hidden under the link in the profile!

What is the difference between natural suede and artificial suede?

Suede shoes require special attention, so you need to know how to properly care for suede shoes. When buying suede shoes, you need to understand how to distinguish natural suede from artificial ones.

Suede is a soft, velvety leather produced by fat and formaldehyde-fat tanning of animal skins. Usually lacks a facial layer.
Source Wikipedia

Here are a few main differences:

Natural suede smells like leather, while its substitute smells like paint and glue;
For the production of natural suede, high-quality raw materials are used - animal skin. The process of tanning leather is long and complex, so suede shoes are expensive;
Shoes made of natural suede may get wet on the top, but moisture will not get inside. Its surface swells and becomes impenetrable;
The skin is velvety on both sides, there is no fabric base;
When you run your finger over the pile, it changes color, and the fibers tilt at a certain angle;
In finished products, the edges are not folded and you can immediately determine from the cut that the suede is natural. In products made from artificial suede, the edges are folded and stitched so that they do not fray;
The surface of natural suede is never smooth. Its structure is porous with small defects;
Things made from natural suede are very warm and at the same time “breathe”;
If you put your hand on natural suede, the material immediately becomes warm.

How to sew faux suede correctly

The most suitable needles for stitching are Microtex products . You have to sew a fairly strong fabric, so you need to select the sharpest needles.
If you were unable to purchase exactly these needles, you can replace them with jeans needles . They also have quite sharp ends.
Any thread is suitable for sewing fabric.
There are also no special requirements for the foot . Natural material is much more difficult to sew together than artificial material.
The machine does not require any settings. The optimal stitch size is 2.5 mm.
The artificial material does not fray, so it is not necessary to overcast . You can also use zigzag scissors.

Artificial suede is a suitable material for sewing clothes, children's toys and even furniture decor. It wears well and is easy to care for.

Caring for suede shoes at home

Shoes made of natural suede are expensive and in order for them to last a long time and maintain their original appearance, they must be looked after. This is not at all difficult, but you can extend its wear life.

Suede shoes cannot be worn in rainy weather because they do not tolerate dampness. You should take special care of suede shoes in winter. At this time, in large cities, roads are treated with chemicals, which negatively affects the material of shoes.

Processing new shoes

When purchasing suede shoes, also purchase a special spray that will protect the shoes from moisture and dirt. You should treat your shoes with this spray before going outside. Shoe cleaning should also be repeated periodically during wear.

Treat the surface of new shoes with a soft brush. Then apply a waterproofing spray to keep moisture out of the suede. Let it dry completely. Try to stay away from heat sources.

Apply the spray again and let it dry.

You can go outside in these shoes only after they are completely dry. And this will take about a day.

Suede care products

To care for suede, you need to purchase protective and auxiliary products:

Water repellent spray;
Impregnation. Just like the spray, it has protective functions against moisture, dirt, and salt. For suede, impregnation based on fluorocarbon resin is best suited;
Foam cleaner. Used for gentle and gentle cleaning. Apply to shoes by spraying and remove with a sponge;
Dye. Protects from dirt and moisture, hides damage. Refreshes and renews color;
Shoe shampoo;
Stretcher. You have to walk around in your shoes so that they stretch over your feet;
Brushes. Hard – used to remove dust and dirt. Eraser – for removing grease stains. Crepe - to restore velvety.

With the right choice, sprays will protect your shoes from slush and make them easier to care for in the future. Suede absorbs the spray well, it is evenly distributed over the entire surface and prevents moisture and street dirt from entering. The only drawback of sprays is that almost all of them have a pungent odor and you have to ventilate the room after cleaning your shoes.

You should choose a brush with short and soft bristles so as not to damage the suede. To clean heavy stains and to avoid damaging the suede structure, it is better to use alcohol-based solutions.

To clean suede, you can use a brush in the form of a hard porous sponge. If the dirt has not yet been absorbed, then such a brush in combination with cleansing foam will easily remove it.

To remove large stains, use an eraser brush. It easily removes greasy residue from the surface of shoes.

After cleaning, a crepe brush will help restore the velvety feel of the pile.

