How to wash suede sneakers?

There are more and more lovers of sports shoes every day. And this is not surprising. After all, sneakers are convenient, practical and even beautiful. Sports shoes can be very effective, for example, if they are suede. True, suede sneakers get dirty quickly and are not so easy to put in order. But, if you know some rules, then you can easily rid your shoes of stains and dirt.

Luxurious and spectacular suede shoes have always been fashionable. Recently, not only shoes or boots, but also sneakers have become popular. Sport models are to everyone's liking. Even those who are far from sports, but really love comfortable and spectacular shoes.

True, not everyone risks buying such products, because they quickly get dirty. Shoes made of suede need special care, otherwise it very quickly acquires a groomed and untidy appearance. Many who have not been able to return the old look to sneakers just get rid of them and buy ordinary ones.

A stain from dirt or sweat is heavily eaten into shoes of this type. It will not work to get rid of such problem spots with an ordinary wet rag or sponge. Here we need a special approach and, most importantly, accurate knowledge. How to wash stains from dirt, how to do it better, will be described in detail in this material.

Unfortunately, suede shoes are best worn in good, clear weather, but on a rainy, slushy day, it is better to wear something else. But it’s not always possible to protect the sneakers from dirt, and as a result, spots instantly eat into suede fabric and it seems that the shoes are permanently damaged.

Do not rush to wash sports shoes and try to get rid of stains at home, not knowing all the rules and good advice. At home, suede products can be cleaned so that they regain their former appearance.

If you returned home, and dirt stains remained on your shoes, then do not rush to wipe the sneakers with a rag. In this case, you will only smear the spots, and they will even more eat into the suede fabric.

First you need to let the shoes dry completely, and only then brush off the dirt. The brush should be special, not too stiff, this can damage delicate shoes. It is better to give preference to a rubber brush. In many shoe stores, you can immediately purchase a special brush for suede. Sometimes such a simple way helps get rid of dirt and no spots remain.

Grease spots, which also often appear on shoes, can be removed using ordinary talcum powder. It is enough to fill the powder with the resulting stain, leave it for several hours, and then clean off with a rubber brush.

There is another effective way that has helped many bring suede shoes back to life - steam cleaning. It is not necessary for this to have any special knowledge and skills, everything can be done easily and simply in your kitchen.

As you already understood, to get rid of stains, you need steam. Place a pot of water on the stove, heat until strong steam comes out. Then hold the shoe over it for a few minutes, and then brush the contaminated area. Then you need to leave the shoes to dry completely.

In addition, many stains from suede shoes can be removed with a regular eraser. Gently rub the edge of the spot with a soft eraser. If the stain lends itself easily and disappears, then you can continue the cleaning process. If not, then, most likely, the stain gotten into the fabric and now sneakers need to be washed.

When there is a need to wash sports shoes, many try to do it right under the tap in a conventional sink. But such a “wash” can forever ruin suede sneakers, and you just have to send them to the trash.

You can wash sneakers of this type, most importantly, to know how to properly wash them so as not to harm or spoil the shoes permanently.

Before you start to wash your sneakers, make sure that they really stand the whole process. That is, you need to check the shoes for integrity. If the sole lags behind, there is slight damage to the fabric or small decorative details that may come off during washing, then such shoes should not be washed.

To start, brush the stains as described above.. This will be the preparatory stage before the main wash.

If you decide to manually clean your sports shoes at home, then be prepared for the process to be long. By the way, if you walked in bad weather and returned home in wet shoes, then it should be thoroughly dried.

Never put it on the battery, otherwise ruin the shoes completely: after drying, they will become clumsy and smaller in size.

The cleaning steps are as follows:

• The first thing that needs to be done is to mix ordinary ammonia with warm water. With this solution, slightly wetting the rag, thoroughly wipe all dirt. Try not to wet the shoes too much, otherwise the spots will be absorbed and there will remain stains, which will be extremely difficult to remove.
• Second - take the usual liquid soap, add one tablespoon of ammonia to it and mix thoroughly. The result should be a uniform consistency and copious foam. This solution, quite a bit, needs to be applied to the stain and rubbed with a special shoe brush for suede. Try to rub gently without damaging the surface.
• Third - rinse the foam with a pre-prepared solution: water and table vinegar. After running, you need to leave until completely dry.

