[Neil Williams]

Knowing what happens if you get suede shoes/coats wet how would you clean a dark brown and a cream colouredsuede sofas?
I'm tempted to edge on the side of safety here with stiff brush and vacuum only.

[Ian Rochester]

LTT sell this product, however I would personnally steer clear of cleaning genuine suede.

http://www.lttsolutions.net/product.asp?product=27

[Neil Williams]

Thanks Ian

[LTT Leathercare]

Neil

Suede suites are still fairly rare and extremely expensive.  First make sure that it is suede you are dealing with and not one of the many fabric imitations which are really good these days.  Sometimes it is not easy to tell the difference without the use of a microscope.

If they are suede please feel free to ring me so that I can talk you through the process.

Regards
Judy

[*paul_moss]

Neil if it is a cream colour I would doubt it is suede and more likely Faux Suede ( micro fibre) if so very straight forward to clean with HWE. Just put a chair or sofa on its back and remove part of the base cover to expose the material, that way you can see its backing.

[Roger Koh]

Suede leathers refer to nubuck and suede.
Suede is the flesh side of leather that has been buffed to produce a nap.
Nubuck is the top grain aniline leather that has been buffed to create a fine nap effect smoother than suede.
Both absorb soil and oil easily, and due to potential damage from alkalinity or dry solvent,
they are perceived to be more difficult to clean.
Pigskin suede generally does not response as well to cleaning, as compared to other suede,
due to its hair follicles structure.
Preventive and periodic cleaning is more prudent than waiting until the soiling turns ugly.
Restoration or salvage cleaning is a tedious endeavor.

There is no fear in cleaning these non-finished nappy leathers when you use “leather safe cleaning solution”.
“Leather safe” refers to cleaning solution that is within the average pH value similar to that of leather which is from pH 3 to 5.

Cleaning procedures for nubuck and suede are similar.
However brushes used are different, nubuckBrush2™ for nubuck and suedeBrush3™ for suede.
And Tertiary Conditioners differ too; silky feel is for nubuck and waxy feel is always associated with suede.
These feels are incorporated with a classic leather scent to be applied directly on the leather:
namely leatherScent’S™ or leatherScent’W™.

Stiff brushing and thorough vacuuming are ways to extract as much dry soil as possible.

Head rest and arm rest are normally greased up with hair oils and body oils,
which are tough to remove without proper degreaser.
Cleaners that have alcohol or solvent content will cause the dyes to move and end up as rings.
Alkaline cleaners not only stiffen the naps as they dry, but also may yellow the cream colors.
Alkalinity may result in denaturing the unfinished leathers with signs of tackiness.

So the most logical and safest consideration is to use leather safe products (pH value from 3 -5).
deGreaser3.1™ is specially developed for this purpose with a pH value of 3.1.
This product can soak into the leather to work safely in harmony with other chemistry within the leather structure.
This leather constituent includes the acid dyes pH 3-4, tanning agent’s pH 2-5, fatliquor pH 4-6 beside others.

As for long term problematic heavy build-up soil that has undergone hydrolysis and oxidation,
yellowing is a common problem.
Yellowing can be corrected by deYellow7.0™ spray treatment.

What happen when suede turns wet and then dries out?
It always results being stiffer depending on the amount of fatliquor that dries out together with the water.
It will also be weaker and rip and tear easier.
So the way to go is to fatliquor with fatliquor5.0™ (pH 5.0) when it is all soak up immediately after cleaner3.8™ (pH value 3. and rinse3.0™ (pH 3.0).
This fatliquoring treatment will soften the suede or nubuck, besides improving its rip-resistance tensile strength.
It is easier to re-nap these soft dry nappy leathers too, producing a “finger writing effect” on them.

Lastly, treat them with leatherScent’S™ or leatherScent’W™ accordingly for a sensuous result with good taste of sight, feels (hand) and scent.

Hope these tips may prompt you to rethink about cleaning Suede or Nubuck.
And make a good reputation for yourself through these supposing “impossibilities”.

