Suede items not only look good, but also create a feeling of warmth and comfort. This equally applies to hats, gloves, shoes, and bags. Suede hats in any design are always beautiful, warm and comfortable. But many citizens are wary of such purchases, fearing that in snowy or rainy weather a suede hat may lose its appearance and look calloused, become hard and uncomfortable to wear. Yes, suede can present unwanted surprises and lose its attractiveness. Therefore, we decided to tell you how to clean a suede hat so that the item will serve you for a long time.
Necessary care items
In shoe departments you can easily find a special device - a brush for cleaning suede. If in your wardrobe you have not only a hat, but also suede boots, buy 2 brushes. They differ from clothing and shoe brushes in a special device. On one side, they have a short pile of natural bristles with metal inserts, and on the other, an improvised rubber brush designed to provide the final shine.
Most often, such a brush is quite sufficient for cleaning suede at home. It is easy to remove ordinary dirt with the side of the brush where the bristles are located, and then walk over the surface with a rubber coating. Hand movements during final cleaning should be directed in one direction so that the suede does not change shades.
Sometimes, at home, your suede hat may become subject to other contaminants. A greasy stain was accidentally “planted” or the hat became very dusty from long-term storage on an open shelf. What to do? Will it be possible to give the headdress its original appearance? Or will you have to spend money on a new purchase? Let’s say right away - don’t rush to spend money, spend half an hour, and wear a suede hat with pleasure.
A little about suede things
Many will agree that suede is not only a very beautiful material, but also adds luxury and nobility to the image. If you compare a certain item made from suede and genuine leather, then to the naked eye it will become clear that a suede item is much more original and beautiful.
Suede can be divided into two types, namely artificial and natural. At first glance, it is difficult to find the main differences and understand what type of suede it is. The main difference is the level of strength of the material. Depending on what type of material it is, subsequent care conditions will be determined.
Fighting greasy stains
The history of the occurrence of a greasy stain on a hat is always accidental. But the fight against him is simple. Moreover, the sooner you start eliminating fat, the better the result will be.
- Immediately after a grease stain is discovered, sprinkle it thickly with coarse table salt.
- Rub the salt in thoroughly and leave the cap for 5-10 minutes so that the salt fights with the fat.
- Shake the hat thoroughly.
- Take a piece of white wheat bread and wipe the former stain - it will come off easily.
If these manipulations at home do not produce results, you will have to look for aviation gasoline. The product perfectly removes dirt and traces of grease not only from suede, but also from fur items. By the way, it is sold in hardware stores. Buy a bottle and easily treat the greasy stain. Afterwards, blot the treated area with a dry towel and ventilate the hat.
You shouldn't be afraid of the smell of gasoline. Aviation gasoline is very volatile and disappears quickly.
Loss of appearance, what to do?
The appearance of unsightly creases and scuffs is most often found on suede shoes. Milk at room temperature with a teaspoon of soda dissolved in it will help return it to its previous appearance.
A similar effect will be achieved by ammonia and water mixed 1 to 4. You need to treat the affected area with a cotton swab and then wipe with a clean damp cloth.
But that’s not all, after this procedure, mix vinegar with water, at the rate of one teaspoon per two glasses of water.
Without a doubt, vinegar will help clean suede. However, you should be careful when using it; apply the vinegar solution to the fabric only with a napkin soaked in it.
Steam can correct the situation here too, but only if the problem is small.
Quite often, owners of suede products are faced with the problem of color loss. Here you can use a dye; you must use it after carefully studying the instructions.
Brown suede can be saved by coffee grounds. You need to generously rub the material with this slurry, wait a little, and then clean off the remaining coffee from the surface.
Surprisingly, after such a procedure, the thing will look like new, not a trace will remain from such treatment, and a pleasant bonus will be the fact that this procedure can be repeated several times, which means that such a thing will last much longer.
Removing old and shiny stains
From wearing for a long time, your favorite headdress can become shiny around the edges. The view is not very attractive. Of course, if you clean your hat in a timely manner, unsightly shiny spots will not appear on it. More often it happens the other way around - all hands do not reach. Take some time and finally get to cleaning. You will need:
- Ammonia in the amount of 10 ml. If you buy a box of ampoules, you will spend everything, so it is better to buy ammonia in a bottle.
- Pure water – 40 ml. It is convenient to measure the amount for preparing the working solution with a regular medical syringe.
Mix water with ammonia, soak a cloth in the solution and treat shiny stains. Then go over them with a weak solution of vinegar - 5 ml per 200 ml of water.
Finish this double treatment by wiping with a damp cloth and drying thoroughly. When the headdress is completely dry, you won’t even believe that there were ever shiny spots on it!
Cleaning the shiny edges
Often, as a result of use, the edges of the cap acquire an untidy, “greasy” appearance. At home, a solution of ammonia in water, made in the proportion of 10 ml of alcohol to 40 ml of water, will help restore them to their former purity. You should soak a cotton swab in the liquid, and then thoroughly clean all dirty areas.
