Olive oil splodge on mink suede Dover's

[multiccy-csa]

This is the stuff of nightmares.
I have done something similar to a new pair of Tod's car shoes...now i have done it again to a far more expensive pair.
After shaking his head despondently, my shoemaker suggested i douse in talc and wait a full 2/3d before returning them to him to see what he can do.
Did i apply appropriately? More or less?
And more generally, am i fighting a losing battle here?

 

[zippyh]

Dawn dish wash soap and a soft brush. Don’t be afraid to go HAM on it. Rinse and let dry. Use a suede brush to raise the nap after. This worked for me on an olive oil spot on snuff suede Tricker’s.

I tried Saphir suede shampoo which didn’t do jack.

 

[_AMD]

This is the stuff of nightmares.
I have done something similar to a new pair of Tod's car shoes...now i have done it again to a far more expensive pair.
After shaking his head despondently, my shoemaker suggested i douse in talc and wait a full 2/3d before returning them to him to see what he can do.
Did i apply appropriately? More or less?
And more generally, am i fighting a losing battle here?
View attachment 2235763

Dawn dish wash soap and a soft brush. Don’t be afraid to go HAM on it. Rinse and let dry. Use a suede brush to raise the nap after. This worked for me on an olive oil spot on snuff suede Tricker’s.

I tried Saphir suede shampoo which didn’t do jack.

I have had similar issues and a combination of these two methods has worked. A bit of mild dish soap with water to clean and wet the area all around the spot and then coat with corn starch or talc. Wait a coupe of days, despite the overwhelming urge to check on the progress, and then brush it off with a suede brush.

Good luck! Just remember that the worst case scenario is that people will know you actually wear your shoes.

 

[breakaway01]

I've also had very good results removing oil spots on a variety of fabrics with Fuller's Earth - basically powdered clay that is highly absorbent. Same idea as cornstarch or talcum powder. You can reapply if there is some residual oil as it may have to get pulled up from deeper in the suede.

 

[multiccy-csa]

Here's the update after 3 days. Doesn't look too good to me, but this is without any scrubbing- i just put talc on it and left it for 3d.
I will try and procure some Fuller's Earth.

 

[_AMD]

Here's the update after 3 days. Doesn't look too good to me, but this is without any scrubbing- i just put talc on it and left it for 3d.
I will try and procure some Fuller's Earth.

View attachment 2237013

Make sure the area is damp, almost wet, when you reapply the powder.

 

[multiccy-csa]

Make sure the area is damp, almost wet, when you reapply the powder.

Thank you. i applied the powder to a pretty wet shoe, and it almost turned to clay. Was there too much water there? should it remain a powder? i guess once it dries out and starts it's job, it shouldn't matter? If so, i'll leave them for a few days and see what's happened. I must say, i'm not holding out much hope here and am feeling pretty silly.

 

[_AMD]

Thank you. i applied the powder to a pretty wet shoe, and it almost turned to clay. Was there too much water there? should it remain a powder? i guess once it dries out and starts it's job, it shouldn't matter? If so, i'll leave them for a few days and see what's happened. I must say, i'm not holding out much hope here and am feeling pretty silly.

It will turn somewhat clay-like and then hard and then back to powder as it dries. You want it to pull the moisture, and oil, out of the leather as it dries.

 

[multiccy-csa]

Here they are after a week of Fuller's Earth drying out on them.

A definite improvement, but i suspect the strong sunlight will be less forgiving.

Should i go again for a second round? I'm 2.5wks after the spill now.

 

[breakaway01]

Here they are after a week of Fuller's Earth drying out on them.

A definite improvement, but i suspect the strong sunlight will be less forgiving.

Should i go again for a second round? I'm 2.5wks after the spill now.

View attachment 2242279

Yes you can—the additional treatment may still pull some more oil out. I’ve had good results treating more than once for deeper stains. But brush out the excess powder first and take a close look before retreating.

 

[TimothyF]

At some point you need to accept that this is suede, and it gets splotchy over time. The only type of leather that never patinas is black and shiny, e.g. calfskin

 

[DorianGreen]

Here they are after a week of Fuller's Earth drying out on them.

A definite improvement, but i suspect the strong sunlight will be less forgiving.

Should i go again for a second round? I'm 2.5wks after the spill now.

View attachment 2242279

It doesn't look bad to me, a pretty good result already.