Only those who have repeatedly discovered disgusting stains of dirt or whitish salt stains on their chiseled boots or brutal shoes know how to clean suede from dirt and salt. Suede is a “living” material that requires special attention, so if you are faced with a similar problem, this article will help you.
What to do if you are new to the ranks of suede lovers?
First of all, you should learn a simple rule: prevention is the best way to cure. Try to treat it with medications recommended by specialists as soon as possible after purchase.
Buy a brand of water repellent you like, treat the shoes until they are slightly damp, and leave them to dry at room temperature. For greater effect, carry out this procedure twice, each time leaving the shoes to dry naturally. This procedure will protect the product from penetration of dirt, water or reagents deep into the fabric when going outside.
Buy some spray paint. This seemingly redundancy becomes indispensable in a situation where you find areas with faded paint in places that often come into contact with snow, water or dirt. Let your shoes always look like they came from a store shelf.
Be sure to always have a special suede brush available. It looks quite unusual, so you won’t get it confused: on one side there are rubber teeth, on the other side there is hard, often metallized pile.You will need rubber to remove dust and dirt from shoes, but you need to be careful with metal “bristles.” It is necessary in order to get rid of very large residues of dirt if you find them somewhere, but it should not come into contact with the suede. As practice shows, after such contact, suede loses its appearance, may become “shaggy” or, conversely, “bald patches” will appear.
Get yourself a small sponge specifically for suede. Unlike a regular porous sponge, it looks more like thoroughly tangled plastic threads. A mini sponge is indispensable outside the home; you can always take care of your shoes as quickly as possible, preventing dirt from becoming embedded in the fabric.
Instructions for removing dirt and salt from suede
In the event that your shoes do become acquainted with dirt, salt and snow, and even bring them home, you can get rid of uninvited guests very simply.
Use the paper that was inside the shoes at the time of purchase, or crumple up newspaper and stuff it into the shoes, leaving them to dry completely at room temperature.
Use the rubber teeth of the brush to thoroughly wipe off dust and dirt from the surface of the shoe. If this cannot be done, for example, the dirt has become ingrained and there are white salt stains on the shoes, clean the shoes with a sponge and soapy water. To do this, foam the soap without dyes ("Children's" and the like) in water and treat the shoes with this foam using a sponge, wipe again with clean water, stuff with paper again and dry.
If there are still stains on your shoes after this procedure, you can remove them in several ways:
- Use ammonia.Take one part of 10% ammonia, add four parts of water, wet the cloth and wipe the stained area with it, then wipe again with clean water. Stuff it with paper, let it dry and “comb” the pile with a brush.
- An old kitchen aid, baking soda, can also help remove salt stains from the surface of suede. Add a little soda to a glass of milk, wipe the area with stains, and rinse it with clean water.
- 9% table vinegar is also good for removing stains; the cleaning technology is the same as with ammonia.
After the stains have been cleaned, you can steam the shoes. This will help the pile “rise” and take on its original appearance. Do not forget that suede shoes should be dried at room temperature, away from heating devices, stuffed with paper. Suede is a very flexible material that takes shape quickly. And if your boots are hanging down, you can be sure that after some time of such storage, creases will form in these places, and dirt will collect more actively. Initially, after wet cleaning, try to give the desired shape to the product, and then the suede will reciprocate your feelings.
Blitz tips
- Dry your shoes away from radiators and other heating devices;
- Clean off dust with a brush or special sponge;
- Hold over steam;
- Wash with soapy foam, rinse with clean water;
- Wipe the areas with a mixture of ammonia and water;
- Wipe the stains with a mixture of soda and milk (ideal for white shoes);
- Use a weak solution of vinegar and water;
- Regularly use water-repellent products;
- Use coloring sprays;
- Stuff it with paper for drying and storage, use fasteners.
How to return suede to its original color?
The suede covering of shoes can lose color for a number of reasons.
The product may lose color and shape due to improper care, most often this happens after treatment with aggressive detergents, such as washing powder. It is strictly forbidden to clean shoes with powders, cosmetics for leather shoes, or even soap with dye; the product may simply not survive such treatment, and the stylish boots can be safely thrown away.
The color of suede is affected by sunlight, which literally burns the dye. No less powerful aggressors are winter reagents, which, when worn for a long time, lead to the complete destruction of their appearance. Water, snow, ice, dirt, sand, salt, dust and even hot air from central heating radiators damage sensitive material and deprive suede shoes of their original shine.
In order for boots or boots to again become public knowledge, and not the darkest corners of the shoe closet, it is imperative to follow the rules for using these shoes.
- Pay attention to preventing burnout and divorce. To do this, spray your shoes with a nano-spray with water-repellent properties, carefully remove dirt with special brushes only after drying.
- You can spray with water-repellent impregnation every day in the evening so that the shoes have time to dry thoroughly at room temperature.
- After wet cleaning at the end of the day, if stains without a bright color become noticeable on the suede, you can and should use a special coloring aerosol.In shoe cosmetics stores you can find a wide range of colors from almost every brand of major shoe manufacturers, not to mention companies narrowly specializing in this industry of goods.
- If the problem takes you by surprise, use old folk methods: in order to restore the brightness of black or brown suede shoes at home, use coffee grounds. It needs to be “rubbed” into the suede while still wet, and then brushed off with a brush. Light-colored suede shoes can be resurrected with a mixture of milk and soda. For all other colors it is easier to choose suitable factory-made coloring aerosols.
Shoes made of suede are demanding to care for, but you must agree that nothing emphasizes the precision of women’s legs and the brutality of a man’s character more than natural suede.