Handy products for caring for suede shoes

If you don’t have special cleaning products for suede shoes on hand, you can use other methods:

Steam cleaning. To do this, you can use a steam generator. And if it is not there, another method will do. Boil water, pour it into a basin and hold your shoes over the steam until they are slightly wet. Then wipe it with a dry cloth
Cleaning using ammonia. This mixture will help remove shine and remove dirt. Dilute it in clean water in a ratio of 1:4 (one part ammonia and 4 parts water). Soak a soft sponge in the resulting solution and gently rinse the shoes without rubbing the solution into the suede. After this, wipe with a dry cloth.

How to care for suede boots

You need to clean suede shoes after every trip outside so that dust and dirt do not have time to be absorbed. If this happens, it will be difficult to clean the shoes. If the weather is clear, then it will be enough to simply clean your shoes with a special suede brush.

If the weather is rainy and the shoes are wet, then they must first be dried. Moreover, this must be done in natural conditions, and under no circumstances should it be placed near a heater or radiator. In this case, the suede may warp and the shoes will lose their attractive appearance.

After the shoes are dry, they should be cleaned with a suede brush. It performs 2 functions at once - it removes dust and raises lint. If you don’t have such a brush, you can use a school eraser.

How to remove salt from suede shoes

You should start treating your shoes after they have dried.

There are several ways to deal with salt.

You can prepare the mixture: 0.5 tsp. ammonia, 1 tbsp. l. Dilute liquid soap in a glass of water and foam. Apply the resulting mixture with a sponge to the contaminated area. After some time, remove the foam with a soft cloth. After this, wipe the shoes with a solution prepared from 1 liter of water and 1 tbsp. l. vinegar and let the shoes dry.

Salt stains from suede shoes can be removed with steam.

If the shoes are very dirty and the stains cannot be removed, pick up a can of paint that matches the color of the shoes and return them to their original appearance.

How to clean dirt from shoes

Before you decide to clean your suede shoes, remember that dirt can only be removed from dry suede. To prevent your shoes from losing their shape after cleaning, push some paper inside and place them to dry away from heating devices.

After the shoes are dry, remove dirt from their surface with a stiff brush. You can lift the pile with the rubber side of the brush.

What if, for example, glue got on the suede? You can remove it with a cloth soaked in gasoline and only if the glue has not yet hardened. And if it has already dried, you can try to carefully scrape it off with a blade and wipe the dirty area with nail polish remover.

If grease gets on the suede, you can remove it with dishwashing liquid. To do this, mix a small amount of liquid with water, beat until foamy and apply to the stain. After 1-2 minutes, remove the remaining foam with a soft, dry cloth.

How to work with faux suede

Description
Comments 22

Artificial suede is a new generation fabric, soft, velvety, flexible and at the same time very durable and wear-resistant. It skillfully imitates natural suede and is practically indistinguishable from it.

Artificial suede has its own specific characteristics. And sewing from it is not as easy as it seems at first glance. We asked Svetlana Khatskevich, our site moderator, sewing production engineer, sewing teacher at Burda Academy, to talk about this material and share the secrets of working with it.

What models can be sewn from faux suede?

Faux suede drapes perfectly, besides, it is a very dense weave and does not “breathe” very well, so loose models, for example, bag dresses, as well as models with draperies and swing collars, look great from it.

What are the features of this fabric, is it difficult to work with?

Artificial suede can be fabric or knitted. Suede on a knitted basis is more flexible, while on a fabric basis it is denser, this must be taken into account when selecting a model. Otherwise, when sewing, artificial suede behaves in the same way as regular fabric. Unlike regular knitwear, artificial suede on a knitted base has little stretch, so it doesn’t stretch as much and perfectly retains the shape of the product during wear. But at the same time it retains the plasticity of knitwear. On some types of artificial suede there are traces of needle punctures, so it is better not to rip out the seams, but to fit the product well during fitting.

How to cut this material correctly and, most importantly, how?

You can cut artificial suede either with ordinary scissors (buy at the Burda store) or with a circular knife (buy at the Burda store) on a special mat. When cutting, you need to take into account the direction of the pile. If you cut the fabric with the pile facing up (against the pile), the product will have a more saturated color. When cut with the pile down (along the pile), the fabric will acquire a slight shine. Patterns on fabric should be laid out with the bottom in one direction!

