Everyone thinks it’s complicated to take care of suede leather. Even I felt that suede was the hardest thing to care for. I guess it’s because of suede leather’s delicate nature. Also, we all experienced our suede shoes being irrecoverably destroyed from mud or rain. Well, it is technically not irrecoverable, but probably we will need a proper caring method. Suede is inside of leather that is napped and soft. It requires a different approach to take care of compared with standard leather.
When your suede shoes or even suede jackets get mud or debris on it, you should not use water to care for suede leather. There’s are different tips and tricks you need to know for the proper care of your suede leather.
1. Use a protective spray for suede leather
Using a sealant or a protective spray will help protect your suede from water damage or any kind of debris. When you spray the shoes, it depends on the product, but I try to put at least 3 ~ 4 coatings on the leather. Once I spray the product, I wait for a bit for it to dry and brush so that the naps get adequately treated.
The protective layers usually last 4~7 days, depending on the product. I would recommend you read about the product you are using and follow the instruction.
Not sure which sprays to buy? I did an experiment on the difference between Aerosol and Non-aerosol protective sprays.
2. Use a suede brush for your suede leather
You can utilize a suede leather brush or even a new toothbrush to help keep the nap good as new. Use the suede brush to brush leather to one side gently. It doesn’t have a correct way to brush it, but just one side should be okay.
When you brush, you will most likely be able to see the dark side and the bright side. I prefer to brush it to the side that is darker than the other. The darker colour shows less debris and dirt.
3. Use a suede eraser for marks
Yes, just use a standard eraser, or if you can find a suede eraser use that instead. Suede erasers will help you to remove any mark on your suede leather. It works like pencil erasers, and the targets have to be dry.
If you just follow these three tips, most likely that your suede shoes will never have to visit a cobbler for a very long time. I would suggest the readers practice on the shoes that you do not often wear or try on the small spot of your shoes previous of working on the entire pair of shoes. You should visit the cobbler when your shoes are in a condition that you cannot fix.
