Clean Suede at Home: Effective Ways

The popularity of suede is velvety leather with a characteristic fine pile, the tanning of which uses tanning with fatty substances, due to its excellent decorative qualities. Designers of clothes, shoes, bags and accessories from year to year give preference to this soft, elastic, waterproof material, creating amazingly beautiful and stylish things.

But replenishing the wardrobe with a suede product, you need to be prepared for regular, and most importantly, delicate care, since only under such a condition can you keep the attractiveness of suede, whether it is natural or artificial. We will find out which cleaning methods are the most effective and how to keep things from suede in different colors clean.

Although suede has good performance, it is susceptible to various kinds of pollution. The choice of a particular processing method determines the nature and origin of the spots.

In the case of suede, the most problems are:

• Flooded areas are an inevitable occurrence due to continued use of clothing, shoes or accessories.
• Greasy spots. The main reasons for their formation are the interaction of things with the skin during socks and the banal sloppiness of the owners.
• Whitish stains. The main provocateur of the appearance of such spots is dampness. If measures are not taken in time, mold can spread, the fight against which is rarely successful.

• Smudges from salt - the result of a walk in the rain or wet snow.
• Yellowness from sweat or white stains from deodorizing agents on the lining, which also happens quite often.
• Protein pollution, which remains if milk, eggs, blood and other substances with a similar composition get on suede. The reason is the careless attitude of the owners. Spots of this kind are considered the most difficult, therefore it is important to get rid of them as quickly as possible before the formation of a characteristic crust.
• Oil stains from paintwork, glue or ink from the pen, to remove which you have to not only clean, but also degrease the problem area.
• Pollution from dust - small suede villi contribute to the accumulation of dust, as a result of which things acquire an ugly grayish tint.

When choosing a cleaning method, you also need to take into account what kind of suede you have to deal with: natural material or artificial counterpart. The original is easy to recognize by the winding grooves, multidirectional pile and variable color. Its artificial counterpart is characterized by a uniform hairiness of the surface with a certain orientation of the villi.

Natural suede, due to its increased strength, has a rather long service life, but contact with water is undesirable for it. When interacting with a liquid, the material, due to its fluffiness, begins to actively absorb moisture, swelling and becoming solid. For this reason maintenance of natural suede products is mainly reduced to dry methods of cleaning from dirt. While the artificial canvas calmly refers to moisturizing. What is contraindicated to him is friction, which provokes the deformation of the villi.

To preserve the unique texture of suede and keep it in good condition, certain tools and skills are required. Today's variety of effective products for the care of this material allows you to easily pick up protective equipment for products of any type and color. Regular use of professional cosmetics for the care of suede shoes and clothes minimizes the possible negative impact of external factors and extends the life of your favorite things.

What should be in the home arsenal of care products:

1. Water-repellent impregnation with silicone, thanks to which the pile skin can withstand the harmful effects of moisture and it will not be afraid of dirt or dust.
2. Shampoo foam, which copes with salt stains, instantly removes dirt and helps deepen color.
3. Spray paint to prevent discoloration and restore rough spots on suede.
4. Sponge brushes to remove dry dirt, restore velvety material, clean welts and seams.
5. To remove stubborn stains, it is most convenient to use hard sponges that draw in dirt or loose erasers that remain in the stains, then removed with a brush.
6. Erasers to restore glossy areas and hairiness.
7. Several special brushes for delicate dirt removal and restoration of the worn-out, smoothed pile. The most convenient combination in this regard is the “2 in 1” brush, where one side is a rubberized comb and the other is a rubber surface with a short bristle.

The advantage of mechanical dry cleaning is delicate and at the same time deep cleansing of the pile in the most inaccessible areas between the villi. Bristles qualitatively comb them, removing dried dirt, dust, grease. The brush returns the original fluffiness to the pile skin, due to which things from it look like new.

