I find suede so hard to resist when adding to my shoe collection, however it can be quite the pain to care for and clean. However, with a little extra TLC suede is a fantastic option besides, who wants to let the weather dictate your shoe choice all the time? – Not me, otherwise I’d end up in rainboots for half the year here in Vancouver and that is just unacceptable in my opinion.
Check out these ever so versatile suede bootie top picks I’ve come across in-store and online:
Trivial Tan Suede Peep Toe Bootie, approx $135 CAD, Steve Madden
Joplynn Bootie, approx $160 CAD, Steve Madden
TOPSHOP Billy Buckle Boots, $90 CAD, Hudson’s Bay
Saya from Ostwald Helgason x ALDO Rise FW14, $90 CAD, ALDO
Here are a few tools you may want to invest in to help care for your suede booties looking as good as new season after season:
Suede Brush… I’ve found that suede specific brushes have been the best at keeping my suede booties looking fresh. The brush buffs the material without damaging or scuffing the shoe as well as its colour and flicks off any dirt. If possible, brush your shoes with your suede brush after every wear, this will revive the material and remove any excess dirt or whatnot that may have got on them before drying onto the shoe.
Suede Protector… Prevention is key when it comes to keeping your suede booties clean. Pick up some suede shoe protector spray to defend your new purchases against any marks or stains. Make sure to regularly spray your booties so that they are always protected especially in anything less than ideal, sunny, dry weather. Hold up! Make sure before you cover your brand new, stylish booties with protectant spray that you test it out on a very small area of the shoe and let it dry. Just to make sure the spray won’t ruin the colouration.
Getting Rid of Stains… Another thing you may want to pick up is a suede cleaning block or suede eraser. You can use the cleaning block or eraser to rub and remove stains. Don’t be alarmed if the block starts to crumble a bit as you rub it, that’s supposed to happen. If you don’t have a block on hand and you need to get a stain out, try rubbing both shoes against one another to gently brush away the stain without damaging the suede.
Once you’ve removed the stain make sure to brush the nap of the material back to normal and spray the shoes with the protector which may have been removed by the rubbing. If all else fails, get your suede shoes professionally cleaned.
A Few Extra Tips …
- Don’t store your suede shoes in sunlight, it will fade the colour.
- If you get mud on your shoes, let them dry before trying to clean them. Once the mud is dry, use your suede brush to brush the dried mud off in a sweeping motion.
- Always brush the nap of the suede in the same direction, this will keep the suede looking clean and new.
- Do not clean your suede with water, it will do more harm than good.