Would you bung suede in the machine?

[DolomitesDonkey]

I can fit back in to (yay!) a suede skirt I bought years ago and it didn't cost a bomb.

Trouble is, over the years it's been toddlered and it could be yoghurt, could be far, far worse.

Would you bung it in at 40 and hope for the best?

No way. I'd get it dry cleaned.

No way, it'll be ruined! I'd only do it if I didn't mind never being able to wear it again

I don't think I would. I'd be worried about it getting all creased up. I think I'd lay it out on some towels and attack it with soapy water and a nailbrush.

No. Give it a good scrub and see how it fairs.

you will ruin the skirt if you do that.

Right. Soap and scrub it is then.

No

It will be fine, I bought a beige suede Monsoon skirt for 75p on eBay, it was a bit grubby so I took it to the dry cleaners, they wanted £35.THIRTY FIVE QUID!!! So I washed it, it came up lovely, have washed it about 4 times now and it's fine.

I wash ds1's suede trainers in the machine and have washed dd's ugg boots, I just use cold water and minimal spin, takes ages to dry though.

Not sure about askirt but if its ruined anyway, it might be worth a try.

I would wash it on a cold wash. If you can wash Uggs then I'm sure you can wash a skirt as well.

I took my Betty Barclay (via Oxfam) skirt to the dry cleaners only for them to tell me they couldn't clean it and would have to send it to god knows where at a fee of £40 iirc.

I stuck it in the machine on 30 and it was absolutely fine, still very soft and supple and stayed jet black.

(suede, obs)

Don't bother dry cleaning it , it's very expensive ( it's a difficult expensive process ) and it won't get yoghurt out of it's been in for a while. The washing will be fine , it's the drying that will be a problem. It may dry very stiff so if you wash it don't dry it on direct heat and work it as it dries. It will soften with wear though.

Id be afraid it would be like cardboard after getting wet.

My suede boots (fine suede) when they got wet and I dried next to radiator almost ruined them. I coaxed them back to life with brushing, sprays etc but thought I would almost ruin them

Uggs, really?. i've got some not uggs that i use as slippers and they are horrid right now.

i might go for it.

Yes I forgot about washing my Uggs when I said no way. I do wash them and they come out fine. I have sheepskin shampoo however.

Uggs wash fine .. Dry them away from direct heat stuffed with newspaper .. They come up lovely .

Can you do that thing where you boil a kettle and hold it over the steam? It's supposed to loosen up the fibres (?) of the suede and then you can brush the gunge out/off. I wouldn't be sure about washing it but can see why you don't want to pay for dry cleaning.

Steam it with a kettle and use a soft toothbrush to work on the stain*. Do not stick it in a washing machine.

*This will work with cleaning suede shoes and bags too.

I've hand washed suede in the past. It needed a good work between knuckles once it was dry to soften it up but looked great and no loss of colour.

Bugger it, I'll give it a whirl on a cool wash then. I'm not paying 40 quid to clean it, it was a fifty quid sale bargain as it was.

I have plenty if softening products as I'm horsey.

dolomites I put my suede half chaps on a cold wool cycle occasionally with liquid detergent. No softener. Then drip dry. They're slightly stiff after, but fine once they're on. Obviously they're not lined like a skirt might be, but they have zips, elastic bits and poppers in them and they are all fine.

The verdict is - 40 quid saved. It's a bit stiff, but half an hour's wear and it'll be soft again.

I've arrived too late but a friend of mine washes all her suede but says you need to add a lot of fabric conditioner.