How to clean suede sneakers at home

Features of cleaning white and colored suede

Blue, black and any dark sneakers can be cleaned with ground coffee or coffee grounds, an eraser or carbon paper. Red, pink and bright items are cleaned with hydrogen peroxide and bread crumbs.

Rice. 1 – Cleaning light suede shoes

Beige, white, gray and other light-colored sneakers need to be cleaned especially carefully, otherwise there is a risk of discolouration. Dry wet shoes on a towel, remove dirt and stains with a mixture of milk and soda with ammonia (100 ml of milk, ½ tsp of soda and 10 ml of ammonia). Complete the cleaning process by blotting with a damp sponge or vinegar solution. Old stains are removed with a mixture of turpentine, talc and magnesia in equal proportions, and they are pre-treated with warm milk. Dry cleaning of light-colored shoes is carried out using talc, starch, tooth powder, starch or chalk.

How to dry clean correctly

Products for household cleaning of suede without using aqueous solutions:

1. Copy paper. Helps restore original appearance to areas of dark suede that have faded over time.
2. Soft brush and washing eraser. Replaces a special double-sided brush for products made of suede and nubuck.
3. Bread crust. The baked part of black bread works well to remove salt stains on winter sneakers. Then you need to brush off the crumbs with a brush.
4. Petrol. Helps get rid of grease stains. You need to wipe off the dirt with a cloth soaked in fuel.
5. Baby powder, talc, starch. An alternative way to remove fat. Sprinkle the powder onto the stains and leave for at least 180 minutes. In the case of starch, the time increases to at least eight hours, after which the material is treated with steam.
6. Freezer. A few hours in the cold will help remove traces of chewing gum, tar or paraffin from shoes.

How to clean from dirt, dust and grass?

Rice. 2 – Steps to cleaning sneakers

Very dirty sneakers are cleaned in 3 stages:

1. Remove dust and dirt with a rubber brush.
2. Carry out wet cleaning - dissolve a little soap in warm water and add ammonia, wet the brush and walk over the shoes in a circular motion. If there is no dirt, wipe the pair with a damp cloth.
3. Dry your sneakers and apply a water-repellent treatment. It is optimal to apply it in 3 layers - each on top of the dried previous one.

To refresh the color, use aerosol paint or colorless cream. Use them after each pair of shoes.

How to protect suede shoes

Prevention and daily care will help keep suede shoes clean and attractive for several seasons. Key tips:

• In wet weather, shoes must be treated with impregnations and/or sprays that repel water.
• Absorbent wipes must be included in your arsenal of care products for suede sneakers.
• Outside the season of use, it is recommended to store suede shoes in a box or a special shoe box. It is better to wrap each sneaker with an absorbent cloth first. This will rid the product of excess moisture and light.

The given set of rules will help in any life situation to promptly clean suede sneakers and prevent damage to the product.

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Methods for cleaning suede sneakers

The main principle is regular shoe care. After each use, you can quickly wipe a pair of shoes with soapy water, sprinkle with talcum powder, or use an eraser. Also, there are a number of particularly effective methods for cleaning suede sneakers at home. How you clean shoes made from artificial or natural suede at home depends on what caused the stain, whether it is fresh or old.

Traditional methods

Rice. 3 - Gasoline for lighters for cleaning suede

Refined gasoline (for lighters) will help remove greasy stains. Wipe the contaminated areas with it. If the stain is old, mix gasoline with talcum powder and leave for several hours, then remove the residue with a stiff brush. If the suede is brown, you can freshen it up with coffee grounds.

Chemicals

Special sprays and foams can quickly remove dirt from any shoe. To get the effect, follow the instructions. Most compounds are designed to remove fresh stains, so trying to deal with old stains, stubborn dirt and grains of sand with them is practically useless - you will have to take your sneakers to the dry cleaner.

Cleaning white suede with whitening effect

To whiten sneakers, you can use a mixture of crushed chalk, starch and soda. Make a paste out of them using water, apply to contaminated areas and leave for an hour, then wipe off and remove the residue with a damp sponge. Very dirty shoes can be washed with foam from washing powder.

