Suede is a delicate material that requires careful handling. Suede shoes face many difficult challenges: melted snow, puddles, mud, salt from sidewalks, animal urine, dust. To maintain the aesthetic appearance of products, proper regular care is required. The main question that concerns many housewives is whether it is possible to wash suede shoes and how to do it.
Drying and ironing
Proper care of faux suede clothing includes mandatory adherence to recommendations for drying and ironing products:
After washing, the material must not be twisted. Things should be placed above the basin or placed on the bottom of the bathtub, and the water should be allowed to drain freely.- Excess moisture can be blotted with a towel. Another option: lay the clothes horizontally on a terry sheet, roll them, and gently wring them out.
- It is better to dry suede in a horizontal position in the fresh air or in a well-ventilated area. In a closed bathroom, the material will not dry out and will acquire a musty smell.
- Wet clothes should be protected from direct sunlight and radiators, and should not be taken out onto the balcony during frost.
- To maintain their shape, hats, gloves, bags, and shoes must be filled with crumpled paper or newspapers during drying, changing them as moisture is absorbed.
- Faux suede can only be ironed from the reverse side with a warm iron. To protect the material, it is worth placing a special ironing net or thin cloth.
If there are deep creases or folds, it is better to steam the clothes. After treatment, you need to walk over the entire surface with a dry brush to remove moisture and lift the pile.
Is it permissible to wash suede shoes?
Probably not a single manufacturer allows you to wash suede shoes. Especially in the washing machine. Perhaps your friends do this. But if the boots are made of high-quality suede, it’s better to forget about the washing machine. Prolonged exposure to water can permanently damage the material. While washing sneakers or slippers is still acceptable, restoring the boots after washing and returning them to their original appearance is unlikely...
Removing stains
To remove minor stains from clothes or shoes made of artificial suede, you can use folk remedies:
- Fat. Fresh drops should be covered with starch, baby powder, and crushed chalk. After 15–30 minutes, brush off the product and carefully wash the damaged area with a cotton pad and soap solution.
- Juice, grass, pollen, any stains of organic origin can be wiped off with a cloth moistened with vinegar (9%).
- Wine. A fresh stain should be blotted with a dry, clean cloth. To remove dried marks, use a thick soap solution or shaving foam. The product should be applied to the stain, left for half an hour, and the residue removed with a napkin.
- Gum. Rub the sticky mass with an ice cube. When the gum hardens, carefully remove it from the fabric.
- Dirt. Do not touch wet drops; you must wait until they dry. Then clean the damaged area with a brush.
- Glue, varnish, traces of cosmetics . Gently rub the marks with a cloth moistened with nail polish remover without acetone.
A universal safe remedy for any contamination is ordinary laundry soap. By whipping soap shavings into a thick foam, you can treat the greasy area, remove stains, dry clean, wash things by hand or put them in the drum of a washing machine.
To revive shiny areas, you need to:
treat them with a school eraser, a crust of rye bread, a nail file or pumice;- Apply a layer of wet coffee grounds (without sugar, milk, aromatic additives) to brown items, leave for 15 minutes, remove with a brush;
- Clean white shoes, gloves or a bag with a sponge and dry tooth powder or baking soda;
- extensive damage should be treated with an aqueous solution of ammonia (2:1), then rinsed with running water.
After removing the stain, the material should be dried thoroughly, and then the pile should be lifted with a clothing or toothbrush. If a noticeable mark or stains remain, the clothes will have to be washed completely or taken to the dry cleaner.
Spray paint for suede will help disguise heavily damaged areas. The main thing is to choose the right color.
How to clean stains and shiny areas
If the dress has severe dirt or shiny areas, then you can return them to a decent appearance using specialized means. Or you can use improvised means that can always be found in the kitchen cabinet of a thrifty housewife.
Special products from the store
Special composition The product is balanced, safe for suede, and does a good job of removing stubborn stains, old stains, and unsightly “worn” polish. The trademarks “Tarrago” , “Golf” , “Biker” and others enjoy a good reputation.
Homemade methods for removing stains from suede
- Milk with soda. Light or white suede fabric can be cleaned with milk and soda.
- Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to a full glass of warm milk and stir. The solution is applied to areas of intense contamination with a clean foam or rubber sponge and left for 5 minutes.
- Heavy stains can be removed using a toothbrush or clothes brush with soft bristles or the finest sandpaper.
- Dentifrice. A greasy, fresh stain on light or white suede can be removed with tooth powder. You need to sprinkle the powder on the stain and iron it through thick paper with a hot iron. Then shake off, brush and vacuum cleaner with a special attachment.
- Coffee grounds. Stains on products made of dark beige or brown suede, or on thicker dark velor, can be cleaned with coffee grounds from black ground coffee, brewed without sugar or any aromatic additives.
