Weak & Damaged Areas On Suede
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH SUEDE?
Sometimes, suede leather garments will show thin areas of actual separation and tearing of the skins even after the cleaning process.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
Portions of the leather in these weak areas will now look and feel a little less compact. It’s surrounded by a “rough” looking surface and much weaker skins than other portions of the suede garment.
WHAT CAUSED IT?
There’s many factors involved in leather and suede processing that affect the durability of any individual skin panel on a particular garment. An untanned skin is easily degradable from microbial attack and therefore is chemically processed for preservation and curing. The raw skins undergo soaking, limiting, pickling with acids and salts, tanning, fat liquoring, dyeing, and finally finishing.
The skin panels become selected for placement into certain areas of a suede garment. A mishap in the preservation and curing during manufacturer can cause damage later. Selecting a badly degraded or thin skin can also cause a problem in the future. Many times damage does not show up until the agitation of a subsequent leather cleaning process causes the weak and/or thin areas to separate.
CAN DAMAGED SUEDE BE PREVENTED?
In fact, only the manufacturer can prevent such eventual damage by insisting on better quality control during processing and the expert selection of skins used in the end product. The professional leather cleaning process involves total immersion, subjecting the entire garment and all its panels to the same treatment. Thus, cleaning cannot be the cause of such local degradation and weakness to only certain areas.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGED SUEDE?
The leather/suede cleaner cannot be held responsible, since he has no way of knowing that the garment contains any previously weakened skins that may not withstand standard leather/ suede cleaning. Again, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to select the proper type of skins that will withstand expected conditions of normal use for a reasonable period of time, as well as later professional cleaning without damage.
IS THERE A REMEDY FOR WEAK AREAS ON SUEDE?
In some cases of minor damage, the leather cleaner can temporarily repair the damage to a satisfactory appearance for continued use. However, that is not always acceptable. And, further damage could result during wear or a later cleaning procedure.
Feel free to take a look at our published blog post to learn more about how to care for your suede jackets. And, contact Avon Cleaners today with any questions you may have in regards to caring for your suede garments.
Suede Jacket

Suede Garment