Roger Koh
IICRC#942 LCT MTC MSR
info@leatherdoctor.org
Leather Doctor® System
Sharing with you a 21st century breakthrough in leather cleaning and restoration technology

[LTT Leathercare]

We do not recommend any wet cleaning products on nubuck or suede.  As they are so absorbent when you apply wet products all that happens is that the soil on the surface is drawn deeper into the fibres themselves making it even more difficult to clean.  What also happens is that the products can bring back to the surface older soiling, which when it dries out (which takes a long time), can make the item look worse than when you started.

Using degreasing products is not really an option as they will always draw out colour and recolouring nubuck and suede (although we have products for them) is a very tricky operation with no certainty of how it will trun out.

If you have a  look at our website on the nubuck products page (these are consumer prices by the way) you will see a photo of a nubuck chair that we restored with entirely dry products.  It was very dirty and had matted down due to grease but the process worked very successfully. 

[carpet guy]

Excellent port Roger, as always .

rob

[Mike Roper]

Reading this has given me a wacky idea- how would suede or nubuck react to cleaning with Host / envirodry type sponge cleaners. They are only very slightly damp so wouldnt be a problem that way but I dont know about the effect of the detergent/ solvent content.
Mike

[Ben Staerck]

I have been told the host von scharder (or whatever it is) cleans suede and nubuck very well.

As for cleaning without it, you can get decent results dry cleaning, and its relatively easy. But you can get much better results cleaning it wet with either a specialist product or a mild detergent based cleaner.

The downside to wet cleaning is the drying time to see how well it has worked! But in my experience, wet has always worked best. I'd try dry cleaning first with a brush, and then proceed to wet if you thik it could be improved.

[LTT Leathercare]

Cleaning with dry products is hard work but the results speak for themselves and are much better than any wet cleaning system as you cannot extract any dirt once you have applied the cleaner.  Wet products make it go completely black and you are never sure whether it will dry out fully or leave patchy areas even when cleaning whole panels.  Old stains as I have said can resurface and be drawn back through the fibres.  There are a lot of fabrics that are mistaken for suede and nubuck because they are so good these days.  Use of a microscope will immediately determine waht you are dealing with.  I'm know the Von Schraders system works very well on fabric immitations but the same does not necessarily apply for Nubuck and Suede because it relies on wet products which cannot do any effective cleaning )although Mike we would be interested in carrying out the tests with you).  Most soils cause the fibres to become matted and these have to be broken up before they can be effectively cleaned.

These are our general instructions for cleaning suede and nubuck

Because Nubuck is very sensitive leather it is essential to follow a strict maintenance regime to ensure the leather retains its look and soft texture.

All Nubuck should be treated with Waterstop from the outset. High use areas (arms, seats and backs) should be lightly vacuumed regularly, taking care not to scratch the surface.

We do not recommended any ‘wet’ cleaning product for general cleaning as it is a difficult process and generally only draws the dirt deeper into the fibres.

What can be done is a regular treatment with a Napping Brush and Nubuck Cloth. This is a simple, effective and safe way to care for Nubuck leather.

ITEMS REQUIRED: Nubuck Cleaning Kit: (Napping brush, Nubuck Cloth, Sponge (ideal size
150mmx75mmx75mm,Waterstop)

PROCESS: The first step is to break up the surface fibres with the Napping Brush.  This is especially important on areas that have become matted with body oils.
You can be quite aggressive with the napping brush but keep it moving so that you do not over scrub one spot.  Very bad areas on Nubuck can be sanded with a fine sandpaper to release the fibres on the surface.  (The napping brush does not do the cleaning it releases the fibres so tha they can be effectively celaned with the Nubuck cloth)

Then unfold and flatten out the Nubuck Cleaning Cloth.  This should then be wrapped tightly, smoothly and evenly around the sponge.  Ideally what you should end up with is a smooth, even cylinder approx. 35-40mm in diameter. (If you make a mess of your first attempt undo and try again)*

What you have created is a ‘tack roll’ that you will draw across the surface of the leather.  In doing so the roll removes dirt from the pile of the Nubuck.  This action should be repeated gently and evenly in all directions across the surface (if you clean only in one direction you will clean only one side of the pile).

