How to properly care for suede products at home?

Suede shoes are an indispensable attribute of any fashionable wardrobe. Not only bags and clothes are made from this material, but also shoes, autumn boots, warm winter boots, which are distinguished by a wide variety of models. However, despite its attractive appearance, suede is capricious and will not forgive improper care of it.

Suede is widely used in the footwear industry. Even sports shoes, sneakers and lightweight sneakers are made from it. By type, the material can be:

• artificial;
• natural.

Faux suede is a synthetic material. It can be made in two ways.

In the first case, particles of pile are glued to the base, lubricated with a special adhesive. This method of making suede is considered the most economically inexpensive, but the quality of the finished canvas leaves much to be desired. Shoes made from this material will not last long.

The second method allows you to get a higher quality suede. To do this, microfiber threads are fluffed, thereby turning them into an analogue of natural suede. Such shoes look expensive, and do not require any special subtleties in their care. The only drawback of artificial suede is its cost, since its high quality will certainly affect the price.

Natural suede is made from the skin of animals, usually medium-sized breeds. The fluffed surface of the material is treated with various vegetable oils or animal fats, which makes it possible to impart water-repellent properties to the shoes.

There are two ways to make natural suede.

1. Using a cutting machine.With this method of production, the skin flap is divided into two parts on a special machine. The inner layer is fluffed up and allowed to sew suede products.
2. The skin flap is carefully turned inside out and the seamy side is sanded. Products made from such suede are the most valuable, as they have two sides, one of which is smooth leather.

If you want your shoes to last more than one season and look expensive and presentable at the same time, then not only care is important, but also the initial correct choice of material. It is better to give preference to natural suede, and in order to distinguish it from artificial, it is necessary to pay attention to some factors.

1. Smell. Natural material will always smell like leather, while imitation will smell like glue or any other foreign chemical.
2. Surface. Usually only artificial material has a smooth and perfectly flat surface. Natural, on the other hand, has a porous structure, various irregularities and small defects, which indicate the way the skin is processed.
3. The foundation. Natural suede has a terry structure on both sides, and artificial suede has a fabric base on the seamy side.
4. Natural suede the villi change color slightly if you run your hand over them.
5. The price is too low. Natural suede cannot be cheap by definition, so if the cost is low, you should be aware that, most likely, shoes are purchased from an artificial analogue.
6. The edges of the product. Unbent and untreated seams indicate that the product is made of natural material, since it does not crumble and does not need additional processing.

In order for suede shoes to last more than one season, you should carefully and properly care for them. Particular attention should be paid to the first treatment (especially in autumn, winter and spring) with special means, which is carried out immediately after buying a pair at home. To do this, purchase a protective product (usually in the form of a spray) to create a transparent film that will prevent the shoes from getting wet. And also this will allow avoiding the negative influence of salts, which cover the roads of cities in winter. In order to achieve the best water repellency, some shoe manufacturers recommend soaking the shoes several times.

The following steps of care are performed at regular intervals, some of them daily.

In order for a pair of shoes to maintain a presentable appearance for a long time, it is necessary to clean it daily from dirt. For this, both improvised ("folk") means, and store lines for caring for products from this material can be used. You can clean your shoes with:

• gasoline;
• regular eraser;
• ammonia;
• steam bath;
• special means.

When using gasoline, use only one that has a high degree of purity (for example, with which lighters are refueled). With this tool, you can remove grease and fuel oil stains from shoes. To do this, wipe the contaminated area with a clean cloth dipped in gasoline and leave to soak for 15 minutes. After that, the treated area is sprinkled with coarse food salt and after a few minutes it is carefully removed with a brush. If necessary, this procedure can be repeated several times until a satisfactory result is achieved.

A regular school eraser can remove shiny areas from suede shoes. To do this, you need to rub the shiny area with it until the gloss completely disappears.

Ammonia is a unique product that is widely used not only in medicine, but also in everyday life. To clean suede shoes with it, you must mix it with water at a rate of 1: 3, and apply the resulting composition to previously dust-free shoes. Leave to work for 15 minutes. If necessary, you can repeat the treatment.

Steam cleaning is also very effective on both natural and synthetic suede. You can use a steam generator, or hold your shoes over boiling water, and then carefully brush with a special brush.

Special products for the care of suede shoes include special creams that are applied to shoes and allow you to remove even the most stubborn stains.

From time to time, any suede shoe needs touch-up to restore its rich color and paint over faded areas. For these purposes, suede shoe paints are used. When working with them, you should adhere to the recommendations of specialists.

1. In order for the shoes to be painted evenly, it is necessary to choose the paint exactly in tone. It can be purchased at specialized shoe or clothing stores.
2. Before dyeing, try the paint on an inconspicuous area (inside the shoe).
3. The procedure itself should be carried out strictly according to the instructions of the paint manufacturer. For ease of application, you can use a brush or foam sponge.
4. After three hours, necessary for the applied paint to dry, you need to walk over the shoe with a brush to lift the pile down.

Suede is a very delicate material, especially if it is natural, so it is better not to bring such shoes to regular washing, limiting ourselves to daily thorough care. However, in the case of serious dirt (or very light-colored shoes), such extreme measures cannot be avoided. If you wash according to the following rules, you can avoid negative impact on the appearance of the shoes.

1. It is not necessary to wet the inside of the shoe. Shoes should never get wet through. For this reason, machine wash is prohibited.
2. It is not recommended to use powders for washing, as they are poorly soluble in water. It is better to give preference to liquid detergents.
3. It is better to handle shoes with a foam sponge dipped in soapy water. It is best to use rubber gloves to protect your hands.
4. The washed shoes should be stuffed tightly with newspaper and left to dry at room temperature.

The service life of the shoes also depends on how the shoes are stored, so you need to pay special attention to this point. When storing (especially for the summer), a number of rules should be followed.

1. The tops of the boots should not be folded, as horizontal creases are formed, which will then be impossible to remove. You should stuff your boots with newspapers, or use special inflatable or foam molds for the bootlegs.
2. It is best to store your shoes in a cool place away from sunlight and heating appliances.
3. Before storing, shoes must be cleaned of dirt and thoroughly dried, otherwise mold may develop on them and the steam will be spoiled.

Here are the most popular industrial suede products.

1. Color restorer. Allows you to return the shoe to its original appearance. It can be produced in the form of emulsions, sprays and creams.
2. Water-repellent impregnation. Allows to protect shoes from moisture. Most often they are in the form of a spray or light emulsion.
3. Stretchers. Used for "fitting" shoes to size. Most often it can be found on sale in the form of foam.
4. Impregnation. Enhances the natural protective properties of suede. Available in the form of sprays and creams.

Suede shoes do not lose popularity due to their beauty and comfort to wear. And despite the fact that she is very capricious in her care, if you do everything on time and follow the recommendations, then such shoes can be used for more than one season.

You can watch how to care for suede in this video.