A suede jacket is a lightweight and stylish piece of clothing perfect for those wild festival nights or those summer BBQs. The material itself just feels fantastic when worn. However, like any other piece of clothing, it is also susceptible to the natural wear and tear of everyday use. If you want your suede jacket to last, you need to take good care of it. From dry cleaning to proper ironing, here are some care tips you can do to make your suede jacket last a long time.
Consider the Material First
Taking good care of your clothes made from suede means you need to know the material’s properties first. Suede is a much softer and more vulnerable material than ordinary leather. Not only can it stain quicker and easier than leather, but cleaning the fabric can also be quite a challenge. Knowing how to clean suede properly is hugely important for maintaining your jackets, shoes, boots, and other accessories made from the same delicate material.
Cleaning a Suede Jacket Collar
The collar of your suede jacket is perhaps the part that’s most vulnerable to dirt. To clean the collar, you need to coat it with cornstarch or baking soda and leave it overnight. This is an effective way to absorb all the grease and stains on the fabric. After leaving the cornstarch and baking soda on, you can brush it with a stiff brush multiple times until you remove the powder and the stains. There are also suede or nubuck cleaning kits you can buy that come with an eraser and a stiff brush.
Putting Suede in a Washing Machine
You might be thinking of putting your suede clothing in a washing machine to clean it. While it’s definitely a possibility, you’re actually causing more damage to your clothing instead of just cleaning it. Leather experts don’t recommend leaving suede fully immersed in water as it tends to remove all the natural oils and the dye from the fabric, leading to shrinkage.
Ideally, you should bring your suede jacket to your local Ottawa dry cleaner and let specialist cleaners take care of it. However, if you have no other choice but to machine wash your suede jacket, you should first turn it inside out. Only wash the garment in warm water and dry it very slowly.
Protecting Your Suede Jacket
Suede is a lightweight and delicate material, but still quite durable enough if properly cared for. However, it is quite susceptible to staining, so it’s in your best interest to avoid wearing it in places where it’s likely to get wet or dirty, such as heavy rains or muddy areas. Spraying your jacket with a suede protector spray before you wear it is very much recommended. This will help repel dirt and grease. Brushing the fabric also helps a lot in protecting it from being damaged. Use a suede brush, and make sure to brush in the direction of the grain. When storing your jacket, it’s good practice to hang it on a well-fitting coat hanger and place it in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight.
Conclusion
Suede jackets are usually considered as finely crafted pieces of clothing. If you want to treasure that clothing, you must give it the treatment it deserves to make it last for years. Follow these tips, and you’ll have no trouble making your suede jacket or boots last quite a while.
Turn to Goodfellow Cleaners whenever you need the help of reliable and trained specialist cleaners. We are the leading Ottawa dry cleaning service provider serving customers for more than 25 years. Contact us for same-day dry cleaning services!