In a world that glorifies unrealistic standards and expectations, men deserve to feel great about themselves and their unique strengths like women. It helps boost their self-esteem and embrace individuality. Empowering the men in our lives can also help them recognize their authentic selves and encourage them to do better.
While positive self-talk and creating an accepting community can help them feel seen, one way to boost your confidence as a man is to invest in suede footwear and accessories. However, like other things, you must maintain its best condition, mainly because it’s sensitive.
If you want to maintain your favourite outfits and accessories’ best condition, this article will define suede and how to care for this material.
What Is Suede?
Suede is a leather commonly used to make belts, bags, and watch straps. Its unique appearance and texture can add to your accessories’ look and feel. Men also encounter this material in shoes like chukka boots.
How Do People Create Suede?
Others may assume that suede is a different material or a manufactured substance. However, it’s a type of leather that manufacturers can make from the hides of various animals. They make the suede texture with the same process they use for other types of leather.
How to Care and Maintain Suede Materials
While men may think suede is famous for being easily scratched, scuffed, and damaged by water, grease, and stains, it’s not as sensitive as others believe. You can remove scratches and fix minor dirt or water damage with proper care and maintenance. After describing suede and how manufacturers make this material, here are five steps to help you care for your suede accessories and shoes.
1. Get a Suede Care Kit
You must get a suede care kit to care for your suede items. It usually includes a small brush and a suede eraser that helps remove scuffs. Some kits may also have a leather protector as a clear spray. Moreover, once you buy your favourite suede shoes or belt, immediately spray them with the protectant. From there, you can follow a monthly routine if you use them infrequently and do it every one to two weeks if you wear them daily.
2. Brush off the Dirt
Besides making your suede items unsightly, neglecting dirt or sediment can make your belongings uncomfortable and more susceptible to discolouration and damage. You can remove these particles gently using the bristle brush and not applying too much pressure. You should also brush it in one direction to maintain consistency in the material.
Although brushing may cause the nap to have a different colour, it’s just a natural reaction, just like when you touch suede or velvet furniture.
3. Erase Unwanted Marks
If the fabric has tough stains that won’t go away with the initial brushing, gently scrub them away with an eraser. This tool removes most stains, scuffs, and minor scratches, except for grease stains. Also, be careful not to apply too much pressure.
4. Brush Again
Brushing and erasing scratches from your suede ideals can smoothen and even the material’s texture, giving it a neat and polished appearance. Once you’ve erased the unsightly marks, you must brush the suede again in a consistent direction. This stage is also the best time to use a crepe brush if you have one.
5. Spray Leather Protectant
You can protect suede items from damage by spraying them with a clear protectant arm’s length away. If it gets wet, let it dry, brush it, or dab it with a paper towel and clean it if needed.
The Bottom Line
Men deserve to feel good about their favourite suede accessories and shoes. You can maintain your items’ best condition by having a suede care kit and following an appropriate maintenance schedule.
If your suede or leather clothes need professional Ottawa dry cleaning, bring them to Goodfellow Cleaners! From your valued wedding gowns to your favourite shoes, we’re committed to maintaining your clothes’ best condition. Book us now and see the Goodfellow difference!