How to remove grease stains from suede at home, cleaning suede shoes

Due to its properties, suede has always been popular. Products made from this material have an attractive appearance. Suede shoes are comfortable, waterproof and highly breathable, allowing your feet to breathe. However, it has one significant drawback - it requires special attention.

Suede is a natural material made from animal skins. It has a soft fleecy structure that easily absorbs dust, dirt and grease. It is very difficult to clean it with conventional means without damaging the surface of the product. For users who have not encountered the problem of how to remove grease stains from suede, detailed instructions are provided below.

Preliminary preparation of suede items before cleaning

Before removing a greasy stain from suede shoes, you need to carry out preliminary preparation, regardless of when the stain appeared. You need to act according to the following scheme:

If the grease stain has only recently appeared, you need to take a damp cloth and apply it to the area so that the remaining grease does not continue to be absorbed.
The material must be dry before cleaning, since when working with wet suede, the stain will become even larger and the shoes will stretch.
Suede items must be dried naturally.
After drying, shoes or other items must be cleaned with a special brush to remove dust or dried dirt.
Before using any product, it is recommended to try applying a small amount of the substance to a less visible area of the product.
When using special products purchased in a store, you should study the instructions and make sure that it is suitable for cleaning suede.

In addition, you can steam dirty and greasy stains with an iron. This must be done carefully to prevent steam from entering the clean part of the product. Once you have completed all the steps, you can begin the cleaning process.

Important! Do not use household electrical appliances to dry suede items. This will only spoil the material, and the item will soon become unusable.

Store-bought products for removing grease and dirt from suede

Compared to genuine leather, suede requires delicate care. You can find many different chemical-based cleaning products in specialty stores. The following cleaners and stain removers are considered the most popular:

Vanish is a stain remover that perfectly removes even old stains and dirt. To clean the material, apply the product to the dirty area, leave for 15–20 minutes, and then rinse off. Columbus Leather Cure is a colorless aerosol for improving the appearance of colored suede products.
Ecco is a Danish manufacturer of cleaning products for leather, suede and nubuck, specializing in the production of sprays, conditioners and restorers.
Salamander is a branded line for shoe care (cleaning foam, lotions, water-repellent sprays, restoring paints and creams) made in Germany. Complete with cleaning agents there are special brushes and sponges.
Tarrago Shampoo is a shampoo that perfectly removes stains on suede, thanks to the formation of foam that facilitates rapid penetration into the structure.
Niki Line Anti Rain is a German line of various products for cleaning, stretching and restoring shoes made of delicate materials.

General rules for cleaning suede items

Suede is a very capricious material that does not tolerate moisture well, so when cleaning products it is necessary to minimize the time of contact with water, if it cannot be completely eliminated.

Note! Items made from natural or artificial suede are strictly prohibited from being washed in washing machines.

Faux suede can be washed by hand, but you should limit the exposure of the product to water. When removing stains, it is not necessary to wet the material. There are many dry treatments available to remove grease stains or dirt. For greater cleaning effect, you need to remember a few simple rules:

The sooner the cleaning process begins after contamination occurs, the easier it will be to deal with it.
It is not recommended to rub suede too hard, as the material may deteriorate.
When processing with brushes, movement should be carried out only along the pile. Otherwise, the shoes take on a darker shade.
When cleaning old stains, you should not use maximum effort; this will not increase the effect, but will only deform the product.
Applying fresh grease stains to suede does not work as well as it does to fabrics on clothing.
Suede brush
Suede must be treated with special brushes, sponges, napkins or cotton pads, depending on the reason for the treatment.
Before using chemical cleaning agents, it is recommended to test how it interacts with the structure of the suede on a less visible area.

In addition, there is no need to use brushes on light-colored suede items if they have been used to clean dark-colored items several times before.

Manually

To get rid of salt deposits, soil and dust, the pair can be washed by hand. Step-by-step algorithm of actions:

dissolve laundry or liquid soap in water;
Place a thick, light-colored fabric inside each shoe - this is done to prevent water from filling the shoes, penetrating under the insoles and destroying the sole; most often, the internal elements do not need to be washed;
moisten a toothbrush in the detergent;
rub the contaminated areas with it;
Dry your shoes naturally.

After drying, suede may become stiff. To give it an attractive look, it should be rubbed with a special brush. Such devices are sold in all shoe stores.

If the shoes are very dirty, cleaning will not be enough. In this case, you can soak it. Leaving the steam in the water for longer than 5-15 minutes is not recommended.

Rules for hand washing with soaking:

Prepare a cleaning solution. This can be liquid soap diluted in water or another cleaning composition containing a surfactant.
Rinse the shoes under running water and clean the soles.
Remove insoles and laces, if present.
Place the couple in a bowl of water and leave for a few minutes. There is no need to completely immerse your shoes in the solution. The less water gets inside, the better. Periodically you need to go to the container and check if the dirt has come off from your shoes. If the stains are gone, the washing process can be continued.
Using a toothbrush or any other soft-bristled brush, rub the areas that are more dirty than others.
Rinse the shoes under running clean water and blot with a soft cloth outside and inside.
The steam is dried under natural conditions.

