How To Clean Suede Shoes With Household Products

Many of us own a nice pair of suede shoes that we would love to keep as clean as they were the day we bought them. However, we all know that once the shoes get dirty, they just don’t look as good as they used to.The good news is that you can clean your suede shoes, without having to buy any costly cleaner kit that may or may not work. The trick is to use household products that you probably already have in stock.

Let’s take a look at how you can keep your shoes clean:

Everyday Cleaning

What’s needed

• A Soft Brush Or Toothbrush

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money cleaning your shoes every time they get really dirty, you may want to think about cleaning them as often as you can.

For example, if you wear your shoes everyday, you’ll need to clean them every day. Don’t worry though, the cleaning process does not take long. Use a soft brush to gently clean your shoes.

The bristles of a soft toothbrush should work well, but if you find that takes too long, you may need to go and purchase a suede shoe brush. Suede brushes are usually pretty cheap, and you don’t need to pay a lot of money for a good one.

• Once you’ve got your brush, or you’re happy to use a toothbrush or anything else you have to hand, you can start cleaning the shoe
• The trick is to not brush too hard, just use a little bit of pressure when brushing your shoes, otherwise, you may flatten the suede
• Inspect your shoes for any stains or mud, and follow the cleaning instructions below

Muddy Shoes

What’s needed

• A soft brush or toothbrush
• Some newspaper

When your favorite shoes are covered in mud, you may be forgiven for trying to clean the mud off as soon as you can.

This can often prove to be quite difficult, as it’s likely that you’ll rub the mud in, and make the shoes look worse. The trick here is to wait until the mud has completely dried, as it is so much easier this way.

• Place some newspaper on the floor, or on a flat surface, and stick your shoes on top
• Use a brush or a toothbrush to remove the mud, being careful not to press down too hard

Scratches

What’s needed

• An eraser

No matter how hard we try to keep our shoes looking nice and new, after time scratches will appear on them. Scratches can make the shoes look old, but don’t worry, you can get rid of them fairly easily.

• Rub the scratches gently with an eraser, and watch the scratches disappear

Stains

If you accidentally stain your shoes, you might think that you have ruined them, but most stains can usually be dealt with fairly easily.

You can potentially stain your shoes with all kinds of things, and each stain is likely to be quite different, meaning you’ll need to use different methods to get your shoes clean again.

Let’s take a look at the different types of stains there are, and how you can deal with them:

Drink Stains

What’s needed

• A paper towel
• White vinegar

Stains from wine or any other type of drink can look quite bad, especially if you have spilled a lot on your shoes. Here is where some white vinegar and a paper towel, can come in handy.

• Take the vinegar, pour some into a small bowl, dip the paper towel in the vinegar
• Rub the stain lightly using the towel, and you should start to see the stain coming off
• If the stain is particularly bad, you may want to lay one towel over the stain, with another directly on top
• Press down on the paper towels so that the vinegar, and the stain is soaked up
• Remove the paper towels once the stain has vanished
• Allow to air dry

Ink Stains

What’s needed

• A damp cloth

If you get ink on your shoes, you need to clean them as soon as possible. If you’re not able to clean them anytime soon, you may have to visit a cobbler and ask them to do it for you. If you are able to clean your shoes, here’s what you need to do:

• Take a damp cloth and press lightly on the ink stain – do not rub the stain
• Allow to air dry

Oil Stains

What’s needed

• Cornstarch or baking soda
• Cling film

If your shoes are stained with oil or grease, you can clean them using some cornstarch or baking soda, here’s how:

• Sprinkle the cornstarch or baking soda over the stains, as it will start to soak up any moisture
• Take some cling film, and place it over the cornstarch or baking soda
• Use something heavy to keep the cling film in place, and leave for an hour
• Check the stains after an hour to see if they have disappeared, if the stains are still there, leave for another hour, and check again

Water Stains

What’s needed

• A dry cloth
• Some newspaper

Water can stain suede shoes quite badly, and you may be forgiven for thinking they are completely ruined, however, they won’t be if you act quickly.

• Take a dry cloth and press on the water stains lightly
• If the shoes get very wet, fill the insides with some newspaper

Conclusion

Keeping your nice new suede shoes clean is not as difficult as you may think. It’s likely that you already have the right tools in stock, but just in case you don’t, it would be wise to buy them.

While some people may be happy to get their shoes professionally dry cleaned, you can relax in the knowledge that you’re able to get your shoes just as clean, using household products that you already have in stock.

Resources

HowToCleanStuffStainRemoval101