Suede shoes are an indispensable wardrobe item for any modern person. Currently, this material is associated not only with style and luxury. Sports suede shoes have been on the shelves for a long time. It has a magnificent appearance, however, it requires sensitive care. Sneakers made from this material can quickly lose their appearance if you do not take proper care of them. This is because suede is very sensitive to dirt. Therefore, you should study cleaning methods at home.
Recommendations and warnings for cleaning suede sneakers
Even sports shoes require careful care, as this material is afraid of water and quickly loses its appearance from dirt. Apart from mechanical damage such as scratches, suede is very sensitive to improper care. Here are some basic tips to extend the life and maintain the beauty of this material.
Suede does not like water.Therefore, in damp or rainy weather it is necessary to use special water-repellent products. Special sprays are sold that evenly spray the protective mixture onto your shoes or sneakers.
Attention! Such aerosols are often flammable. Be careful and follow safety precautions.
You cannot use special creams for regular shoes or dyes. This can permanently damage the material.
Maintain a long time interval between material care procedures, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the suede surface.
Before cleaning your shoes, dry them thoroughly.
Attention! Suede sneakers should not be washed in a washing machine, as this may permanently damage the material.
Storing suede sneakers should also be careful. Do not store them too close to a heat source or on a damp surface. The best way is a separate container in the form of a cardboard box.
You should clean your sneakers daily, but only after they are dry.
Use special rubber brushes. They usually have two sides, one of which consists of a special shape of flagella, the other has a grooved surface. You should be careful when cleaning, as there is a risk of pressing dirt deeper into the pile.
Dry method for cleaning suede sneakers
Suede does not react well to moisture, so if possible, you should avoid getting water on the material. Even when cleaning, you should avoid excess moisture, and it is better to do without it. There are many methods for cleaning sneakers without using water or moisture. Here are the main ones:
If the surface of the shoes is dirty only with dust, then a special brush can come to the rescue. It will help remove dust, but it is important that the cleaning movements do not press too hard, as the dust can go deeper into the fibers and it will be much more difficult to clean it out.
A crust of black bread helps with salt stains. Only after treatment you need to thoroughly clean the surface from crumbs.
Greasy stains are cleaned with talc. It should be applied to the stain and left for a long time. Then remove with a brush.
A very easy way to give the surface a fresh look is to use carbon paper. After slightly crumpling the paper, wipe it over the areas that have lost their appearance. The suede will regain its good color and texture.
Popular folk methods for cleaning suede sneakers
There are many methods for cleaning shoes without special products. Home cleaning has both pros and cons. An undoubted advantage is the low cost and easy availability of ingredients. One of the disadvantages is the possibility of ruining sneakers by doing something wrong, so it makes sense to approach traditional methods carefully. Methods:
- First way. Dip a napkin in a mixture of milk and soda and clean the sneakers. The milk must be low-fat, and after the entire procedure, the shoes must be wiped with a dry cloth;
- Second way. Wipe shoes with a cloth soaked in a solution of water and washing powder. After cleaning, you should also wipe your shoes dry;
- Third way. The coffee grounds solution should be applied to the dirty surface and allowed to dry. Coffee will absorb dirt for some time, and then you should remove it with a napkin;
- Fourth way. A solution consisting of 1/2 water and 1/4 ammonia should be applied to the shoes. After this, rinse with clean water and dry;
- Fifth way.One of the most difficult, yet effective, ways to clean sneakers is steam cleaning. A saucepan or iron is suitable for this method. You need to keep the shoes over the steam for several minutes. Afterwards, clean with a suede brush and wipe with a regular napkin. Then wipe with the solution as indicated in the previous paragraph. After all procedures, dry the sneakers. This is the most effective procedure that allows you to clean dirt of any degree of complexity;
- Sixth method. The most radical of all methods. It helps to cope with greasy old stains, in that case. When none of the above methods helped. For this method we need gasoline and talc. We soak a cloth, sponge or napkin in gasoline and treat the problem spot with it. Then, we wipe this area with a clean and dry cloth and apply talcum powder. After a few hours, the talc should be removed, which will take the remaining dirt with it.
Important! Gasoline can leave an unpleasant odor, so this procedure should be carried out in an open space. After cleaning, long-term airing will help avoid unpleasant odors on your sneakers.
When wearing suede sneakers for a long time, shiny spots may appear. There are several effective ways to deal with such stains.
The best solution is to use starch. It should be applied to damaged areas and left to soak for a couple of hours. Then remove with a dry or damp cloth. Then go through with a brush, removing any remaining starch.
If stains have just begun to appear, foam rubber or a simple eraser will come to the rescue. After cleaning problem areas, you should remove the residue with a brush.
Simple black bread can also come to the rescue.But it should be remembered that he must be very callous. After treating problem surfaces. The surface should be cleaned of crumbs.
How to clean light suede sneakers
Light-colored shoes look the most attractive and stylish. But it’s also harder to keep track of. Especially if it is light suede, because it requires a completely different approach.
In order to avoid stains on suede sneakers, you should regularly use a water-repellent spray, but if you cannot avoid stains, you should remove them in the following ways:
- The easiest way to get rid of stubborn stains is to clean with a special mixture. It is prepared very simply, you need to mix a glass of milk and a glass of soapy water. A couple of drops of ammonia should be added to this solution. This mixture must be applied to the brush and clean the surface. Then the sneakers must be treated with a dry cloth;
- In order to lighten white sneakers, you can add a little hydrogen peroxide to the solution indicated above. This will update the appearance of the material, making it brighter, but, most importantly, do not overdo it.
Important! Remember. That the method of adding hydrogen peroxide only works for white surfaces! Such a solution may render a surface of a different color unusable.
An extremely effective, but at the same time the most dangerous method is cleaning light-colored shoes with vinegar. Dip a sponge or napkin into a solution consisting of 5 portions of water and one portion of 9% vinegar, and then wipe the areas with stubborn stains with it. You should be careful with this method as the vinegar may cause discoloration. After the procedure, the sneakers should be dried.