How To Protect Your Suede Shoes Without Changing the Look

I recently had a situation where I ruined a new pair of suede shoes by spraying them with a suede protectant spray. The spray made my shoes almost two shades darker! AHHHHHHH!  I was devastated, but then I became determined to find a suede spray that would not change the color or texture of the suede! My friend Traci was a willing to participant with her new boots. Daring, I know, but she said she was going to spray them no matter what. So off we went, determined to find the best suede spray on the market. We ended up talking to a very knowledge shoe associate, Chris, at Nordstrom. He knew more about suede than I know about jeans -ha! He recommended Synovia Suede & Nubuck Protector spray and the results speak for themselves…

This was immediately after spraying the boot on the right. It’s still wet and you can barely tell a difference! We officially found the best Suede Spray EVER! Once dry, you can’t notice a difference at all!

Chris’ directions:

1. Clean the suede with the Synovia Suede and Nubuck cleaner. Spot clean with the steel bristles of brush, but be careful because this will remove a little bit of the nap. If the shoes are new, there’s no need to clean them.
2. Use the brush on the rubber hair side to lift the nap of the suede before spraying.
3. Hold the shoe 8″ to 10″ away and spray everywhere. This is an aerosol spray so it will coat evenly, unlike the pump suede sprays.
4. Let them dry.

A couple things to note: Spraying these boots used about 75% of the can. UGG spray is for utility suede, not for nice suede (I learned this the hard way). There are other more expensive sprays on the market, but Chris said this one works best.

And just in case you are wondering why on earth I am posting about suede when it’s about to be summer, the simple fact is that I have more suede shoes for the warmer seasons than I do for the cooler seasons! I wear suede shoes and accessories all the time in the summer! Check out my “Suede in the Summer?” post.

Boots- Christian Louboutin

Pictures by Traci Ling

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