Using steam

Time-tested cleaning method. Use a steamer or a pan of boiling water, or a kettle. Hold your shoes over the steam and remove dirt with a damp cloth or rubber brush.

Brush

Use it to remove dust from your shoes every day. The brush should be rubber, ideally equipped with a wheel for cleaning seams. Work carefully, moving along the pile in a circular motion.

Eraser

Use it if the surface of your sneakers starts to get shiny. Wipe the contaminated areas with an eraser; instead of an eraser, you can use hard foam rubber.

Rice. 4 — Eraser for cleaning suede

Carbon paper

Black suede sneakers can be cleaned with carbon paper - apply it and go over the surface. Then apply a protective spray to repel moisture.

Black bread

It will also help remove shiny and greasy areas. Use the very dry crust as an eraser. Rye bread is suitable for dark shoes, white bread for light ones.

Talc

Effective for removing greasy stains or refreshing the color of light-colored shoes. Sprinkle the surface generously with talc, leave for a couple of hours and remove with a rubber brush or eraser.

Starch

Sprinkle the powder onto the worn surface of sneakers with greasy stains, leave for an hour and wipe with a stiff, dry brush. Or mix ammonia and starch to form a paste, apply it to the shoes and let it dry, then remove.

Vinegar

To remove salt and reagent stains, soak a brush in it, rub the surface of the shoe and wipe with a damp cloth. After drying, apply a protectant.

Ammonia or hydrogen peroxide

Dilute 50 ml of ammonia or 100 ml of perhydrol in a glass of water. Apply the mixture to a rag and wipe the surface of the sneakers.

Rice. 5 – Cleaning sneakers with ammonia or peroxide

Laundry soap

Rub the dirty areas with a dry stone, then remove the stains with an eraser. Or make a soap solution and apply the resulting foam, let it dry and brush off.

Soda and milk

Soak a coarse cloth in the mixture (burlap is ideal) and wipe the dirty areas with it. Proportions for cleaning liquid: a teaspoon of baking soda per glass of low-fat milk.

Dentifrice

Sprinkle it onto greasy stains, leave for an hour and brush off. Or combine the powder with warm water to a creamy consistency, leave on the stain until dry and remove with a damp cloth.

Professional products

To remove dirt, moisturize, soften and make suede velvety, it is optimal to use special shoe products. Water-repellent agents Nikwax and Salton preserve the structure and softness of suede, its color, and they impregnate the entire surface. The quality product contains fluorocarbon resins; treatment is carried out every 2 weeks.

Cleaners or shampoos in the form of “Stroke” foam, Kiwi contain tensides that effectively remove dirt. Collonil, Duke Velor Cleaner erasers remove dirty spots in dry and wet conditions. First, use gentle products - foam, a soft brush, for severe dirt - hard bristles.

How to get rid of dirt at home

Cleaning sneakers at home is possible both with folk remedies and with the help of cleaners produced by shoe industry professionals. Each method has its own application features.

Using folk recipes

Some food products, pharmaceutical products, household chemicals, and improvised materials can be used as effective cleaners. They are good when you need to clean suede immediately, but there are no professional cleaners in the house. In addition, folk recipes are low in cost.

Five proven recipes:

1. Milk and baking soda. In a glass of milk (minimal fat content) you need to stir a teaspoon of baking soda. Treatment of contaminants is carried out using a coarse cloth soaked in a solution. After applying the cleaner, the shoes are wiped again with a clean cloth.
2. Warm solution of washing powder. This cleaning product is also applied to sneakers using a cloth. Afterwards, the shoes are blotted with a paper towel and dried in a gentle way.
3. Drunk coffee. The thickener is applied locally to dirty areas and, after drying, is shaken off with a napkin. The final stage is treating shoes with a special brush for suede and nubuck.
4. Foam sponge. With its help, it is easy to remove dried dirt stains from a fleecy surface.
5. Ammonia solution. Ammonia is diluted with water in a ratio of one to four and applied to sneakers. In the second stage, the shoes are washed with water. The third is treated with vinegar solution. This will get rid of not only stains, but also unpleasant odors.

