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Suede products are always in high demand. Thin, soft material with a pleasant, slightly velvet-like, fleecy surface. Suede made from the skin of large and small cattle is highly valued. It guarantees comfort, convenience and long service life.
There is also an artificial substitute. It is a polyester suede coated fabric. From above, it is impregnated with Teflon, which allows water and dirt not to penetrate into the fibers.
It should be noted that, despite the strength, this is a rather capricious material that requires special care, and to clean it, you need to be patient, be careful not to spoil the suede. Especially when it comes to removing grease stains.
We have prepared some effective and efficient tips to help remove grease stains from the surface of suede and suede products.
Preparing clothes for procedures
Most often shoes or outerwear suffers. And if it is easy to remove greasy traces from an ordinary leather coat, then you will have to tinker with suede. Do not rub it, do not scrape it, otherwise the material will be hopelessly damaged.
Therefore, the correct removal of a greasy stain from the surface of a suede fabric requires additional preparation:
Before you start saving your favorite thing, you need to dry it. If you start to get rid of grease stains on a wet product, you can only aggravate the situation. Take a dry towel and gently dry the surface. Attention: in no case do not dry shoes or clothes made of suede material near the radiator or in the sun! Otherwise, the stain will be almost impossible to remove.
Gently wipe the surface with a special brush to clean it from dust and dirt. A brush can be purchased at any shoe store.
For the best result, the thing can be doused with steam. The fat will soften, which will contribute to its much faster removal.
Grease stain removal methods
If the stain is fresh, you can use improvised means. As a rule, they are in almost every home. However, even old stains can be removed with a little skill and patience.
You will need flour, chalk or starch. Sprinkle the contaminated area generously with one of these products. Use the pads of your fingers to lightly work the powder into the suede so that it absorbs into the grease. After an hour, gently wipe off with a dry cloth. The trail should disappear. If it remains, then repeat the procedure, or try to withdraw using other means.
Any dish detergent will do. Dilute one tablespoon in a small amount of water, then apply to the stain, leaving for five to ten minutes. Wipe gently with a dry cloth and apply a water repellent.
If you are not in a hurry, then the salt method will suit you. Heat the salt well in a frying pan and fill a cloth bag with it. It must be applied to the trail until it comes off. At the end, lightly go over the material with a brush. If the stain is old, then after applying the salt bag, apply any dish detergent to the product, wait a bit and wipe it with a sponge or napkin.
Similar actions can be reproduced with heated river sand. Just use a paper bag instead of a linen bag. Apply it to the stain and leave to cool completely. Repeat if necessary.
Ammonia is one of the most famous stain removers. It is also suitable for suede. Ammonia must be mixed in equal proportions with liquid soap. Moisten a rag or sponge with the resulting composition, and gently wipe the area with a stain. Then leave for twenty to twenty-five minutes, and clean off the residue with a damp brush.
Another good solvent for grease is rubbing alcohol. But only he – vodka has insufficient concentration, and other alcoholic drinks can leave marks on the fabric. In a container, mix alcohol and water in a ratio of 1:10. Soak a cotton pad or swab with the resulting solution. Treat the contaminated area. If there is no alcohol, then you can replace it with vinegar. It does a good job of getting rid of greasy marks.
Another good option is toothpaste. Finally found a way to use it! The powder must be well heated in a pan, and immediately poured onto a greasy mark. It must be well pressed into the fat with a napkin. Then shake off with a brush.
Old stains are much more difficult to remove than fresh ones. But there is always a way out. Moisten the oily area, treat it with a stain remover for colored items – such as Vanish – and then rub it with a soft brush. Leave for half an hour, then rinse with water.
An eraser or a piece of bread crumb may also help. Just rub the surface, and lightly brush off the residue. There will be no trace of stains. Again, if they are fresh. Tip: for light-colored material, use the crumb of a loaf.
Among folk remedies, there are also very unusual ones, such as finely ground oatmeal. They must be applied to the surface of the product, rubbed lightly and left until morning. At the end, use a napkin.
- The next way is quite radical. It is suitable for products exclusively from thick suede. Soak a cotton pad in purified gasoline. Treat the contaminated area with it. Then add dish detergent, then rinse with warm water.
Combine ammonia with hydrogen peroxide, add 200 ml of water. Treat the desired area.
And finally, you can try the coffee grounds. It is also suitable for removing fresh stains. Dip the brush in the thick and lubricate the dirt. When the mixture dries, remove the residue from the surface.
Can suede items be washed?
Washing suede is a controversial issue. The fabric is extremely sensitive to various cleaning chemicals and high temperatures.
You can only wash outerwear, and then only if the washing parameters are indicated on the label. In no case should things be squeezed out and pre-soaked so as not to damage the dressing. Washing is done only by hand, without the help of a washing machine, in a cool soapy solution.
If shoes or a bag are dirty, a brush, a dry cloth or a damp sponge is used for cleaning.
After washing outerwear, the material may acquire some stiffness. To restore its former softness, you should use a weak solution of vinegar. It must be poured into a spray bottle and lightly sprayed on the surface.
Also, after the final drying, be sure to use a water-repellent spray that will give the suede its original look.
Useful tips for those who want to remove a grease stain from suede
Before using any of the above products, it is recommended to test it on a small area of suede to make sure that this method is safe for the product.
Take care of your suede products regularly, whether it’s outerwear, shoes or a bag. This stuff doesn’t like being taken care of.
The salt stain cleaning method works if the salt is directly in the linen bag. Getting it in its pure form on a suede product is a high risk of spoiling it.
It is worth resorting to folk methods of cleaning only if the stains were not dealt with in dry cleaning.
If, in addition to greasy stains, other contaminants have formed, then you can apply the following methods:
To get rid of traces of fruits and vegetables, prepare a soapy solution, soak a sponge in it and walk through the dirt.
From stains of tea and drinks, water with vinegar in equal proportions helps.
Oil paint is removed with turpentine.
From time to time, salt can appear on products, especially shoes. Mix ammonia, vinegar and add soap suds. Or use a steam cleaner.
Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.