How To Remove Glue From Suede (Anything)

Suede, due to its “napped” finish, is a velvety material that is soft to the touch. However, suede is also very easily stained and terribly hard to clean. So what happens when you get glue, super glue or any kind of gooey adhesive on those brand new suede shoes….what then?

In the following example, I will show how I have proceeded to remove a sizable glue stain from the seat cushion of a suede couch. However, this same procedure can be applied to other suede items as well.

What You Will Definitely Need

1.) Acetone (most likely in the form of Nail Polish)

2.) Sandpaper of Nail File (gritty surface)

3.) Talc Powder

4.) Damp Cloth

5.) WD – 40

1.) Start Removing Glue

Assuming you are smart and haven’t started removing the glue from the suede by smudging it (like I did) with a damp cloth, you should start by plucking the adhesive off of the suede with a spoon or similar instrument. Remove as much adhesive as possible. This will help reduce stains and ease the final removal process.

If you did smudge the original glue stain (like I did — see picture above), don’t worry all is not lost. Spooning flattened (spread out) glue is too difficult. Use the talc powder and continue to wipe the glue with a damp cloth. You want as much of the glue to clump up in one piece as possible. The talc powder should help with this.

2.) Grind Down The Suede

Whether or not you smudged the original glue stain, there will still be some left that a spoon or damp cloth wont be able to touch. Now you will have to use acetone (to loosen up the adhesive) and your sandpaper (or emery board) to get the adhesive out of the material. Warning: This will probably damage the suede a little bit. Despite this damage, its probably the best method.

3.) Final Cleaning and Dry Out

After you use sandpaper and acetone on your suede, you may find that you have new (larger) clumps of glue on your suede. Try, if you can, to pick these up with a spoon or use the talc powder/ damp cloth method that was described above.

Leave the suede item in a cool dry place and check in on it every now and then. If the suede has not been cleaned to your personal satisfaction, repeat steps 2 and 3 until you are satisfied.

Alternative Method:

If you research other articles online, you will also see that some people have found success by using WD-40 where we are using Acetone at Stage 2. You can use this method if you want, however I cannot speak to the long term damage that may be done to you suede by applying WD-40 to it.