Attention! The solutions provided may not cope with difficult stains the first time. If necessary, the cleaning procedure must be repeated after completely drying the product.

Use of professional products

It is better to purchase cosmetics and compounds to combat stains on suede along with your shoes. Then you will always have ready-made solutions at hand. Before cleaning your sneakers, you should carefully read the instructions for use of each product.

Suede brush

Three ready-made solutions for combating stains on suede:

1. Special brush. After each use, you need to remove dust from your sneakers using a double-sided brush. Dry sneakers are first treated with the fleecy side, then combed with the rubber side. In this case, the pressure should be light so as not to damage the material.
2. Shampoo for suede. This special composition is used only if the brush does not help restore the original appearance. The product is dissolved in water according to the instructions and applied to the surface after completing step 1. Then the shoes are carefully scrubbed with a sponge.
3. Stain removers. Intended for local use (simultaneously with step 2). Following the manufacturer's recommendations, apply the product only to heavily soiled areas and, after the required time, remove it with a cloth soaked in clean water.

Advice! Before you start cleaning suede sneakers, and after finishing the treatment, shoes should only be dried at room temperature, away from heaters. Accelerating the process can significantly damage the suede product.

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What to do if there is salt on your shoes

How to remove stains?

It often happens that even after serious work, serious shiny spots remain on the shoes. To completely remove them, you need to clean your shoes with one of the following substances:

• starch;
• ammonia;
• foam;
• stale bread;
• sanding paper.

The easiest way in this case is to use starch - just sprinkle the problem area and leave for about an hour. After this, the area is treated with a dry brush of increased rigidity.

When using ammonia, you will have to additionally use starch (this method is used for more serious cases). They are mixed in such a way that a liquid porridge is formed, which is applied to the surface of the stain. Leave it like this until completely dry. Then remove the remaining substances using a dry brush.

Hard foam allows you to quickly get rid of gloss or stains. There is no need for a brush here - the surface of the shoe is treated with a piece of foam rubber itself, like a brush. The most extreme way to deal with stains is sandpaper. All problem areas are carefully wiped with it, and then a brush of medium hardness is passed over the surface of the shoe.

Important Tips

To remove dirt from suede sneakers as carefully as possible, you need to take into account the following recommendations:

1. You should resort to treating shoes with water or washing them in an automatic machine only in extreme cases.
2. You should not wear wet sneakers; you must wait until they are completely dry. A lot of dust will stick to wet shoes, which will be difficult to clean.
3. To dry your sneakers, use only white paper. Colored newspaper can stain shoes, leaving unsightly streaks on them.
4. To remove dust from suede, you need to use special brushes. They are sold in hardware stores and shoe departments.
5. Suede does not tolerate rough handling.

New Balance brand shoes

Let's talk separately about how to clean New Balance suede sneakers at home! If you have purchased a model of this brand, it is important to learn a few simple rules of care - you don’t want to ruin an expensive, beautiful pair?

The manufacturer makes the following recommendations:

• You can clean suede sneakers at home with a soft cloth or brush - this should be done daily;
• It is prohibited to wet the newbs - avoid excess moisture on the street and never wash a pair under running water/in a washing machine;
• You need to dry your sneakers away from radiators, stuffing them with crumpled newspapers. Provide sufficient air flow and avoid direct sunlight;
• The sole should be wiped with a damp cloth soaked in soapy water; small stones from the treads can be removed with a sharp stick;
• Do not remove a pair leaning on the back - otherwise you risk getting creases that cannot be straightened under any circumstances.

Now you can easily clean your New Balance light or dark suede sneakers at home! Don’t forget to follow the operating instructions, or better yet, save them as bookmarks.

We told you how to clean suede sneakers at home with your own hands - simple remedies will help you cope with any troubles. Try to extend the life of your favorite pair of shoes, it's so simple. Read further what kind of eco-leather material this is and what its features are.

the washing up

It is recommended to wash sneakers as rarely as possible. It is better to use wet or dry methods, but do not wash the shoes.

