My car has seats that are half leather and half suede. The side and leg bolsters are leather and the parts where you sit and rest your back on are suede. From my experience with shoes, getting it wet will cause color to run and will reduce the smoothness. How can I prevent this? Are there any cleaners out there that will work beside white vinegar that smells like rotten eggs?
How to clean suede?
- Thread starter sc_S13
- Start date
Reality33
New member
Chances are is that what you have is Alacantara (artificial suede) and not suede, which is actually the bottom layer of the leather hide. Most upholsters don't use suede anymore in auto interiors as they try to get as much out of the leather hide as they can.
Alacantara is a very nice material, but you have to treat it carefully. I use Swissvax Alacanta cleaner for it as it is purposely made for this material. Since alacantara is a very delicate material, what you do is spray the solution lightly onto the surfaces. After that, basically take a nice microfiber cloth and lightly pat the surfaces to gently work in the cleaner. After, just let the cleaner naturally dry. You also want to try to avoid using a brush, or rubbing the material with any force.
I absolutely love alacantara and the looks it provides. Such a great material, however it is finicky.
Alacantara is a very nice material, but you have to treat it carefully. I use Swissvax Alacanta cleaner for it as it is purposely made for this material. Since alacantara is a very delicate material, what you do is spray the solution lightly onto the surfaces. After that, basically take a nice microfiber cloth and lightly pat the surfaces to gently work in the cleaner. After, just let the cleaner naturally dry. You also want to try to avoid using a brush, or rubbing the material with any force.
I absolutely love alacantara and the looks it provides. Such a great material, however it is finicky.
Old Pirate
AMG Classic Car Detailing
On the older suede material I been using woolite with warm water and clean towel on light soil areas, and also been using Autoglym interior shampoo on heavy area's.
mrclean81
New member
Dry foam such as Blue Coral or Tuff Stuff works well.
xtralights
New member
Although attractive, suede is difficult to clean and can be discolored by water and other liquids. Many cars are now equipped with car seats that have "Ultrasuede" or "Alcantara"---which are suede-like in appearance but actually made from synthetic materials designed to be more easily cleaned than regular suede. Check with your manufacturer to discover if your car seats are genuine suede before attempting to clean.
Tyler@Poorboys
New member
I have had the Alcantara in both my Lightning and Trailblazer SS. It's very sensitive. I never used a brush just more of a blot with a towel. Hard to get any serious spots out of it.
Great reply, I totally agree and appropriate you.