To clean suede products, you can use folk methods:

• Ammonia (5 ml) and soda (60 g). The ingredients are mixed, and then the resulting composition is applied to the problem place. Wait 10-15 minutes and remove the mixture with a damp cloth.

• Using talcum powder, chalk or starch with absorbent properties, it is easy to get rid of greasy spots. Any composition is simply sprinkled on overgrown areas, kept for an hour, and then brushed off the powder.
• Highly refined gasoline will help remove a greasy stain. The cloth is soaked in fuel, lightly wipe the dirt and leave for 40-50 minutes.
• Lemon juice copes well with stains and smudges from road salt. To prepare a cleaning solution, water (200 ml) is mixed with the juice of one fruit and wiped the product. In this case, do not rinse. Allow things to dry naturally, and then “comb”.
• If you have difficulty removing old stubborn stains, then you should try the recipe: skim milk (100 ml) + ammonia and soda in equal proportions. The resulting composition is used to treat the contaminated surface, having previously tested it in a small area on the inside of the product.
• Peroxide (5 ml) with ammonia (5 ml) can be removed stains of various origins, while not worrying about the loss of brightness of the color of things. A mixture of these components has a gentle effect and eliminates the damage of tender suede.

Washing is permissible only for products made of high-quality suede. Using a washing machine is a taboo; washing delicate material is allowed only by hand.

General recommendations:

• Soaking is not recommended for natural suede for the reasons indicated earlier. To remove it, the product is processed on weight, that is, on the shoulders or placed on an even basis.
• A prerequisite is compliance with the temperature regime up to 30 ° C, otherwise the material will stiffen.
• Suitable detergents are gentle formulations with a gel-like consistency.
• To remove greasy stains from the gate and sleeves, use ammonia with soda or peroxide, and gasoline will help to clean complex dirt.
• Spinning and twisting is prohibited.
• It is advisable to rinse the product with air conditioning, pre-lubricating glycerin (2.5 ml) with water (1 l).
• Drying in direct sunlight and near radiators is unacceptable. Dry products in natural conditions, spread out on an even base and curled up.
• The dried thing is combed with a special brush.

The best option is to wash with a delicate gel and a brush. You need to add it to warm water and whip the copious foam. Then treat the product on weight, rinse and wrap with a towel. Dry when unfolded. To clean things from velvety pile skin at home, Do not neglect the capabilities of improvised tools.

A few more alternative cleaning methods:

• To return purity to things from brown or black suede will help cleaning coffee grounds. You need to brew a flavored drink. The thicker remaining at the bottom of the Turks can be washed off the oil and other complex contaminants removed. The main thing is to let this substance dry completely, and then brush it off.
• Remove dried stains with ammonia. Prepare a working solution: water (1 l) + 3-4 drops of alcohol. Wet a cotton pad in it and treat the stains.
• Salt helps well from stains. It is applied in a small amount to the place of contamination and gently rubbed with gentle movements, after which it is brushed off.

To keep the suede sofa clean, use a rubber brush to prevent damage to the upholstery. Removing oily stains can be entrusted to the eraser and alcohol solution. To protect expensive suede furniture, it will be necessary to immediately treat the surface with dirt-repellent impregnation immediately after purchase.

The presence of a vacuum cleaner with the function of a steam generator or a household steamer greatly facilitates the task of cleaning a sofa or chair with a whimsical suede lining.

Procedure:

• Carry out a diagnosis of pollution and pick up household chemicals.
• Vacuum clean to remove coarse dirt.
• Treat the surface with a cleaning agent, creating a pressure of 3 atm. for driving dirt.
• Perform cleaning using two modes: with a jet of detergent, followed by suction of contaminants by the apparatus.
• Remove local contamination.
• Dry the treated surface in any way: draw out moisture with a steam generator or blow it with air.
• Rinse upholstery with clean water under pressure.