The soap is strongly absorbed into the material, and the shoes will have to be very wet to rinse out the foam. But it’s harmful for suede sneakers, boots and even shoes.

This option is the most budget-friendly and good, but at the same time it cannot be used often. Cleaning with soapy water should be done once a month.

How to wash:

1. Plane the laundry soap and dissolve it in water. You can also take liquid soap; dishwashing detergent will do.
2. Take a sponge and apply the solution to problem areas. It is better to treat the entire surface of the sneakers, otherwise the material will be very different.
3. Rub the suede with a sponge or a special brush.
4. Then dip the product in a solution prepared from a liter of water and a small amount of table vinegar. Treat the surface of the shoes with this composition.

A soap solution should be used only in exceptional cases. For example, when the dirt has dried or you need to clean a large area.

Soap is used for white and dark sneakers. It can wash away even stubborn stains.

Now you know how to wash your sneakers correctly so as not to cause damage to them.

Method 6

1. Hot steam does a great job of removing dirt. You can use a kettle, an iron or, if available, a steam generator.
2. Shoes should be held over hot steam for several minutes.
3. After this, clean with a stiff wire brush designed for suede.
4. Treat the surface with a damp cloth.
5. Wipe with a cloth soaked in an aqueous solution of ammonia.
6. If after the first treatment it was not possible to achieve the desired result, then the procedure should be repeated.

Care Tips

Suede sneakers are much easier to protect from dirt than to clean them later. Therefore, when buying shoes, sellers recommend also purchasing a water-repellent spray that needs to be used to treat the material.

The spray is applied in several layers (2-3). The distance between the sneaker and the can is at least 30 cm. After the impregnation has completely dried, the procedure is repeated.

Such water-repellent agents will not only help keep shoes in their original condition, but will also make cleaning suede easier: dirt will come off the material much easier.

When should you go to dry cleaning?

Natural suede shoes are expensive. If your sneakers are new but very dirty, you can take them to the dry cleaner. Specialists will expose the pair to professional detergents, thoroughly remove all stains and dry it thoroughly.

Criteria for quality work:

• no stains;
• softness and even color of suede, without scuffs;
• removal of unpleasant odor.

For classic cleaning of sneakers you will have to pay about 1,500 rubles. For this price the client will be provided with the following range of services:

• removal of stubborn dirt, salt deposits, oil stains, dust and dirt;
• washing insoles and laces;
• removal of pellets;
• shoe deodorization;
• combing suede and covering it with special compounds;
• restoration of the shape of sneakers.

You can also use the shoe restoration service at the dry cleaner. Its cost starts from 2500 rubles.

The craftsmen will not only remove stubborn dirt, but also paint the pair in any color, restore damaged elements and carry out other work.

Caring for wet sneakers

Any actions with wet suede shoes are unacceptable. First, you need to dry it thoroughly and only then start cleaning. Otherwise, the dirt will be heavily smeared and deeply absorbed into the fabric.

Drying rules:

1. Do not dry wet suede shoes near electric dryers and radiators. Due to uneven and rapid heating, it will immediately swell and become deformed. Moisture is removed with a dry paper towel or piece of cloth.
2. The best option is to put wet sneakers on the lasts and wait for them to dry.
3. In addition, shoes can be filled with plain white paper. The filling needs to be changed a couple of times. This will allow the sneakers to dry faster.

Let's sum it up

Light-colored (especially white) suede sneakers are much more difficult to clean from dirt, but there are many ways to do it safely and effectively at home. All you need is to determine the nature of the stains and be patient.

However, it is much easier to maintain the original appearance of the shoes. Therefore, it is worth treating it with special water-repellent solutions in a timely manner.

Can suede sneakers be washed?

Suede is high quality leather, so these shoes are expensive.

To popularize the material, shoe manufacturers launched artificial suede, which can withstand washing well. But it will only deteriorate the natural material.

When washing sneakers made from leather substitutes, you must remember that the water temperature should not exceed 40°.

Manufacturers often write about whether a product can be washed. Carefully study the labels on the shoes. If there is no such information, it is better to refuse washing.