Suede-protection/cleaning

[GQgeek]

I bought a pair of beige suede shoes. Yesterday it was nice out when i put them on, not a cloud in the sky.. When a movie i went to finished at 1am, it had begun to rain really hard. I got lucky and got a cab pretty fast and it dropped me off at my front door but i looked at them today and i can see spots where they got wet.

I've never bought anything suede before and i'm wondering if there's anything i can do to protect them from water (i've heard different things about treatments). I also need to know what i should do to clean them from time to time. With leather shoes i'll take a damp cloth and wipe them down before i polish them but i have no clue what to do with these shoes to keep them looking new.

 

[Timothy]

Look for something called suede conditioner, or maybe it's re-conditioner, I can't remember right now. You should be able to find this at a local leather shop/store. It would possibly help you to talk to someone at shoe repair shop. They will be able to provide the best advice to you, plus have the supllies that you need.

 

[j]

Yeah. What he said. I meant to post on this earlier, but anyway it's a good idea, if you care about your clothes, to make friends with the people near you who can help you. Find the good shoe guy and the good tailor near you, who are closest to your style (tailor mainly on that point) and talk to them a bit. Most of their job is giving advice. In my case I know a good cobbler and a couple of the best tailors around, just by coming by and talking to them, and asking about a few things. A good cobbler will give you advice that will keep your shoes alive, not keep him busy. IOW keep your shoes healthy, not let them get beat up so he can fix them again soon and make $.

I use suede conditioner spray on new suede shoes and then I have a suede/nubuck cleaner spray I use once in a while with a brush on top that you scrub the shoes with. Suede is strange; it's tough and you can really beat the hell out of it but to certain things it's fragile. If all you have is water spots, you're probably okay though, just talk to an expert.

j.