After this treatment, the suede material will need to be wiped with a vinegar solution (5 ml of vinegar per 200 ml of water), finally cleaned with a damp cloth and combed.
The most insidious spots
Any manipulations that you apply at home may be unsuccessful if the suede hat is fairly worn out and stains have formed on it for a very long time. Do the following as resuscitation measures:
- Mix 10 ml of ammonia with starch and clean old stains with this mixture.
- Then prepare the following solution - 10 grams of soda and 100 grams of low-fat milk and clean the entire headdress with a soft cotton swab.
- Finish the treatment with a well-wrung out damp cloth.
- Air dry the item.
- Apply a water-repellent spray to the hat and dry again.
Such simple techniques will help return things to a well-groomed, neat appearance. Good luck getting creative with your suede cleaning!
General cleaning tips
Recommendations to follow:
- To simplify the cleaning process, the suede product is treated with a water-repellent spray before first use. In this case, snow, rain or street dirt will not ruin the item forever.
- Do not wash natural suede as it will warp. Artificial material is carefully washed in particularly problematic cases.
- Do not overdry suede products, otherwise it will lose its appearance. The item will become lumpy and lose its softness.
- The use of industrial bleaches and stain removers is not allowed.
- Suede does not like moisture. After cleaning with wet methods, the product is thoroughly wiped with a dry absorbent cloth. The product is straightened and left to dry.
- Colored suede of unnatural shades can only be removed from dirt using dry methods. To do this, use a suitable brush or eraser.
- If there is no dirt or stains, the dust can be removed with a dry foam sponge.
Light soiling: 4 solutions
Fresh stains, dust and dirt can be removed effortlessly if you use:
- special brush for suede;
- regular rubber eraser;
- steam generator;
- table salt and bread (wheat).
All of the above products are good for combating fresh stains or for refreshing the appearance of a product.
A steam generator can help out when cleaning suede products.
To prevent your hat from getting wet in the rain, it is advisable to purchase a water-repellent spray from specialized departments. Its price is affordable for almost everyone, and it can be used for shoes and suede jackets.
So, how to clean a cap from light dirt at home:
| Photo | Instructions |
| Method 1: using a special brush |
To lift fluff or remove excess dust or dried dirt, it is recommended to use a special brush for suede products:
- use a brush to pass over the entire surface, removing particles of dust or dirt;
- It is advisable to carry out in one direction so that the fibers lie equally;
- You can first use a vacuum cleaner to remove dust and dirt from the surface.
Dry suede products only naturally - away from heating devices and direct rays of the sun.
Features of cleaning light suede
There are several methods for cleaning white suede.
Peroxide and ammonia . Stir a teaspoon of these liquids in a glass of warm water, moisten a cotton pad or sponge with the resulting solution, and carefully process it. Afterwards, hang the item or place the shoes in a draft to remove the smell.
Milk, soda and ammonia . This method perfectly helps to cope with dirt on any light-colored suede items: clothes, accessories, shoes. By gently cleaning the material, milk softens the fibers.
Features of wearing suede depending on weather conditions
In view of this feature, it is necessary to wear suede products only when the weather is dry outside.
If there is still a certain humidity outside, then you need to pre-treat the material using a special spray that helps repel moisture, and only then you can safely go outside.
We assess the degree of contamination and prepare for treatment
Suede requires dry cleaning only. If the hat gets wet, you should first shake it and dry it naturally. Before you start cleaning, carefully inspect the headdress for stains and streaks. Use a hair dryer and a short bristle brush to blow out the dust and remove as much dirt as possible.
If the hat is not heavily soiled, then simply refreshing it is enough. To do this, hold the suede headdress over steam for several minutes or treat it with a steam cleaner, then comb the pile with a special brush. If you find greasy stains, shiny edges on the cap, stubborn dirt or stains, steam alone will not be enough to clean.
Removing stains using improvised means
Vinegar
Every housewife has vinegar in her kitchen.
Having prepared a weak solution from it, we can clean our suede hat. To do this, moisten a dish sponge in a solution pre-mixed in a bowl and quietly wipe the places where some dirt remains. Usually, this is quite enough to cope even with stubborn stains, traces of grease, paint, etc.
Soap
A soap solution will also be a good helper in cleaning a suede hat . In the bowl again
We mix the water, just make sure it’s warm. Add a small amount of liquid component (dishwashing detergent, shampoo, shower gel or liquid soap) there.
We proceed in the same way, wipe the contaminated surface with a dishwashing sponge, the effect should appear immediately.
Usually these two methods are enough to get rid of all types of contaminants. All the products we used can definitely be found in everyone’s home. Therefore, there is no need to give your item for cleaning with chemical compounds.
How to clean a suede cap at home
Suede is a unique material that combines beauty and style. Suede wardrobe items have the advantage of beautiful appearance and possible combinations. Headdresses such as suede caps or berets especially stand out against this background. However, the biggest disadvantage of suede material is that it gets dirty very easily and quickly loses its appearance. And headwear is especially sensitive to various types of pollution. It’s quite easy to deal with this; the main thing is to know the basic cleaning rules.
