How to Clean Pig Suede

It’s wonderful to have the feel of luxurious expensive suede, but those dry cleaning bills are not so wonderful. Now you can buy pig suede--a washable suede with the same luxury--and you can save time and money by washing it yourself.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Laundry detergent for hand washables
• Commercial stain remover
• Denatured alcohol
• Shampoo
• Laundry detergent made for the washing machine

1. Don’t wait until the suede is really dirty to launder it. Unlike regular suede, it is meant to be washed and regular washing will keep it looking new.
2. Check the garment for obvious stains. If there are any visible stains, treat them first. For most stains, you can just dab on some regular shampoo and let it sit a little while--half an hour should be fine--before washing. For oil based stains such as lipstick or salad dressing, use a bit of denatured alcohol dabbed on the spot lightly to cover. Cover the stain next by dabbing on dish liquid to cover and wash. You can also use commercial products made for stains if they are safe for colored and delicate fabrics.
3. Hand wash your garment in a gentle soap made for hand washables. Do not add more soap than recommended or it will be hard to get it to rinse clean. Wash gently without tightly wringing or stretching. Make sure to rinse thoroughly until no suds are seen. Lay the garment flat on a rack to dry.
4. Machine wash and rinse your garment in cold water on a delicate cycle. Wash it alone or with like colors in a small load to avoid bunching. Lay your garment flat to dry. Some manufacturers say that it is fine to let it hang dry but make sure that your garment is on a good hanger that will help to keep its shape.

Tips & Warnings

• Some manufacturers recommend hand washing while others recommend machine washing. If the garment is delicate (with small straps for instance) or embellished with fine stitching or jewelry, definitely hand wash. If it is a plain garment that is simply made, machine washing should be fine.
• Do not use too much detergent when pretreating or hand washing. It will be very difficult to get out if you do.
• Dry cleaning is not good for pig suede.