Set the nap with a dry sponge.

After this process a light spray with Waterstop is recommended, particularly in the high use areas.

General notes:

Spillages and marks on Nubuck should be attended to as quickly as possible.  Wet spillages should be blotted gently from the surface, do not be tempted to rub, as you will force the spillage deeper into the leather.  Once you have blotted out as much as you can, assess what remains.  The next step, if you decide it is required, would be a wet cleaning process and should ideally be carried out before the original spill has dried out.

Use Leather Shampoo on a sponge to damp the affected area (always treat the whole panel of leather not just the area – Nubuck ‘watermarks’ very easily) and again blot with paper towel or dry cloth.  Repeat this process several times before drying with a hairdryer.  When thoroughly dry re-nap with a dry sponge.  Treat with Waterstop. It will take a lot of drying and the results cannot be guaranteed.

Heavier spills, foodstuffs etc. should be gently scraped off with a blunt knife.  Then gently wipe over with Nubuck foam and sponge (as above).  Dry, re-nap and protect.

The Nubuck Cleaning Cloth can be used in most circumstances for dirty scuffmarks, ink, any dry marks etc.  It may not be effective but it will not create further damage or exacerbate the problem. 

Never attempt to remove marks on Nubuck with solvent cleaners.  They will only dissolve the dirt and drive it deeper into the leather.

*Once the ‘Nubuck roll’ has become excessively dirty it can be unrolled and reused making use of both sides.
   
     
 
 
 
 

[Roger Koh]

“To solve a problem confront it”
This slogan is noble but tough to live up to it.

It’s the principle of a noble heart,
Rather than the greed of filthy lucre that fools unwary heart.


It’s like strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
Which leadeth unto life, and few amongst us are wise that can find it within a day.


It’s like taking a charging bull by its horns.
And not worry or sorry to be torn.


I admire this slogan courage to tackle problems as you do!
Sincerely, is this much ado about Suede Cleaning too?


If this is so, the full arsenal is not revealed as much as what have been ascribed.
We have to look further what leather safe wet system has to prescribe!


In another time, another question in this forum to describe,
I am here to stay, not adieus and goodbye as prescribed!


We are just merely gathering these little puzzles to build up a beautiful picture.
Hopefully, we will make use of it in the future.

Roger Koh
IICRC#942 LCT MTC MSR
info@leatherdoctor.org
Leather Doctor® System
Sharing with you a 21st century breakthrough in leather cleaning and restoration technology

[stevegunn]

Von shrader works well on suede but you have to be careful with colour loss as for drying times in really dirty areas 2 or 3 passes needed so drying not as good as they claim

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Is that guy for real?

Suede - Brush, vacuum, chemical sponge (dry sponge from chemspec/ prochem maybe LTT) and nubuck cloth wrapped round sponge.
Can I have some of what he's on?

Alan

[*paul_moss]

This is getting silly now
Its Faux Suede. HWE IT.

All bets considered 

[Ian Puckett]

paul whot makes you so sure do you no something we dont or do you just want neil to ruinit

[LTT Leathercare]

Having spoken to Neil he went back out to check with his microscope and it did turn out to be Alcantara.  Some of the imitation suedes and Nubucks are very very good and at first sight and feel can easily be mistaken for the real thing, however with a simple microscope you can see the threads of the fabric rather then the fibres of the leather. 

[*paul_moss]

 
Lucky none of you made a bet.

Judy if you are anywhere near me next year doing courses let me know as I will show you a way I have mastered cleaning pigmented leather that will amaze even Andy.

[*paul_moss]

paul whot makes you so sure do you no something we dont or do you just want neil to ruinit

I know who you are Bronze. 

[LTT Leathercare]

Paul do share it with us.  Cleaning pigment leather is very straightforward as long as there are no finish problems.