Hot steam cleaning benefits:

• High-quality removal of deeply ingrained pollution and unpleasant odors without waterlogging sofa surface.
• Restoring the brightness of the upholstery color and updating the furniture.
• Disinfection: the destruction of colonies of domestic parasites, fungi and mold.

Due to greasy marks, a fashionable suede jacket, a luxurious cloak or a designer pile leather dress no longer look attractive. You can solve this problem with:

• Steam processing. Hot steam not only effectively removes greasy spots, but also copes with scuffs, wrinkles and creases by five. In addition to a special steamer, you can use a conventional iron.
• Eraser - if there is no professional, a simple stationery eraser is suitable, which easily reaches greasy spots in hard to reach places. To achieve the best cleaning effect, the material is slightly steamed.
• Vinegar. 9% vinegar essence (15 ml) is added to water (1 L). The cotton pad moistened in the resulting solution gently wipes the problem areas. The remaining composition is filled with a sprayer and sprayed on the surface to restore the softness of the skirt or dress.
• Collars, sleeves and places on the elbows are sprinkled with a mixture of starch + talcum, stand for an hour and removed with a brush.

Spots on suede hats and gloves cause no less trouble.

How to restore the look of your favorite accessories:

• Prepare the mixture: milk (200 ml) + soda (20 g). With a dampened cotton pad, they wipe off the dirt until they completely disappear. Then prepare a solution: water (1 l) + vinegar (5 ml) and process all areas on a hat or take. Wipe with a thick cloth and hang to dry.
• Refreshing the dark suede hat will help with orange peels that simply wipe the headgear or lemon juice.
• For cleaning gloves use wool products. For convenience, gloves are processed directly on the hands, squeezed with a towel and attached to a horizontal position to dry.

Care Rules:

• Put boots or ugg boots on dry immediately, placing crumpled newspapers inside.
• It is impossible to place shoes near open heat sources, as they are deformed.
• From dirt, dust, salt stains are disposed of only when the boots are completely dry.
• Black suede is well cleansed by dried rye bread, a carbon paper is used to give a uniform color.
• To restore softness and fluffiness, steam treatment is carried out at the end.

Things from light suede, of course, look just gorgeous. True fashionistas are not very confused by their absolute impracticality and difficulties with cleaning.

What methods can help keep white suede clothes clean:

• Soda (7 g) + milk powder (100 g). The mixture is applied to the contaminated area and gently rubbed until the dirt disappears. The remaining powder is removed with a vacuum cleaner, and then wiped the treated surface with a moistened cloth.
• Peroxide + water.Wet the solution with soft tissue and rub the problem area.
• Milk + soda + peroxide. Act as in the previous case.

Items made from natural gray suede are cleaned with a soap solution from grated laundry soap (30 mg of shavings per 200 ml of water). With a hard brush, rub the composition into the stain until foam appears, and then wipe the product with a sponge.

Colored suede clothes are cleaned with ammonia. It is diluted in water 1: 5, thoroughly stirred, after which the spots are treated with a damp brush. Wipe the material with a moistened cloth and dried.

Timely and systematic care extends the life of suede items, as well as the caring attitude of owners.

A few useful tips for last:

• Iron suede things from the inside out, setting the minimum temperature. Natural suede is ironed exclusively through dry gauze.
• The use of aggressive stain removers with chlorine is prohibited.
• New things are vacuumed using a bristle brush to remove warehouse and magazine dust, which gets stuck in the villi during storage and transportation. After that, they are treated with appropriate means.
• When the season is over, the products are taken out to the open air for thorough drying before storage. Outerwear is turned on the wrong side, thereby restricting the access of the sun.
• Optimal storage conditions: dark rooms where things are placed in airtight cases or vacuum bags.
• Dry clean from time to time: professional processing will certainly not be superfluous.
• Repair and staining of things from suede should be done only by experienced craftsmen.

Further, we recommend watching a video that shows simple methods for cleaning suede.