How to Clean Suede Shoes? A Guide to Remove Stains

Surely, nobody can bear those hideous stains on their expensive suede shoes. However, it might not be possible to hit up the dry cleaners every time your shoes catch on a little stain. We have curated some really interesting and effective procedures that anyone can try out at home in order to make their suede shoes shine back again. Moreover, for most of the procedures, you may not even need to head up to the store in search of special equipment.

1. How to Remove Stains from Suede Shoes?

Suede can easily catch oil and soil stains. There are a number of different ways to remove different types of stains like oil, dirt, soil, food, as well as adhesives from suede shoes. Different types of stains may require different procedures to remove. However, if your shoes have a heavily oily stain, you must try getting the same removed from a professional dry cleaner. Below mentioned are some of the stain removal tips that can be helpful for you.

Equipment Required:

• Baby Powder
• Commercial Glue Remover
• Suede Brush
• Clean White Cloth
• Pencil Eraser
• Blunt Knife
• Emery Nail

Removing Scuffs or Dried Stains:

1. Rub the Stain with a Soft White Cloth: Use a clean cloth to rub the affected area and remove the dried-up surface stains. The cloth will also help restore the texture of the shoe surface.
2. Rub a Pencil Eraser: If the dry stain is still persistent, try rubbing it with a pencil eraser.
3. Use an Emery Nail: If nothing else works, only then try using an emery nail to rub off the dry stains.

Removing Oily Stains:

1. Sprinkle Baby Powder on the Stain: As soon as your suede shoes catch any oil, try sprinkling some baby powder at the earliest possible. The powder will absorb the oil and change its color. Brush away the powder after a few hours.
2. Repeat the Process as Required: Keep repeating the process until the powder stops changing its color.

Removing Wet Stains:

1. Blotting the Stain: Put a soft cloth over the stain and allow it to soak moisture from the suede as much as possible by putting a little pressure. Keep turning the cloth towards a clean and dry place to allow maximum absorption.
2. Let the Stain Dry: When the cloth stops absorbing the moisture, allow your shoes to dry completely naturally.
3. Follow the Steps to Remove the Dry Stain: If the stain still exists, follow the above-mentioned steps to remove a dry stain.

Removing Sticker Glue/Tape:

1. Dampen the Affected Area: Dampen the area with a wet paper towel that caught the sticker glue/tape.
2. Scrape the Sticker with a Blunt Knife: Use the blunt edge of a knife or a plastic card to scrape through one edge of the corner and slowly remove it completely.
3. Let it Dry: Allow the stain to dry completely without exposing it to heat.
4. Remove the Residue with a Gum Eraser/Pencil Eraser: Use an eraser to slowly and patiently rub away the sticky residue. Do not apply much pressure while rubbing.
5. Use an Emery Nail: If the residue is not getting removed with an eraser in spite of multiple tries, gently rub an emery nail over the glue residue to scrape it.

2. How to Clean Suede Shoes with Household Products?

1. Remove Debris with an Old Toothbrush: First off, try rubbing the stained area softly with an old toothbrush to loosen the dirt from the suede.
2. Scrub Stubborn Stains with a Nail File: If the dry stain is set into the surface, gently rub a nail file over the affected area.
3. Wipe the Dirt with a Soft White Cloth: To remove the scraped debris and to bring back the shine of your suede shoes, rub it with a soft white cloth.
4. Try Rubbing Alcohol or Vinegar on more Serious Stains: If the stain still persists after using the above-mentioned steps, dampen a soft cloth with rubbing alcohol or vinegar and rub it over the affected area. Let it dry naturally and brush off the surface.

3. How to Clean Suede Shoes with Vinegar?

Vinegar is effective in removing almost all kinds of stains from your suede shoes. However, using the same must be the last resort as it can actually make the surface of your shoes a bit tough and uneven.

