Shearling Suede Cleaner and Conditioner Kit SS3

Shearling Suede Cleaner and Conditioner Kit SS3, by Leather Doctor, cleans, rinses, hydrates, softens, and conditions the outer suede and inner wool faces.

This Kit SS3 is handpicked to perform periodic care to keep the shearling looking smart, preventing it from appearing tired, creased, or wrinkled. It also helps to keep the wool face clean, healthy, and in bloom. This care kit includes eight products and can be found individually for more information.

The five products system for the suede face include:

Suede Cleaner 4.5, Suede Rinse 3.0, Suede Hydrator 3.3, Suede Fatliquor 5.0, and Suede Conditioner W.

Three product systems for the Wool face include:

Sheepskin Wool Cleaner 5.5, Sheepskin Wool Rinse 4.0, and Wool Conditioner S.

Simple tools used are Suede Brush 2 and Eraser 5 for Suede, Wool Brush 4 for Wool face, and terry cotton towel for cleaning and rinsing extraction.

Instruction:

Kit SS3 requires 1.734g of distilled water before ready to use.

1: Where should we begin cleaning the Suede Shearling?

1.1: Suede shearling cleaning begins from the wool face.

1.2: The inner wool face is turned outside to begin cleaning.

1.3: After drying, the wool is turned inside and starts cleaning the suede side.

1.4 When both faces are dried and the wool is groomed, non-stick conditioning begins with Conditioner S onto the wool side, and when dry groom to bloom again.

1.5: It is then turned over to the Suede side and conditioned, when dried it is ready to wear.

1.6: This option avoids unnecessary cross-wetting, which some people prefer, while others may prefer the 6-step procedure, on each face, it's your choice, which method suits you better.

2: How to Clean, Rinse, and Condition the Wool?

2.1: Soil Removal - Dry soiling is brushed and vacuumed accordingly and proceed to clean.

2.2: Cleaning - Wool 5.5 is applied, brush at a low slanting angle in one direction, and terry towel extract until it shows clean, and then proceed with rinsing.

2.3: Rinsing - Rinse Wool 4.0 sprayed, brush at a low slanting angle in one direction, and terry towel extract until it shows clean to a squeaky clean and proceed to dry.

2.4: Drying - Let to dry naturally and dry towel wipe off wick-up soiling and proceed to conditioning.

2.5: Conditioning - Conditioner S is applied and brushed to distribute evenly deep and proceed to dry.

2.6: Drying - When dry groom with a slick comb for a bloom for best appearance.

3: How to Clean, Rinse, Hydrate, Fatliquor, and Condition the Suede?

3.1: Dry Soil Removal - Dry soiling is brushed with Suede Brush 2, nap renewed with Eraser 5 with vacuuming, and extracted with a dry clean towel until the towel shows clean, and proceed to clean.

3.2: Cleaning - Suede Cleaner 4.5 is applied, brushed, and towel extracted until it shows clean, and proceed to rinse.

3.3: Rinsing - Suede Rinse 3.0 is applied, brushed, and extracted with a towel until the towel shows a healthy squeaky clean, and proceed to hydrate.

3.4: Hydrating - Suede Hydrator 3.3 is applied and brushed to hydrate, and when it becomes soft, it is stretched while it is still damp and proceeds to fatliquoring.

3.5: Fatliquoring - Suede Fatliquor 5.0 is applied and brushed following the Hydrator 3.3 path. The application is repeated in between drying as the water content evaporates. The fully fat and oil-saturated suede is left for slow natural drying. Then stretch and massage it before it is completely dried for extra suppleness, and proceed to condition.

3.6: Conditioning - Suede Conditioner W is applied with an even appearance, let to dry, and brushed to raise the nap and is ready to use. 

4: Tips:

4.1: Smartness of appearance may be improved with a low-heat wool setting ironing.

4.2: Place a white absorbent paper between suede and iron, and iron on the wool setting to improve smartness. 

People Also Ask:

1: What is Suede Shearling?

2: What are the Signs of Suede Premature Aging?

3: How to Revive Suede from Premature Aging?

4: How to Lengthen the Sleeves of Shearling?

5: How to Reduce Rubbing Wear?

6: Why does Suede become Stiff and easily Tear?

7: What is Hydrating?

8: What is the ratio usage between Hydrator 3.3 and Fatliquor 5.0?

9: What is Fatliquoring?

10: Why Fatliquoring?

11: What is Fatliquor?

12: How Fatliquor Works?

13: What are the benefits of Fatliquor versus Conditioning Oils?

14: What is the Appearance Difference between Conditioning Oil and Fatliquoring? 

15: What is the Breathability Difference between Conditioning Oil and Fatliquoring? 

16: What is the Durability Difference between Conditioning Oil and Fatliquoring?

17: What is the Approximate Quantity or Percentage of Fatliquor in Suede?

18: How is the Percentage of Fatliquor Content Calculated?

19: Product Review:

1: What is Suede Shearling?

1.1: A suede shearling coat or jacket is a double-face sheepskin with the suede worn as the outer face and the sheared wool as the inner face.  

2: What are the Signs of Suede Premature Aging? 

2.1 Signs of premature aging are often revealed in the folds, with creases and wrinkles, or the sleeves may become slightly shorter than usual.

3: How to Revive Suede from Premature Aging?

