Suede is leather made out of calfskin and it is common furniture upholstery material. Normal leather will have a smooth side and a rough side. It is supple, smooth and lasts longer than other kinds of leather. Suede leather on the other hand will have textured feel on both sides. Suede items are popular because of the distinctive texture. The texture imparts individuality to the leather items.

Actually, suede leather is cheaper than normal leather, as normal leather can be split twice or three times to make suede leather, which results in more square foot of suede than the area of the original leather.  Suede leather is difficult to maintain, and suede is not as durable as regular leather as the thickness is less.

Suede can also be made to look like top leather by applying glue to the split side and once again passing it through a series of rollers, where the split side becomes smooth again. Latigo is one such product for top quality leather made from suede leather.

Cleaning Suede Upholstery

Suede is a difficult material to maintain. It is damaged easily, and once it is damaged, it is impossible to bring it back to original condition. Th;e type of maintenance required for suede items is described below.

• You may use steam to clean the suede. Hold the material about 6 inches above the steam jet and once it becomes heated, brush it up with help of a special brush and clean the entire surface. Make sure that steam is used just for heating and that water penetration inside suede leather is at a minimum. If the cleaning is not done evenly, irregularities will appear in the suade and may not be able to be removed.

• Cleaning and removal of dust: Suede requires regular cleaning and removal of accumulated dust. The dust causes the surface to be discolored and this discoloration is not easy to remove. Should your project begin to be more than you can handle, you should call a Duraclean Master Cleaners and let our professionals care for your furniture.

• Sand papering: Sand paper can be applied to make suede leather look rough again. Sometimes the fuzzy look of suede becomes smooth due to friction and wearing off the grains. The sand paper can make it look rough again and color powders described above can make it look somewhat original. The original feel never returns to the suede leather by homemade methods. Duraclean Master Cleaners, with our special cleaning equipment, can make it look like the original condition.

• Use surface protection for suede leather. There are special surface preparation materials available from the store. They will need to be applied every six months or so.

• Flattened suede maybe returned to original conditions by brushing with a circular motion with a sponge or brush specially made for purpose.