How to clean a suede bag at home?

Products made from suede are very impractical and get dirty very quickly. But if you know little tricks on how to clean a suede bag, it will become an indispensable accessory in the wardrobe of every fashionista.

First aid suede bag

Before you begin the main cleaning of a suede product, you should determine what kind of dirt is on the bag. You may not have to resort to complex methods. If there are no greasy stains or visible dirt on the bag, then you can refresh it very quickly and at minimal cost.

If there are shiny places on the handbag that spoil its appearance, you can deal with them in several simple ways:

• clean the scuffs with a regular eraser, but it must be new, otherwise the dirt will become larger and the item can be damaged;
• use a brush with soft, preferably natural bristles or a special rubber one for suede products;
• to remove shiny areas on the bag, you can use sandpaper (with minimal grit) or pumice - very good for shoulder straps, handles or folds of the product;
• for cleaning dark products, a crust of black bread is suitable, which should be gently rubbed over the greasy area;
• a fresh oil stain or blood can be sprinkled with talcum powder and left for several hours, then wiped with a dry cloth or sponge;
• A brown bag can be refreshed with dried coffee grounds, and a light bag can be refreshed by sprinkling with semolina or salt; the residue should be cleaned with a soft brush or simply shaken off.

Such express methods are effective for shallow stains and will help if your handbag needs to be quickly tidied up or slightly updated. But if there are a lot of stains on the product, or the surface is very dirty, then mechanical methods cannot be used, and then the bag should be wet cleaned or even washed.

Important!

The surface of suede is very delicate, so brushes with very hard or metal bristles should not be used for cleaning. This may lead to punctures in the item and you will simply have to throw it away.

Cleaning suede with improvised means

It will take some time to thoroughly clean a suede bag at home. It should be remembered that leather is afraid of moisture and high temperatures, as this can cause deformation, and the product can accordingly lose its shape. Therefore, you should prepare for such a process - and by following simple recommendations, you can return your handbag to its former novelty.

The easiest, but at the same time not the cheapest way to clean your item is to use a special spray for shoes or leather goods. It must be applied to a stain or contaminated surface, left for five minutes, and then removed with a piece of cloth or a brush. It is necessary to follow the application instructions, otherwise whitish streaks may remain on the bag or the application area may become discolored.

If the spray is not available, then you can use improvised means that are found in every home. A solution of water and ammonia will be very effective, where you should take one part of alcohol and four parts of water.Apply it to the problem area with a cotton pad or sponge, but do not rub it in too hard. After this, let the product dry away from heating devices or direct sunlight, preferably in the fresh air.

To clean a bag of any color, you can use a composition made from low-fat milk and soda. We take the ingredients in a 1:1 ratio, apply this mixture to the contaminated areas and leave for 10-15 minutes. Next, use a slightly damp cloth to remove any remaining liquid and let the item dry.

You can also clean the bag with a vinegar and water solution. To do this, mix 5 parts water and 4 parts vinegar, you can add 1 part ammonia. Apply the resulting composition evenly to the surface and leave for 20 minutes, after which we wipe off the excess with a dry cloth.

Advice

You can try to remove a greasy stain on a bag using a mixture of starch and purified gasoline, brought to the consistency of thick sour cream. Apply the paste to the stain and leave for a while, then remove with a rubber brush. This is a very drastic method, and you can resort to it in exceptional cases.

Water procedures: steam cleaning or washing

But how to clean a suede bag without ruining it if none of the above methods helped? Leather products are very afraid of water, but if the bag is not very expensive or is already old, then you can resort to water procedures.

Steam cleansing will be more gentle and delicate. To do this, pour boiling water into a basin or wide pan and hang the bag over this container for ten minutes. In case of very heavy contamination, the steam treatment time can be increased. Then we wipe the surface with a soft brush, and then with a piece of cloth.

You can also wash a suede bag, but this is the most radical method, so you should be very careful. We wash our item in warm soapy water. You can use either liquid detergent for delicate fabrics or shampoo. Place the bag in water and soak for a while. We do not deform the product and do not wring it out! After this, we take the bag out of the basin, rub the dirty places with a sponge or brush and rinse them in clean water several times. Then let the water drain and remove the remaining residue with a dry cloth.

Let the bag hang dry in a well-ventilated place. You can put old newspapers inside it, which will help maintain its shape and protect it from deformation. The sun and battery are strictly contraindicated in such cases, otherwise the product may shrink and become rigid.

Advice

After all cleaning procedures, treat your handbag with a water-repellent agent for suede shoes. This will protect it from dirt, moisture and dust, and you won’t need to clean it often.

In cases where the product is expensive or has decorative details and elements, you should not take risks - take the bag to the dry cleaner and trust the professionals. However, chemical exposure will discolor the product, and along with the stains, the richness of the colors will also disappear. If you properly care for your suede handbag, do not go out with it in the rain and do not expose it to high temperatures, then it will please you for a very long time.