How to clean suede bags?

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bluejinx

bluejinx

~~Shayna~~
O.G.
Dec 15, 2009
7,963
108
#1
About four or five years ago i bought a BEAUTIFUL 100% leather handbag from the GAP of all places. It was a fall day in Manhattan and I was looking for socks and came across a this amazing bag. Who would have thought? And a sheepskin suede! I am still amazed! And for only 350.00 I figured it was meant to be mine.

Problem now is its A MESS!!!!!!!! ive NEVER cleaned it and it is so bad i am embarrassed to wear it!!!

Any suggestions on what to use to clean it? Its a Im nervous talking it to a leather cleaners here as they have ruined two of my leather jackets already (have a slight obsession with s leather store here called Danier. far too many jackets in my closet!)

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as i really love the bag.
 
#2
They make suede cleaner. It is tough to clean suede but it can be done. There are also cleaning places that will clean suede. I would avoid water--It will matt it up. That's just my opinion.
 
#5
How messed up is it? Do you have a cobbler you can trust? Using a suede brush can do a lot to freshen up the suede but I would actually consult a good cobbler for leather care.
 
#6
Some dry cleaner shops also do leather and suede cleaning. Could you bring it in and show them and see what they think?

I wouldn't recommend trying it yourself.
 
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#7
Oh god I'm such a mess today. I just stained my Alex wang alpha shopper tote with lipstick ;( how can I remove stains from suede?
 
#8
Suede is really hard to handle. I have an Alexander Wang Kirsten tote and from first hand experience, I have learnt that one should never ever try to DIY or follow old wive's cleaning tips. There isn't a place in Singapore that sells suede cleaning products too (you can't use leather products for suede).

I'd recommend you take the bag to clean at Colorwash at mandarin gallery. But it costs 70sgd or so I think. I am starting to sound like their ambassador but their service is really good!
 
#9
Zunxd said:
Suede is really hard to handle. I have an Alexander Wang Kirsten tote and from first hand experience, I have learnt that one should never ever try to DIY or follow old wive's cleaning tips. There isn't a place in Singapore that sells suede cleaning products too (you can't use leather products for suede).

I'd recommend you take the bag to clean at Colorwash at mandarin gallery. But it costs 70sgd or so I think. I am starting to sound like their ambassador but their service is really good!
Click to expand...

Wow thanks a bunch!! It's great to get some advice from a fellow Singaporean ^^ I will definitely go check it out!
 
#10
Hi,

I just had the same problem with my Gucci 1973 bag in military green suede.
I was eating some french fries when the mayonaise fellt on my bag.

This is my advice (worked so wel for me.)

-Scraced carefully the mayonaise off with a scarp object (my keys.)
- push really gentle a tissue on the stain (to remove the fats in the stain.)

Then when i got home i tried the second thing:
Put a clean cotton towel on the bag, the iron really carfully the towel.
Every time some of the stain comes out, take a clean piece of the towel.

Repeat and repeat till the stain is gone,then brush with a suede brush.

Good luck, mine is almost gone!:woohoo:
 
#11
No problem at all!

fay azzurra said:
Scraced carefully the mayonaise off with a scarp object (my keys.)
Click to expand...
But if you want to try what azzurra suggested, you can use an old soft toothbrush instead so it would not scratch the suede. But I'm not sure if it works. The suede on my Alexander Wang doesn't really get hairy. Not sure if it is the same one as on your shopper. If it is then brushing it doesn't work.
 
#12
The dark shade left by my black jeans on my beautiful taupe suede Nannini bag went almost completely away after two treatments with the Meltonian suede and nubuk kit and the suede cleaner. The kit contains a brush and an eraser, but the brush seemed too harsh to me, therefore I used an old face peeling brush that I had at home. The eraser is perfect, but it should be used with a very light hand. Don't rub too hard to avoid scratches and a 'peeled' look of the surface. The cleaner is very effective with stains and since then I used it to remove a ballpen trace in the inner lining of my Buti bag and a wine stain from a suede skirt: it worked perfectly. The important thing is to spray it very lightly from a certain distance from the bag, leave it on the bag for some minutes and then wipe it lightly with a clean soft cloth.
 
#15
fay azzurra said:
Hi,

I just had the same problem with my Gucci 1973 bag in military green suede.
I was eating some french fries when the mayonaise fellt on my bag.

This is my advice (worked so wel for me.)

-Scraced carefully the mayonaise off with a scarp object (my keys.)
- push really gentle a tissue on the stain (to remove the fats in the stain.)

Then when i got home i tried the second thing:
Put a clean cotton towel on the bag, the iron really carfully the towel.
Every time some of the stain comes out, take a clean piece of the towel.

Repeat and repeat till the stain is gone,then brush with a suede brush.

Good luck, mine is almost gone!:woohoo:
Click to expand...
Wow good tip for Suede..i will keep that one for when I need to clean off spots..which unfortunately is a lot
 
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