How To Remove Oil Stains From Suede Shoes And Boots

An oil or grease stain on your suede shoes or boots can be removed following the simple procedures below. Oil and grease can be removed fairly easy from a leather or rubber shoe, but removing the stain from suede can be a little bit trickier.

remove stains from suede shoes or bootsSolution 1: CORNSTARCH = Make sure your shoes or boots are dry and add a large amount of cornstarch to cover the oil or grease stain completely. Leave the cornstarch on the stained area for 30 minutes. The cornstarch has excellent absorbing properties and will actually absorb most of the oil stain. Wipe it off with a wet cloth or run the shoe under a running faucet to remove the excess cornstarch. You can repeat this a few times until most of the stain has been removed. Once you have tried this you can also try solution 2 below.

Solution 2: DAWN DISH SOAP = Dawn dish soap is one of the only common soaps that actually breaks down and removes grease and oil. Put a large amount of the soap over the grease stain and make sure to give it time to start breaking down the oil. Leave it on for about 10 minutes. Use a soft scrubber brush to work it into the grease stain. Then wash it off with water and repeat as many times as necessary. Let the shoe or boot dry off and once dry the stain should be gone.

2 thoughts on “How To Remove Oil Stains From Suede Shoes And Boots”

  1. To clean shoes with grease or oil:
    Carefully place one drop of virtually any solvent on the oil stain.
    Take an absorbent white cloth and wipe it off.
    You’ll notice the stain transfers to the cloth.
    Wash the solvent off with dish soap.

  2. Remove oil or “unknown” stains. Use the suede brush to scrub the stain as you would for a scuff. Use the nail brush to scrub stubborn stains with warm water. Grease stains can be particularly difficult to remove from suede, so badly stained shoes may never look good again.

    Protect your suede. Spray a coat of suede protector spray on your shoes when you first get them and after each cleaning. Follow the manufacturer’s directions, and make sure to remove excess dirt before spraying the shoes.

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