How to Care for Suede Shoes

Suede shoes look great on women and men. She emphasizes taste and consistency only if she looks well-groomed. Not every fashionista decides to replenish the wardrobe with boots or suede shoes, because she understands the complexity of further manipulations. Nevertheless, the lucky owners of such a wardrobe item will like practical recommendations. These include washing, surface cleaning, storing and restoring shoe color. Let's talk about everything in order.

How to wash suede shoes

1. Suede is a capricious type of material, it is not recommended to wash it. However, if the contamination is persistent and bulky, carry out the procedure with extreme caution.
2. During wet processing, do not wet the wardrobe from the inside. It is difficult enough to follow this rule, but you should try. The main thing is that shoes should not be wet through.
3. It is worth clarifying that machine wash is strictly prohibited. The whole process is carried out exclusively by hand. At the same time, capricious shoes should not be left wet for a long time, otherwise it will lose its color and shape.
4. As a basis for cleaning, aggressive washing powders are not suitable. Use a mild solution of warm water and chips of tar / laundry soap. The baby should completely dissolve in the liquid, otherwise stains will remain on the shoe.
5. To start washing, lower the soft foam sponge into the composition, walk along the pile. Do not rub hard so as not to knock down the material. After this, repeat the procedure again and remove the foam with clean water. Start drying.
6. It is important to remember forever that suede and other materials of this type (sheepskin coat, nubuck, velor, etc.) are dried with newspapers inside. At the same time, shoes can not be placed in the sun and near heating appliances. The process takes place at room temperature.

How to restore the color of suede shoes

1. If for some reason you need to restore color, take a responsible approach to the choice of paint. Pigment can be bought at a hardware store, a shoe boutique or leather goods.
2. To ultimately get a uniform shade on the entire surface of the product, choose a tone-on-tone paint. Even 10% deviation is not allowed, otherwise the shoes will be damaged.
3. The easiest way to paint gray and black suede. It will be more difficult when choosing a pigment for brown products. It is even more difficult to choose beige and white shades, they usually go green, gray or yellow.
4. Before directly staining the shoes, conduct a test on an inconspicuous area (inner area). Read the instructions, follow them without deviations. After painting, wait 3 hours before drying. Evaluate the reaction of the material and the final shade.
5. If everything suits you, start processing the entire wardrobe item. It is more convenient to apply the paint with soft foam rubber or a special brush for shoes. The main thing is to apply paint layer by layer. It is important to saturate the material evenly so that no spots appear.

How to clean suede shoes

Suede shoes suffer from dirt and moisture in wet weather; in summer, dust settles on the product. You can clean the surface with store or improvised means, let's talk about everything in order.

Method number 1. Refined gasoline

1. To clean, grab a lighter gasoline. You can use gasoline with a high octane rating (AI-98, AI-95). Typically, this removes traces of grease or combustibles from shoes.
2. For cleaning, you need to moisten a cosmetic lint-free sponge in the composition, and then rub it with a place of contamination. Then you need to leave the shoes for a quarter of an hour.
3. When gasoline absorbs dirt, sprinkle the treated area with fine edible salt. Gently rub the cloth, driving the product into the pile. Shake off the product, again sprinkle with salt.
4. After 10 minutes, remove, comb the suede with a special rubberized brush. If the result did not satisfy you, repeat the action a few more times.

Method number 2. Pumice stone

1. Carefully knock out the shoes. To remove the remains of the dried-up dirt and dust, use a usual pumice for feet. Choose a cosmetic product with small holes.
2. To begin, scald pumice with boiling water, dry on a towel. Stretch the product so that there are no wrinkles on the suede. Barely perceptible circular movements on the surface of the shoe. In this case, immediately shake off the dust.
3. In order not to provoke the formation of “bald patches” on the pile, do not press the pumice. In this way, it is convenient to handle high and medium-long boots, bags, gloves, coats.

Method number 3. Steam bath

1. Regular steam will help to remove minor impurities from the surface of suede shoes. Prepare a wide pan, pour the purified water (!) Into the filter.
2. Cover the dishes, bring to a boil. When the first bubbles appear, do not reduce the power of the burner. Open the pan, bring each item of shoes in turn.
3. Hold the product over a container for about 3 minutes to steam envelop the shoes. Keep a safe distance to avoid burns to your skin. Next, walk along the suede with a lint-free cloth or shoe brush.

Method number 4. School Eraser

1. Fans of suede shoes actively use the method to get rid of material from overgrown areas.
2. An ugly gloss can be removed with an ordinary school eraser, the main condition is that it should be clean. Cut off any ink or pencil stains.
3. Stretch the material so that you can see the entire area that needs to be processed.
4. Gently rub the place with a gloss, flicking the eraser. Perform manipulations until you achieve the desired result.

Method number 5. Shop Facilities

1. The cosmetic line for the care of suede shoes includes impregnation, brush, cream, mousse, aerosol, spray, lotion. Each type of product is convenient in its own way.
2. Impregnation is used to prevent moisture from entering, it repels water when walking in wet weather. Mousse cleans shoes of small impurities, whether it is dust or particles of dirt.
3. With the help of the cream, you can deeply clean stubborn stains. Suede shoes can be refreshed by using a spray or mousse.
4. There is also a special eraser on sale, but there is no need to buy it. You can use school gum, as in the above method.
5. It makes sense to buy a suede brush. All its sides are equipped with a certain type of coating. On one section there is a long hard pile, the second side has a rubber roller.
6. Give preference to leading manufacturing companies. These include Salamander, Avel, Tarrago, Collonil, Salton. Take care of your shoes, do not buy too cheap products, it leaves stains.

Method number 6. Ammonia

1. Mix 45 gr. ammonia with 150 ml. purified warm water. Put on gloves, dampen a soft sponge in the prepared preparation, squeeze. Knock out shoes from excess dust, clean off dry dirt.
2. Wipe the soiled areas with a damp sponge, wait a quarter of an hour. Moisten a soft, lint-free cloth in clean water, remove the remaining ammonia.
3. If you are not satisfied with the result, prepare a new solution. Now increase the amount of ammonia to 65 ml. Be sure to dry your shoes away from radiators and direct sunlight.

How to store suede shoes

1. If you plan on storing tall boots, stuff them with newspapers.Never fold the bootleg area, otherwise irreparable stripes will appear on it.
2. For each pair of shoes, provide a separate storage space. At the same time, it should be away from heating radiators. The best option is a cool corridor.
3. Before removing shoes for the winter, clean and dry them completely. Make sure there is no moisture on the suede.

Wash suede shoes in case of emergency. Perform the procedure using a soap solution, not a powder. Consider cleaning suede for gloss, dust, grease and stubborn dirt. To restore color, choose pigment tone on tone. Observe storage rules.

Video: how to restore suede shoes and remove scuffs