Made of the underside skin of deer, goat or lamb, suede looks suave but gets dirty easily and is also just a little tedious to keep up. Since the material is prone to getting dirty, you should always keep the pair in shoe bags or wrap in butter sheets.
Since suede is completely different from regular leather, both in texture and in strength, using brushes and polish any particular one uses on regular leather is not very advisable. Doing this may ruin the appearance and the life span of your jacket or shoes, so it is advisable to get a suede cleaning kit. A simple suede cleaning kit carries a double sided brush, which may be applied to both suede and nubuck fabrics, a suede protector and a suede cleaner.
1. The soft grain of suede helps it be very susceptible to water. So, never use a wet brush on your suede dye. Ensure that the shoe and brush, both are dry before you make use of it to clean.
2. Since suede has an excellent grain, rub with the grain rather than against the grain with a soft hand. Cleaning it against the grain can provide you a newer look, but your leather won’t last long.
3. Suede is also notorious at attracting scuffing marks that might be caused by scraping the shoe against a difficult surface. Because of this, you may want to brush the region vigorously with the harder side of the suede brush.
4. You need to use suede protector when you wear the shoes for the very first time. This ensures that the shoe is safe from water, grease and other scuff marks. Also, ensure that you clean the shoes soon after every wear. In this manner, you can increase the life of the shoe.
Dos and Don’ts of cleaning suede shoes
Don’ts
1. Never have the suede shoe cleaned with a boot-polish guy, even if they insist they may have the available brush.
2. Never store suede shoes within an enclosed space. They are often susceptible to fungus. It is regarded as a material that requires contact with air.
3. Never clean the shoes with water. Use an aerosol cleaner instead.
Dos
1. Use talcum powder if the shoe comes in contact with water, as the material will soak the moisture effectively
2. For oil and grease marks, you may use a mild dab of vinegar to completely clean.
3. For regular stains, you can use a pencil eraser to completely clean. There’s also suede erasers available with some kits because of this task. But be sure you don’t overload with the rubbing as you may damage the shoe.
4. In case your shoes begin looking very old, never polish them. Use an aerosol based suede dye to provide them a fresher look.