To prevent shoes from losing their shape during drying, you can place white paper or bandages inside. The filler is changed as it becomes saturated with moisture.

It is prohibited to soak winter shoes, shoes and long boots.

This video will show you how to clean suede sneakers by hand:

Traditional methods of combating contamination of suede products

Suede products have been popular since ancient times, when there were not so many different care products for suede items in stores. Back then, various improvised means were used, which many still use today:

Stains on suede can be removed using ordinary sand or salt. To do this, just heat the selected product in a frying pan, place it in a bag or wrap it in a piece of cloth. Then apply it to the stain and leave for a while until the fat is absorbed. If necessary, you need to change the bag by repeating the procedure. If the stain is not fresh, it needs to be moistened with water. After the time has expired, the area to be cleaned must be wiped with a damp cloth.
Rubbing alcohol perfectly removes dirt from colored suede. For cleaning, dilute alcohol in a ratio of 1:10. Moisten any fabric with the solution and, gently pressing, rub it into the stain, then wash it off.
Detergents or regular laundry detergent are effective means of cleaning suede items. The substance is diluted in water to obtain a soap solution, a sponge is dipped into it and the stain is wiped. After cleaning, wipe the wet area with a dry cloth.
For those who do not know how to remove oil stains from suede, there is regular table vinegar that helps remove such stains. For the procedure, you will need to dilute vinegar with water and wipe the dirty area, then wait until it is absorbed. Repeat the procedure until the stain disappears. The remaining mixture with fat is washed off with cold water.
If you mix ammonia with liquid soap, this mixture can easily remove any greasy or dirty stain, regardless of the time it occurred. The resulting solution is slightly diluted with water, and the contaminated surface is moistened with a sponge or rag. After this, you need to wait until the liquid is absorbed, and then rinse it off with a brush. If the stain still remains after the first procedure, the process must be repeated. You can replace ammonia with hydrogen peroxide.
To clean a suede product from ordinary dirt, you can use pharmaceutical talc. The area is covered with the substance and left for 2-3 hours so that it has time to be absorbed.

Pharmacy talc

After the time has passed, the talc needs to be washed off and the item cleaned with a special brush for suede.

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Getting rid of dirt on your bag

Regardless of whether the bag is made of leather, leatherette or suede, before cleaning the product must be wiped with a damp and then a dry cloth. Further, the choice of method for removing grease stains already determines the type of material from which the bag is made.

So, when choosing products for removing oily stains from artificial leather, it is worth remembering:

Ignoring this rule will lead to final damage to your favorite item.

You can clean a leatherette bag using a sponge generously soaked in soapy water . Lemon cleans white faux leather bags perfectly. Just soak a cotton sponge in freshly squeezed lemon juice and wipe the greasy stain thoroughly.

It is good to clean bags made of genuine leather with a potato (the stain is simply wiped with half a potato tuber). Traces of starch that remain on the bag after stain removal are removed with wet wipes.

To remove old stains on a genuine leather bag, use a paste of laundry soap (rubbed on a coarse grater and mixed with a small amount of water to form a thick paste). Apply the cleanser liberally to the greasy mark, leave for five minutes, then rinse with warm water.

To do this, blot traces of fat with a paper napkin, then sprinkle:

After three to four hours, the suede bag is carefully cleaned with a special brush.

Under no circumstances should bags made of leatherette or suede be completely washed in a washing machine or by hand. Prolonged contact with water will deform the product and you will simply have to throw it away. Also, do not dry an already cleaned bag near heating devices or open fire.

How to properly care for suede

In order for suede shoes or other products to last longer and at the same time maintain an attractive appearance, you need to know a few rules for caring for suede. Firstly, you should handle suede shoes carefully and, if possible, avoid wearing them in unfavorable weather. Secondly, you need to use only special products: cleaners, restorers, brushes or sponges for suede. Suede items should be stored dry. If these are shoes, then before storing them, the product must be thoroughly dried and cleaned. After this, you need to insert special pads or regular newspaper inside. The storage area should be dark and cool, but not damp. Do not keep shoes in cellophane or plastic bags. It is better to use regular shoe boxes or special shoe cabinets. It is advisable to put moth repellent in the place where suede items are stored.

Important! Tall shoes should not be stored bent. After a long period of inactivity, folds, creases or stripes may appear on them.

The better to clean

It is better to care for suede with special brushes:

With hard bristles. They return suede to its velvety and softness by raising the pile.
Rubber/rubber are designed to combat dried dirt and the appearance of gloss.
Double-sided. One side has hard bristles or small metal teeth, and the other is studded rubber. Plus, this brush has a slightly protruding, rounded, rubberized edge, which makes it easier to access all parts of the product.

Among the available tools:

school eraser;
fine sandpaper (zero);
medium hard toothbrush.