Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert and advice columnist. She'll be here every week helping to answer your filthiest questions. Are you dirty? Email her. Are you still dirty? Subscribe to Ask a Clean Person: The Podcast on Acast, iTunes or Stitcher, and like Ask a Clean Person on Facebook.
I have a small circular stain on the toe of a pair of suede sneakers. It's slightly smaller than a dime and round, so I assume it's a drip of something but I'm not sure what. I've tried laundry stain remover, cornstarch, dish soap, WD-40, and Goo Gone, but it hasn't come out. Any suggestions?
Let me preface this by saying that I tease because I love: Lord Almighty, my friend, you tried everything except the one thing that would have taken that mystery stain out of your suede sneakers! It's actually kind of amazing.
So most of the things you tried—the laundry stain remover, dish soap, WD-40, Goo Gone—shouldn't be used on suede. I gather from the letter that they didn't cause further damage, which I'm pretty surprised at, tbh. But I'm glad of it! Still, for the rest of you, don't go around putting Goo Gone on your suede kicks, OK? OK!
The cornstarch, however, was a good call. The fact that it didn't work suggests that the mystery stain isn't one of the grease variety. But because it came up and we're here, I'll circle back to talk about why and how it works (see below). Before we get into that, though, let's talk about the only thing you need to remove a stain from suede.
The Only Thing You Need to Clean Suede Sneakers
Suede is a beastly hide, and will make your life difficult just because it can. However, all beasts can be tamed if you know how—that is very true of suede.
Here's the only thing you need to know about cleaning suede: You need a suede eraser. A what now? A suede eraser, which is literally exactly what it sounds like. It's an eraser that can be used to take stains and scuffs and stuff out of your favorite suede clothing and accessories. You'll use it exactly like an eraser you'd use on pencil: by rubbing it on the stain you want to remove. Because suede is so beastly and temperamental, use a gentle touch so that you don't abrade the nap.
If you have a pair of suede sneakers that you want to keep looking good, go ahead and buy a suede care kit. It comes with both the eraser and a suede brush that can be used to quickly remove dirt and grime, and restore suede's nap. Kiwi makes one; it'll cost you about seven bucks. The eraser part of the kit should only be used when a stain or scuff happens, but that brush—oh, that brush.
If you'd like to be a truly dedicated suede parent, use the suede brush to give your shoes a going over after you've worn them. I know that sounds extreme! But truly, it's a 20-second operation and if you leave the brush near where you take off your sneakers, it'll be a super easy thing to do. The benefit is that your temperamental suede accessories will be tamed into submission; each brushing will remove barely perceptible dirt particles that will make suede appear dingy and matted over time.
About that Cornstarch Trick
Just around this time last year, I did a column devoted entirely to grease stain removal, which I'm leaving here as reference material. One thing I maybe could have stressed more emphatically is that when picking the right product to remove a stain of any sort, you need to consider both the nature of the stain itself and the material that's been soiled.
In the case of grease stains that have occurred on temperamental fabrics, like suede or silk (which don't do especially well when exposed to liquids), cornstarch is an excellent option. It can even be used to great effect to remove older, set-in grease stains, which is actually kind of incredible.
I've already written about how to use cornstarch for grease stain removal. Let's revisit those instructions:
To use cornstarch as a stain removal agent, lay the garment flat in a place where it can sit, undisturbed, for at least an hour. Pile cornstarch atop the stain and walk away. That's all! After an hour, or more if you feel like it/have left the house/are lazy or forgetful, brush away the cornstarch and remove any residual powder using a damp sponge or rag. If there's still a trace of the stain, treat that using a good grease-cutting dish soap like Dawn, Palmolive, or Seventh Generation—or just use any one of the other options presented here.
If you're performing this operation on something like suede or silk, you'd want to skip the dish soap portion of proceedings—those materials don't love water. But the cornstarch trick will work on grease-stained suede, which is a good little thing to tuck in the back of your brain. Just think how impressed your friends and lovers will be when you MacGyver a grease stain off a silk tie using pantry staples!