Equipment Required:

• Suede Brush
• Pencil Eraser
• Soft and Clean White Cloth
• Vinegar
• Razor

Steps to Follow:

1. Brush Away the Dirt from the Affected Area: Lightly brush the stained area with a suede brush. Move the brush only in one direction, it will help you take off the dirt more effectively.
2. Treat the Stain using Vinegar: Dampen a soft white cloth with plain white vinegar and rub the same over the stain. Allow the area to dry completely. Rub a dry suede brush to pick up any kind of residual and to fluff back the surface.
3. Use a Razor to Bring Back the Smoothness: Using vinegar may make the surface of your suede shoes a bit rough. Gently shave the affected area to bring back its smoothness and luster. Brush away the shaved bits.

4. How to Clean Suede Shoes with Baking Soda?

Baking Soda can be really effective in removing greasy or oily stains from your suede shoes without compromising the surface quality.

Equipment Required:

• Baking Soda
• Suede Brush

Steps to Follow:

1. Sprinkle Some Baking Soda Over the Stain: Simply sprinkle some baking soda on the affected part of your shoes. Allow it to sit for approximately 15 minutes to absorb the grease, oil, odor, and dirt.
2. Brush Away the Soda: Gently brush away the baking soda from the surface.
3. Repeat: Repeat until the stain is completely gone.

5. How to Clean Suede Shoes with a Toothbrush?

An old toothbrush can be effectively used to remove any kind of Scuffs, dirt, or soil from your suede shoes.

1. Allow the Stain to Dry: Allow the stained area to dry completely naturally before treating it with anything. Scrape off any kind of visible cakes from the surface of your shoes with your hands.
2. Brush off the Dirt: Use a clean toothbrush to remove the dirt/soil from the stained area. Keep rubbing the toothbrush in a back-and-forth direction until no more soil is being released.
3. Fluff the Surface: Once the dirt is completely gone, blot the treated area completely and brush it gently to retain the original properties of the surface. Allow it to dry in a cool area. Brush the surface softly to fluff the suede.

6. How to Clean Suede Shoes without a Brush?

A Suede Brush or an old toothbrush can effectively remove dried-up debris and stains from suede shoes. However, if you do not have either one, you can try out the below-mentioned steps to clean out your beloved suede shoes.

1. For Wet Stains: If you have any dirty wet stain, it can lead to water stains if left off for a long time. Soak a soft and clean cloth in lukewarm water and rub it effectively. Keep turning the sides of the cloth till the stain is completely gone. Let it dry and the stain shall be gone.
2. For Dry Stains: For a dry stain, try removing the surface debris as much as possible with your dry hands. For deeper stain, try using a pencil eraser or gum eraser for getting rid of the stains. If an eraser does not work out, you may even try gently rubbing a nail filer.
3. For Greasy Stains: To take off oily or greasy stains from your suede shoes, sprinkle them with some baby powder or corn starch. Once the powder soaks in the oil and changes its color, wipe it off using a dry cloth. Repeat the process till the powder stops absorbing oil.
4. For more Stubborn Stains: If nothing else works out, you can always try rubbing the stained area with a clean white cloth drenched in rubbing alcohol or vinegar. However, this should be your last option as it might change the texture of suede.

7. How to Clean Black Suede Shoes?

Equipment Required:

• Suede Brush
• Baby Powder
• Black Suede Protector
• Black Suede Die

Steps to Follow:

1. Brush Away the Dirt: To remove the dried-up dirt from the surface of your suede shoes, rub it gently with a suede brush. To remove the set-in dirt, apply some pressure.
2. Spray Some Baby Powder: Sprinkle some baby powder on the affected area and let it absorb any kind of grease or oil for at least 10 minutes. Repeat till required.
3. Spray Some Black Suede Protector: To restore the surface luster and finish, spray a black suede protector. It will also protect your shoes from further attracting stains easily.
4. Use Black Suede Die: If the cleaning process fades away the color of your black suede shoes, you can also get a black suede die and follow the instructions to bring back their original look.

If you love your suede shoes, the above-mentioned tips would surely work out wonders for you in the long run. We surely cannot prevent our shoes from getting stained now and then. However, after knowing the above-mentioned cleaning steps, you surely would not shy away from confidently wearing your suede shoes every now and then!