Basic suede shoe maintenance

The suede driving shoes you see here are ones by Sacoor Brothers. These shoes are my in-house shoes or slippers. Wearing footwear indoors is useful in a house with marble and tiles for flooring which can be cold to the touch on cooler days or when the A/C is running. Driving shoes are useful as slippers as they are usually soft and flexible, therefore easy to slip in and out of. 

I also prefer walking short distances in them as these flat heeled shoes with rubber stubs wear out fast if worn regularly outside and for walking about. So for someone who likes shoes to last awhile ( decades if possible) driving shoes are too flimsy for daily wear. Unless you really use them for driving then heading to the club for drinks and straight home they don't really last longer than a few years before the rubber stubs wear down and out. As I said, I prefer my proper shoes to last a long while. So these, get to be my house 'slippers'.

Anyway suede is easy to maintain. Suede, basically the underside of skin has a shaggy nap. This gives suede that textured, furry, carpeted look to it. It is also very easy to take care of. You need a suede brush to brush the nap and to remove dirt. But if you have stains, it is advisable you use a suede 'eraser' bar. Take for example the driving shoe above. Note there are stain marks - two or three visible spots on the vamp of the shoe. The spots were basically by cooking oil spilled while cooking (Yes, I do cook often). So you can see the suede eraser/rubber in action above in the hands of my daughter who wanted to help.

After...

and before for comparison

So basically a recap - First use a suede brush (there is a photo of one right at the end of this article) to brush away dirt, then brush a little more vigorously if there are scuff marks or lines in the leather. With proper care, suede shoes can seem to be as new without any marks on them. Then, or tougher stains, use the suede eraser/rubber/gum. It will remove most of the stubborn stains. It may take a while, but most stains will be removed if you have the time to keep on rubbing, rubbing and rubbing. And then, before you put the shoes away, give them a final brush to bring up the nap after the rubbing. That is basically all you need to maintain suede shoes unless the stains are of the really extreme nature.