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How to Clean Suede Shoes

Suede shoes are without question the easiest shoes to maintain. With proper care, a good pair of shoes made with high-quality suede should be able to look great for decades. Most people discard their suede shoes not because of any real damage, but just because they have become dirty. But with proper care and maintenance with Saphir Medaille d'Or products, you can keep your suede shoes looking great for years. This tutorial offers an overview on simple daily tricks to keep your suede shoes looking great!

Products used in this video:

Saphir Gommadin Suede Eraser
Saphir Omni Nettoyant
Deluxe Shoe Polish Dauber
Horn-Backed Suede Cleaning Brush
Saphir Renovateur Conditioning Spray
Saphir Super Invulner Waterproofing Spray

STEP 1 [00:53]

Clean Off Dry Stains Using Saphir Gommadin Suede Eraser

The first step is to remove any dry or difficult stains using the Gommadin Suede Eraser. This is an optional step and really what you need to do is you just need to look and inspect the suede to see if there's any kind of harder stains that look like they're on top of the actual suede. The Gommadin Suede Eraser does has small filaments that allow you to really get into the suede and kind of brush those off. Try to rub the stains out using moderate to firm pressure.

STEP 2 [02:15]

Shampoo and Deep Clean the Suede with Saphir Omni Nettoyant

The next step is to then shampoo the suede using the Saphir Medaille d'Or Omni Nettoyant suede shampoo. This is safe to use on suede, Nubuck, and textiles, and is a fantastic and all-purpose cleaner. It's really going to get in the leather, remove any dirt, and it helps to almost renew the color and restore that slight patina that you expect from suede shoes. Shake the Omni Nettoyant and then pour some into a container of water. You want to dilute it, two to one or three to one should be enough. Take your dauber and rub it in and shampoo the shoes pretty vigorously, then rinse the shoes with water.

STEP 3 [04:04]

Insert Newspaper and Allow to Dry

You're going to see the color of the suede change as the water begins to saturate the suede. That's completely normal. It's absolutely safe and okay to get your suede shoes wet, so don't worry too much about the water. After you vigorously shampoo the shoes using the Saphir Omni Nettoyant, the next step is to then stuff the shoes with paper to have them keep their shape and allow them to dry overnight. You could use a shoe tree, but newspaper works better because that's going to help absorb some of the water that the shoes have taken on.

STEP 4 [05:15]

Re-brush Shoes with Horn-Backed Suede Cleaning Brush

The next step is going to be to re-brush the suede using a suede brush. Now the reason this is important is just like if you shampoo carpet, any time you put water on suede you're going to basically have the pile collapse. So you need to re-brush it with a suede brush in order to re-fluff that pile. You can use a Large Horn-backed Suede Brush and with moderate to firm pressure just brush the suede out.

STEP 5 [05:51]

Condition and Renovate the Color Using Saphir Renovateur Conditioning Spray

Now Saphir Medaille d'Or has an incredible product, it's the Renovating Suede and Nubuck Spray and it's the only product on the market that actually is going to condition suede. It uses an almond oil to actually condition and help nourish the suede to keep it soft. And then it also is available in four colors: neutral, black, light brown, and dark brown. You just want to take your shoes outside and then spray the shoes at a distance of about 12 inches and then allow them 30 to 45 minutes to dry.

STEP 6 [06:58]

Waterproof and Protect Suede using Super Invulner Waterproofing Spray

The Super Invulner Medaille d'Or Spray is safe to use on really the highest quality suedes. It doesn't use any harmful silicones in order to produce the waterproofing. The Super Invulner is applied the same way as the Renovating Suede Spray. You just want to take these outside and then spray the shoes at a distance of about 12 inches and then allow them 30 to 45 minutes to dry, and then you're done.