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Suede Smarts: How to Protect, Clean, and Cherish the Suede
- xoxo.minang
- Oct 9
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
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The million-dollar question of suede week is simple yet vital: how do you keep your suede bag looking as beautiful as the day you bought it? The truth is, even after years of working with leather, I didn’t have all the answers myself. So, I turned to someone who does—Judy from The Handbag Spa on Instagram at @thehandbagspa. She’s my go-to expert when it comes to leather care, cleaning, and restoration, and she’s been teaching and working with leather for over twenty-five years. Her expertise spans everything from furniture and car interiors to superyachts, and since 2012, she’s specialized in handbags. Judy has worked with major brands like Mulberry and teaches handbag restoration techniques while developing leather care products.
The First Rule: Protect Before You Use
According to Judy, the biggest mistake suede owners make is waiting too long to protect their bags. You should apply protection as soon as you buy it, before you ever take it out for a spin. This advice applies not just to handbags, but to suede jackets, boots, and other accessories too. Suede is a higher-maintenance material than most leathers, but with the right protection, it can last beautifully for many years.
The key is using the right kind of protector. A common misconception is that all leather protectors work on suede—they don’t. You need a specifically formulated suede or nubuck protector designed to coat and shield the delicate fibers that give suede its signature texture. Judy recommends a product from her line called Hydro Protect, which is formulated precisely for suede and nubuck. The product coats the fibers to make them more resistant to water and dirt. The trick is to mist it on lightly, let it dry, and then apply a second fine layer for full protection.
You can find the Hydro Protect spray, along with a suede and fabric protection kit that includes both a cleaner and protector, on The Handbag Spa website. The kit works for both suede and nubuck because both materials consist of open fibers that need protection from the start.
When Things Get Messy: Cleaning Suede
Let’s say you forgot to protect your bag and now it’s showing some watermarks or dirt. What can you do? Suede isn’t the easiest material to clean, but there are ways to handle light damage yourself. Judy recommends having a few essential tools ready: a suede cleaner, a nubuck brush, and a magic eraser or nubuck cloth.
The cleaner Judy formulated—Antibacterial Cleanse—is not only effective for cleaning suede and nubuck but also kills mold spores, which suede is particularly vulnerable to due to its porous nature. It’s part of the same suede kit, making it a handy all-in-one solution.
The nubuck brush is another must-have. It’s made of soft brass and is designed to gently lift the fibers of suede, restoring the nap and removing any flattening caused by water or wear. For small stains, brushing alone can often make a big difference. A magic eraser or a nubuck cloth (which has a slightly tacky surface) can also help remove dirt or darkened areas.
In more stubborn cases, Judy says you can even use very fine 3000-grit sandpaper to gently sand the surface—especially for nubuck, which is already sanded during its tanning process. But the golden rule is this: gentle, consistent maintenance is far better than drastic recovery efforts later.
What Not to Do
Here’s where many people go wrong. If you get a stain on your suede, resist the instinct to reach for soap or water. Water will almost always make the situation worse, creating hard patches or discolored marks. Instead, use only products and tools specifically made for suede and nubuck. And if your bag suffers serious damage, Judy strongly advises against DIY fixes—take it to a professional cleaner who specializes in leather restoration.
Another important area to watch is the handles of your suede bag. These are high-contact spots where the fibers can easily get damaged from constant rubbing. Once those fibers are worn down, they’re almost impossible to restore, so it’s worth giving extra care and periodic protection to the handles and corners.
The Challenge of Color Transfer
One question that often comes up is color transfer—when dye from the suede rubs off onto clothing. Judy explains that this usually points to a problem in the dyeing process itself. Properly tanned and dyed suede should have self-sealing dyes that stay put. However, cheaper suedes often skip this step, leading to loose dyes that can transfer onto lighter fabrics. While Hydro Protect can help reduce the risk, it won’t make the bag completely color-proof. If your bag leaves dye on your clothes, it’s often a sign of lower-quality leather, not something you can fully fix afterward.
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
As Judy summed it up, the key to keeping suede looking flawless is prevention rather than restoration. The best suedes already come with some protection applied during tanning, including water-resistant sprays and color fixatives added in the drum. But as you use your bag, this protection naturally wears off over time. That’s why it’s smart to reapply a protective mist every few months, especially if you live in a humid or rainy area.
You can find all of Judy’s recommended products on thehandbagspa.com. This isn’t a sponsored post or paid partnership—just genuine advice from an expert I trust and often turn to when I have questions about leather care.
After talking to Judy, I walked away with a new level of respect for suede. It’s a delicate, beautiful material that demands attention but rewards care with timeless elegance. I hope you found these insights as valuable as I did. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s final suede week episode, where we’ll tackle the big question: is a $5,000 suede bag really worth its price tag?
Final Thoughts
After this conversation, I walked away with a newfound respect for suede. It’s delicate, yes — but with the right protection and gentle maintenance, it can remain stunning for years.
And as always, prevention is your best friend. A quick misting today saves you a heartbreak tomorrow.
Stay tuned for the final suede week episode tomorrow, where we’ll tackle the big question:
Is a $5,000 suede bag really worth its price tag?