- Ammonia. This method is suitable for suede of any color and is effective for heavily soiled areas. In a container, mix half a glass of cool water with a quarter glass of ammonia. This solution is used to treat shiny areas. To apply the solution, you can use a clean cotton cloth, a cotton swab, or a foam or rubber sponge. Wash off the solution with a cool shower, and then rinse with water with the addition of vinegar (1 teaspoon of vinegar essence per liter of water). After such cleaning, the color of the product will become more intense, and the suede will acquire its original velvety quality.
- Eraser. Shiny areas can be tidied up using an ordinary eraser, a rubber sponge, steam and a soft-bristled brush.
Stains on suede cannot be cleaned with acetone, gasoline, chlorine-containing substances and other aggressive agents. Dirt is cleaned before washing, not after it.
It is advisable to wash suede dresses rarely. It is wiser to protect them from contamination, use gentle surface cleaning methods, and in case of severe contamination, in order not to risk it, it is better to dry clean the item. There, with the help of modern household chemicals, a suede dress or other items will be cleaned correctly, effectively, quickly, and will give the suede items a fresh and updated look.
Dry cleaning
Following all the rules and recommendations, you can wash the following at home:
- any accessories,
- dresses,
- skirts,
- trousers.
It is better to dry-clean jackets, outerwear, and hats. It is very difficult to remove stains or dirt from them on your own.
There is a high probability of product deformation. In addition, it is almost impossible to properly dry and steam a suede coat at home .
The cost of dry cleaning will start from 500 rubles and can reach 2-3 thousand rubles.
How to clean things
If a suede product has a label with a symbol prohibiting washing, then such items should be cleaned with a dry brush or taken to dry cleaning. There are several ways to freshen gloves, a bag or other suede item at home. There is no need to completely wet or wash it.
- To remove a greasy stain from the surface of suede, sprinkle it with tooth powder or crushed chalk. Iron with a warm iron through parchment paper or napkin.
- Brown suede items can be cleaned with a brush dipped in fresh coffee grounds.
- White gloves and other light-colored accessories are cleaned with a mixture of warm milk and soda.
- To make suede soft and raise the lint, rub it with an eraser or a special suede brush.
- You can remove shiny stains by holding the product over hot steam.
Using steam, you can renew a suede bag that is very worn and shiny. Boil a kettle or saucepan of water. When the steam starts, hold the bag for a few seconds so that the steam gets to the most worn places. After this, lift the pile using a stiff brush or flannel cloth.
A vinegar solution will work well on a suede bag. Mix two parts water and one part vinegar, soak a clean cloth or cotton wool in the solution and wipe the dirty areas.
If the item is expensive and you are afraid to clean it or wash it at home, then contact a dry cleaner. Currently, there are several ways to clean suede, and one of them, by the way, is aqua-cleaning using water.
Adviсe
If there is heavy contamination, faux suede items can be cleaned in any way if you follow simple recommendations:
- Do not ignore the manufacturer's care instructions on the label.
- Choose cleaning products from the professional series marked “For suede” (shampoos, foams).
- Use gel or soft foaming formulations.
- Wash clothes in warm water (heat should not exceed 30–40 degrees).
- Do not twist, rub, or squeeze. Act as carefully as possible, trying not to stretch or deform the material.
- Pay special attention to rinsing.
- Pre-remove stains and clean greasy areas.
- Wash items completely. Washed areas will be noticeable, streaks will appear, and the structure of the material will not be uniform.
- Regularly treat the material with water-repellent impregnations.
You will find maximum useful information about washing clothes and various fabric products here.
Features of hand washing
In order to wash a suede product, it will take a little time and effort. Many women do this at home, so it’s worth a try if there are no prohibiting signs on the label.
- Dilute shampoo, liquid soap or liquid powder in warm water.
- Dip the bag, jacket or other item you are going to wash into the solution.
- Use a brush to scrub the most dirty areas.
- Rinse the product in clean water. You need to change the water until it becomes clear after rinsing.
- Lightly wring out the item and hang to dry.
Do not soak suede items for a long time. Washing should be quick and gentle.
If the product is lined, it is not recommended to completely wet it, but you can wash it with a brush or foam sponge soaked in a soap solution. When rinsing, add ammonia to the water. It will remove greasy shine from suede. You can also add vinegar, which will soften the product and make it more velvety.
You can wash faux suede with a sponge by laying it out on a flat surface and working it first on one side and then on the other.
Wash suede gloves only if they are heavily soiled. They need to be put on and dipped in a soapy solution, carefully rub the dirt stains, and rinse several times in clean water. The gloves are then wrung out, wrapped in a thick towel.
To prevent gloves from losing their shape, it is best to dry them on a mannequin. You can make your own frame from thick wire, hard cardboard, or just put paper in your fingers. Just be careful not to pack the paper too tightly, as this may distort the suede gloves.
