So, in this month's Lucky it talks about using a nail file to get rid of stains on suede. I have a slim soft duffle I bought about a year ago and it had horrible dirt stains on it (this was before I used shining monkey on my bags). I had only used it for about a month too! So it's been sitting in its dustbag, but when I read this, I thought I should give it a try. I wish I had taken more before photos, because you can't REALLY see how dirty it was, but it will give you an idea.
The worst dirt was on the corners (esp. near the wite corner stiching) and the bottom of the bag. The article mentioned to only use regular nail files since colored ones might rub off of the suede, so I picked up a pack of 15 for $0.72 last night at Walmart.
More photos ...
All I did was rub the nail file on the stains ... the article said to go lightly, but my stains were pretty bad, so I put some muscle in it. It didn't hurt the suede or anything. I had to rub the darker stains more, but the whole thing only took about 5 minutes! It didn't take all of the dirt off, but it took almost all of it off, and it looks 100% better! If I had worked some more, I probably could have gotten it all out, but my hand was getting tired. I may try again later.
After photos ...
You can see the most difference at the top of the circle in the white stitching ... right in between the R E.
Obviously, this worked on my bag, but don't yell at me if it messes up yours. The dusty rose is a medium shade, so you might need to do more rubs for lighter suede and less for darker suede. I am very happy with how it turned out though!
The worst dirt was on the corners (esp. near the wite corner stiching) and the bottom of the bag. The article mentioned to only use regular nail files since colored ones might rub off of the suede, so I picked up a pack of 15 for $0.72 last night at Walmart.
More photos ...
All I did was rub the nail file on the stains ... the article said to go lightly, but my stains were pretty bad, so I put some muscle in it. It didn't hurt the suede or anything. I had to rub the darker stains more, but the whole thing only took about 5 minutes! It didn't take all of the dirt off, but it took almost all of it off, and it looks 100% better! If I had worked some more, I probably could have gotten it all out, but my hand was getting tired. I may try again later.
After photos ...
You can see the most difference at the top of the circle in the white stitching ... right in between the R E.
Obviously, this worked on my bag, but don't yell at me if it messes up yours. The dusty rose is a medium shade, so you might need to do more rubs for lighter suede and less for darker suede. I am very happy with how it turned out though!