Natural chamois - what is it? Suede products and care for them

The history of the appearance of suede goes back to the distant past. But even today it is one of the most popular materials used for making shoes, clothes, accessories, upholstery for furniture and other types of decoration.

Suede - what is it?

Even in the Middle Ages, the northern peoples were engaged in dressing skins of deer and elks by impregnating them with fats. Today, natural animal skin is called suede, which passed the stage of dressing with special tanning substances. Basically, it is a variety of fats: fish, seals, bone, vegetable oils, etc. As a result of this process, the skin becomes thin, very firm, soft and plastic. All this makes it possible to produce a variety of things from the material obtained. Visiting card suede is its velvety, which, unlike velor, is present on both sides of the canvas.

Stages of making natural suede

The production of this material is a rather complex process. It provides for the use of special machines - impact crushers, where the skins are for several hours. Then they are stored in stacks for warming up. After that, they are again placed in the malleus. This is done until the skins are yellowish brown. Then they are washed with a special solution for the purpose of degreasing. The most common is tanning in England and North America.

Artificial suede

Modern technologies have moved far ahead and allow creating materials that can be very difficult to distinguish from natural ones. Today in shops quite often there is an artificial suede. What it is? A fabric that perfectly imitates a natural prototype and is produced in two ways: by gluing to the fabric basis of the villi or by adding loop threads, which then form a pile in the process of production. Impregnated with various solutions, this material does not fade and practically does not wear out.

How to distinguish natural suede from artificial

Visually, these two materials can be very difficult to distinguish. But if you hold your hand over the pile, the natural suede will change its texture, color, slope. Artificial material immediately takes on the original form.

Natural fabric smells like skin, but the substitute produces the smell of synthetics.

There are differences in the degree of fluid absorption. A drop of water placed on an artificial material will linger on it for a while, and natural suede will soak up water almost instantly, leaving only a wet stain. In addition, it can have small scratches, cracks, pores on the surface, in contrast to the substitute, which has an impeccable smooth appearance.

The production of natural suede is longer and more expensive than the production of artificial material, so it is distinguished by a higher cost.

Suede products

Things made of this material are of extraordinary convenience. They are light, soft, comfortable in any weather. Suede is used for sewing all sorts of jackets, coats, sheepskin coats. The price of this material is slightly higher compared to others. One meter of such a leather canvas can cost up to 1200 rubles. Therefore, suede shoes and luxury clothing. Very popular accessories from this material: bags, belts, gloves and various ornaments. Any products from suede can add beauty and coziness. They are relevant in any season and almost do not go out of fashion, remaining always an attribute of elegance and respectability.

How to care for suede

This is not only noble, but also quite capricious material. Suede needs careful care, then things from it will last a long time with faith and truth.

It is very important to ensure that the material is not greased, not shiny. Cleaning of very dirty clothes from natural suede is better for specialists, so it is recommended to take it out from time to time for dry cleaning. If you need to clean suede things at home, then you must follow several rules. Wash the products only in a warm soapy solution, do this quickly, not allowing strong soaking. Do not rub the cloth and twist it. Place a lot of bad dirt with a sponge or brush. Clothes from suede need to be dried only at room temperature, hung on the shoulders in a straightened form. During drying, it is necessary to soak the bottom of the towel to avoid water run-off.

Do not use a stain remover for cleaning suede products. This can spoil the color, as the color of the suede material is not very strong. If you want to remove the stain on the fabric, you can use a variety of home remedies. This can be done with the help of milk and baking soda (half a cup of milk, 1/2 tsp of soda): clean the dirty places with this solution and wipe them with a damp cloth. It is especially difficult to clean the light suede. What is it, owners of clothes and footwear of light shades know perfectly. If the stains are old, a mixture of milk, talc, turpentine and magnesia is prepared (in equal proportions). Minor impurities are cleaned with a normal eraser. Oily stains are removed with the help of starch and ammonia, salt stains on shoes can be cleaned with 5% vinegar.

Today, the market offers a large selection of all kinds of aerosols, gels and pastes, which are used to clean suede. A photo of these tools, together with a detailed description of their application, can easily be found on the pages of online stores.

There are also special rubber, brass, rubber brushes for cleaning such capricious material as suede. What it is? These are usually brushes that have a combination of metal and rubber bristles, which effectively eliminates scuffing, greasiness and at the same time comb and raise the pile.

Suede - the material is very gentle, but with the right and careful care, it can last for a long time.