What special paws, threads and needles are needed to work with faux suede?

MICROTEX needles are best suited for sewing artificial suede. The fabric is dense, so it is better pierced by sharper microtex needles. If you don’t find such needles on sale, you can use denim needles; they also have sharper tips. No special paws or threads are required. Unlike natural suede, the foot glides well over the surface of artificial suede.

How to care for light suede shoes

Light-colored shoes get dirty faster, but this does not mean that it is better to refuse them.

To clean it, you need to purchase cleaning foam, brushes or sponges, a spray to protect against moisture, and ammonia. For white shoes you will need hydrogen peroxide.

It is not advisable to wash suede shoes; it is better to simply hold them over steam for 2-3 minutes. After treatment, you need to clean the surface with a special brush.

Heavily soiled shoes can be cleaned with soapy water. In a ratio of 1:5, mix detergent and ammonia with water. After cleaning, wipe the shoes with the solution. To do this, add 1 tsp to 1 liter of water. vinegar essence.

Dirty stains from white suede can be removed with milk. Take a glass of milk, add 2-3 tsp to it. soda and a few drops of ammonia. Soak the brush in this solution and treat the contaminated areas.

Grease stains can be removed with talcum powder, tooth powder or crushed chalk. Sprinkle any of them onto the dirty stain and after a few minutes, brush your shoes with a dry brush.

How to care for black suede boots

Suede shoes are always popular because they go well with any clothing - a business suit, dress, skirt, trousers.

But many women are wary of buying it because suede is a capricious material. If you don’t take care of such shoes, dirt, dust, and slush will quickly ruin them.

Suede shoes require daily care.

How to properly clean black suede boots

To care for suede shoes at home, you need to purchase a special shampoo, brushes, and cleaning spray.

First, you need to carefully clean your shoes with soapy water. To prepare it, you need to add liquid soap or regular shampoo to the water. Beat the solution until foamy. Do not use bleaching or coloring agents.

Shoes must be handled carefully to prevent them from getting too wet. Otherwise, when it dries, the skin will become rough and lose its hairiness. It is best to wipe with a foam sponge. Once dipped in the solution, you can squeeze it out to get rid of excess water. After washing, shoes should be wiped with a dry cloth and left to dry.

You can clean your shoes using steam. To clean heavily soiled areas, you can use refined gasoline. There will be no harm from this, because gasoline evaporates quickly. And the area that was cleaned should be wiped with a damp cloth.

To clean suede shoes, you need to have a special cleaning spray at home that has a water-repellent effect.

General operating rules:

Marking the contours of patterns When cutting: on the wrong side, apply lines using your usual means; For the lines on the front side, mark with the same materials, trying to remember the location of the main points; use pencils of a suitable shade; buy a special disappearing or easily washable marker. It will help when marking important lines and points.

Attaching pattern pieces to eco-leather Under no circumstances pin patterns - there will be needle marks that cannot be removed! Place small weights on the material: pebbles, nuts or special pads; Fix the pattern details and trace along the contour;
Knife or scissors You can cut with a circular knife. If you have one and you know how to use this tool, cut out the parts with it. This is convenient. Just don’t forget about the backing at the bottom so as not to spoil the table. Especially, a circular knife is good for cutting products made of genuine leather.
You can cut out parts from eco-leather with ordinary cutting scissors. Choose a method that is comfortable for you.

How to properly store suede shoes

In order for shoes to retain their original appearance for a long time, in addition to caring for them, they must also be stored correctly.

After the end of the season, the shoes must be cleaned, dried, and sprayed with a coloring spray to preserve the color. If there are stains, remove them using one of the above methods.

For suede shoes, it is best to purchase special lasts, which are sold in many shoe stores. They will help maintain the shape of your shoes. The tops cannot be folded, because If creases appear, it will not be possible to eliminate them in the future. If you can’t find the pads, you can use plain paper and stuff your boots or shoes tightly with it. Suede shoes should be stored in a fabric bag.