Suede is a great upholstery material, giving any room a cosy and luxurious look. But it has a bad reputation for being difficult to maintain.
However, cleaning a suede sofa doesn’t have to be epic task – here are 5 ways to maintain your upholstery in a top shape without much effort.
1.DEALING WITH OLD STAINS
Gently rub the area of the old stain with a pencil rubber. There are also specialised rubbers for suede, but the ordinary one can do the job too. After “erasing” the stain, brush off the spot using soft brush. This will remove the excess dirt. However, in some cases you might need to call professional sofa cleaner to deal with some kind of stubborn stains – like ink, or crayon.
2.FRESHENING UP SUEDE UPHOLSTERY
If your sofa is looking scruffy you can freshed up the suede really easily. Wipe the surface with slightly damp cloth to clean off dirt and dust, without getting the upholstery wet. Professional sofa cleaners never use water to clean water sensitive materials like suede. Instead, they have a dry cleaning procedure because shampooing and steam cleaning can damage this luxurious upholstery.
3.STAIN REMOVAL PRODUCTS
There are many brands of specialised suede cleaners available. However before applying any of them test the product on a small inconspicuous area first. Wait about 15-20 minutes to be sure the particular cleaner won’t damage the upholstery. Follow strictly cleaning instructions of the product. A more environmentally sound idea is to use white distilled vinegar diluted in water. Again – we would advise testing in a small hidden area, before cleaning visible parts of the upholstered furniture.
4.REMOVING WET STAINS
If there is a food or drink spill on your suede couch the faster you act the better. This is because suede is extra sensitive to moisture and liquid can damage this luxurious upholstery. Blot the spot gently to extract as much of the stain and moist as possible. If there is some residue left blot the area using slightly damp cloth. Apply spot treatment product according to the instructions on the package. Leave it like this for a few minutes then use a clean damp cloth to rinse the area. Use your hair dryer to dry the spot. In some cases, there won’t be a need to use a stain-cleaning product if you blot the stain as soon as it occurs.
5.BRUSHING A SUEDE SOFA
Suede upholstery has to be brushed in order to keep its gorgeous look. After cleaning spills and removing stains let the area dry completely. Then brush the suede upholstery with soft suede brush. The best way is to brush the suede with gentle circular motions. Apply a bit more pressure on the area, where you removed spots and stains on your upholstery. If you have a pet, brushing is a must and you have to do it on regular basis to collect pet hair.
Some top tips to keeping your suede as you would like it. If you are thinking of trying suede for your next project, we have a range of gorgeous suede fabrics in stock, take a look online or pop into our mill in Batley.