If your favorite sneakers are not just light, but even white, then they need a particularly delicate approach.Such shoes are very difficult to care for and even more difficult to remove dirt stains.

To clean your white suede sneakers, prepare the following solution: baking soda and plain milk. With this solution, you need to gently wash the sneakers without wetting them too much. By the way, this method not only eliminates stains, but also helps to restore the former whiteness of shoes.

And brown shoes can be wiped with a thick solution of ground coffee. You can use drunk coffee, but without sugar and milk. After you clean the shoes from stains, apply this coffee pulp, it will help restore color and make stains less noticeable.

Washing shoes manually is a tedious process. And why bother so if in our modern times every house has a washing machine. Of course, shoes can be washed in an automatic machine, but with suede products you need to be extremely careful.

Before sending your sneakers to the washing machine, be sure to clean them of lumps of dirt, including on the sole.

Remember that such shoes should only be washed in a mode that is suitable for delicate washing. This can be Wool, Delicate Wash, or Hand Wash.

Categorically it is impossible to wash sneakers on the long mode, it should not exceed 40 minutes. For washing models from suede, the best temperature is 30-40 ° C, not more.

It is extremely undesirable to pour powder during such washing, since in each detergent powdery product there are particles due to which the laundry is bleached. These very particles can harm the shoes. Therefore, the use of traditional powder and, especially bleach, must be abandoned. Pour liquid soap, washing gel, or any other liquid detergent into the tray.

As for the spin mode, it can also damage the shoe. Not so much suede fabric as solid sole. Therefore, you need to set either the minimum number of turns during the spin cycle, or abandon it altogether.

If you do not want to damage the integrity of the surface of the product, it is better to wash each shoe separately. And do it better in a special bag for washing. If there is no such bag in the house, then you can put it together in a drum, for example, a towel. It will soften the impact of shoes on the drum, thereby preventing damage to the washing machine.

After the sneakers are washed, they must be properly dried so that they do not deform. As you already know, this cannot be done on a battery or an electric heater. Also, don’t dry your shoes with a hairdryer, as many girls try to do, which completely spoil the appearance of the sneakers.

Fill the shoes with clean white paper. Once it becomes wet, it must be replaced with dry and clean paper. This process will have to be repeated several times to get rid of moisture as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Wash sneakers, especially from suede, quickly and at the same time effectively is not so simple. But there are some tricks and recommendations, thanks to which you can properly care for particularly delicate shoes:

• start care for such expensive and moody shoes should be from the first day of purchase. Therefore, buying such sneakers, immediately buy a special brush and spray for cleaning;
• it is also worth buying a protective spray, thanks to which dust and dirt will not spoil the appearance of the shoe;
• try to wipe the shoes only with flannel fabric, so as not to damage the delicate surface;
• Do not wear such shoes in rainy or slushy weather. And if you already went out in the rain, then at least try to get around the puddles;

• some use emery paper, which is popularly called "null", to clean complex stains. To get rid of pollution in this way should be very delicate, otherwise you can damage the suede so that "bald patches" remain;
• If you are going to wash the sneakers by hand, in no case do not soak them in the basin;
• In order to restore the original color of suede shoes, you can use folk methods, which we described above. Or buy a special paint for suede, thanks to which the shoes will always look like new;

• good shoes always have a tag with recommendations for washing and care. Be sure to pay attention to it - this is important;
• if you don’t want or are afraid to wash your shoes by hand or in an automatic machine, then you should take it to a dry-cleaner, where you will breathe a second life into your sneakers using the steam method;
• As a rag for daily care, an ordinary burlap is suitable. Wipe your shoes with such a rough cloth, thereby eliminating dust and dirt. Remember that the rag must be exceptionally dry.

See how to clean suede shoes at home.