How to clean a suede bag: secrets of a fashionista

A soft suede bag looks very stylish. Women who are partial to them and like to carry suede bags could be interested in cleaning suede bags using the simplest of means.

Tried-and-true methods

Usually, the SOS signal comes at the moment when we are getting ready to leave the house, and find out that the bag is rather dirty. There is no point in trying to clean it quickly. Instead, take another handbag, and remedy the situation thoroughly after returning home, when you can dedicate the time to it.

There are different ways to clean a suede bag, and they all stem from the features and properties of the material. Whatever home cleaning method you choose, you will have to inspect and clean the lining, remove stains, and fully refresh the bag’s surface.

• It’s no secret that you can clean suede with an eraser. If you see a glossy area, take an ordinary pencil eraser and start to rub your bag with it. The eraser must be clean, otherwise, it will stain the suede even more.
• We would recommend buying a special rubber brush for all suede lovers. It can quickly clean off the dirt and restore the lush feel of suede.
• The weak solution of vinegar will clean and refresh any suede perfectly. So if you just decided to clean your bag from general dirt, wipe it with a sponge or cotton pad damp with vinegary water.
• If you have pumice at home, you can use it to clean your bag from built-up dirt.
• You can also clean a suede bag with simple white salt. Pour it over the surface and then clear away with a brush.
• A more gentle way to clean up your things is steam cleaning. Hold the glossy spot under a blast of steam, and only then try to clean it with a rubber brush.

If your bag accidentally fell into a puddle of dirt or mud, don’t rush to clean it. You have to wait until all mud has dried up, and then clean it off with a stiff bristle brush.

If the stain is made by coloring agents (wine, dye, juice, ice-cream, or berries), you should deal with it immediately. First, blot it with a dry paper towel. Then wash it off with detergent, and then brush it out after it has dried. At home, you can also use a baking soda solution or special stain remover for cleaning suede.

The solution for removing grease stains is very simple: a tablespoon of household ammonia per glass of water. This solution will help clean your bag removing grease and unpleasant gloss.

Can you wash it?

You may launder your suede pieces, but you should be very careful and use warmish water and don’t wring the items out. If you see that home cleaning does no good, and your bag needs full-scale cleaning both inside and outside, you may put it into a washing machine. Chose a washing cycle with temperature under 30-35°, with no preliminary soaking, and with no spinning. Use a liquid laundry detergent made for wool.

It would be even better to hand-wash your item in a basin filled with water. You should not soak the material. Just rinse your suede piece in soapy water with some effective softening agent added.

You can wash just the stained areas, and not the whole bag. To do this, prepare a mixture of shampoo and water, make lather, and apply it with a sponge.

You can also wash the lining in the same way, and only then turn to the suede itself.

How to dry a suede handbag

If you need to dry a wet suede item, never use hot hair dryers, heaters, or radiators, and do not wring it out too hard. Let the water drain naturally. You can stuff it with paper to maintain the shape, and leave to dry away from any heating devices.

In a normal warm room, any suede will dry out if not quite quickly, then at least properly. It will not buckle or shrink. The bag will preserve its initial shape, and bring joy to your heart, as you managed to clean it with your own hands without damaging.

After washing, any suede becomes rougher and not so attractive, but you can easily correct that. All you need to do is to clean the entire surface using a brush with stiff bristles. You can even use the finest grained sandpaper, or better yet, a special metal brush for suede.

Specifics of cleaning handbags of different colors

You can clean up a dark-brown or black suede bag with a brush dipped in coffee grounds.

Let’s take some extra time to consider the home tips for cleaning a light-colored suede bag. Baking soda can be very useful in this instance. It softens water, removes all grease, and the small soda grains clean out the dirt. If we add some milk and make a soda-milk mixture, it will be a perfect home agent for refreshing any suede.

Once upon a time, there was a widely popular method of cleaning suede with a crust of bread. If you wish to try this method on your bag, you should remember that not any type of bread is suitable.

Rye bread is believed to be the best for this purpose. Go ahead and try this, it definitely won’t hurt your bag. 

In addition to home methods, we should not forget special foams you can buy, designed for taking care and cleaning of suede, and for preventing new stains. Usually, they are sold in the same store as the bags. There is also special shampoo for washing suede.

If absolutely necessary, you can dye the faded and discolored areas with special spray paint for suede leather. If you have particularly stubborn stains, just recolor the material with darker paint. These are all the tips we have to help you refresh your suede item.