3.1: Suede premature aging is revived by hydrating and fatliquoring. 

4: How to Lengthen the Sleeves of Shearling?

4.1: When sleeves show creases and wrinkles naturally it becomes shorter.

4.2: Suede when hydrated and fatliquored becomes stretchable to increase its length to normal.

4.3: Keeping the suede from shrinkage with periodic fatliquoring will keep the length of the sleeves from becoming shorter. 

5: How to Reduce Rubbing Wear?

5.1: Friction rubs are the main cause of wear especially the arms swings

5.2: Reducing friction rubs with periodic Conditioner W reduces wear.

6: Why does Suede become Stiff and easily Tear?

6.1: The fat and oil keep the suede supple and strong, however, they are VOCs, volatile organic compounds that continue to diminish through evaporation as they age and accelerate when exposed to heat, dry rot, become stiff, and rip or tear easily.

6.2: Water damage with alkalinity toxicity causes the fat and oil to leach out, and when dry again, become stiff, and rip or tear easily.

7: What is Hydrating?

7.1: Hydrating, the main function is to relax tired and aging suede before fatliquoring.

7.2: It helps to separate the stick-together fibrils and open up the inter-fibrillary spaces for effective colloidal water movement within the suede.

7.3: It facilitates wicking up foreign contaminants to be towel-extracted when damp and erased when crispy dry.

7.4: It plumps the suede to ease away the unnatural creases and wrinkles.

7.5: It stabilizes the pH integrity of the suede and charges the protein fiber ionic positive (+ve) to hydrogen bond with the ionic negative (-ve) fat liquor more effectively.

7.6: It is recommended, therefore, to hydrate the suede to an optimum level, with moisture oozing out when gently pressed between the thumb and fingers before stretching.

8: What is the ratio usage between Hydrator 3.3 and Fatliquor 5.0?

8.1: In practice, with severe dryness, the ratio by weight for Hydrator 3.3 is 2 to 1 of Fatliquor 5.0.

8.2: It takes 160g of Hydrator 3.3 plus 80g of Fatliquor 5.0 to recondition 100g of dry suede from less than 1% moisture content to the average 14% modern tannery standard.

9: What is Fatliquoring?

9.1: Fatliquoring is a combination of hydrating to relax before introducing fat and oil into the suede to keep it soft, reduce creases and wrinkles, and prevent easy ripping or tearing.

10: Why Fatliquoring?

10.1: Fatliquoring is the modern tannery of introducing fat and oil to soften suede by immersing it in a rotating drum, like a cloth washing machine, which is now available as ‘fatliquor-in-a-bottle”, easily sprayed on to revive the original suede characteristic of suppleness with no adulteration. 

11: What is Fatliquor?

11.1: Fatliquor, the lifeblood of suede, is an emulsion of ionic negative (-ve) charged fats, and oils, ready to use. It keeps suede smooth and soft, the fat plumps the fibril with fullness and the oil lubricates the fibrils like millions of interlocking hinges sliding smoothly over one another, keeping the breathing pores open for natural transpiration. 

12: How Fatliquor Works?

12.1: Fatliquor works by hydrogen bonding the suede ionic positive (+ve) charged fibrils with the ionic negative (-ve) charged fat and oil. When attracted the water encases fat and oil breaks free leaving the inter-fibrillary spaces void for natural transpiration. 

13: What are the benefits of Fatliquor versus Conditioning Oils?

13.1: Effective fatliquoring will leave a non-greasy or non-oily surface when dry.

13.2: Besides softening the suede, fat liquor greatly enhances its rip tensile strength.

13.3: It relaxes coarse breaks, creases, and wrinkles and prevents tearing.

13.4: It helps to keep the suede at its optimum physical performance and prevent premature aging.

14: What is the Appearance Difference between Conditioning Oil and Fatliquoring? 

14.1: Conditioning oil causes a darkening appearance even when the suede is dry.

14.2: Fatliquoring increases color intensity without causing darkening effects.

15: What is the Breathability Difference between Conditioning Oil and Fatliquoring? 

15.1: Conditioning oil when stuff saturates or clogs the breathing pores, hindering moisture transmigration and causing discomfort from sweating during prolonged wear.

15.2: Fatliquoring hydrogen bonds with the ionic positive (+ve) protein fibers that keep the breathing pores open for wearing comfort without causing excessive sweating during prolonged use.

16: What is the Durability Difference between Conditioning Oil and Fatliquoring?

16.1: Conditioning oils that are easily stuffed to fill the airspace will also evaporate much more easily.

16.2: In contrast, fatliquoring works by hydrogen bonding the ionic positive (+ve) charged suede protein fibers with its ionic negative (-ve) fat and oil and with longer durability. 

17: What is the Approximate Quantity or Percentage of Fatliquor in Suede?

17.1: The quantities of fat liquor (fat and oil) retained in the suede after a universal modern tannery fatliquoring process may vary up to 14% depending on the suede type and usage.

17.2: This percentage drops as the fat and oil content diminishes through aging, heat or water alkaline toxicity, or pH overexposure.

18: How is the Percentage of Fatliquor Content Calculated?

18.1: The percentage of fat and oil is based on the dry weight of the suede.

18.2: By a simple calculation, if the weight of the suede in question is 100g and the fatliquor (fat and oil) content meter reading is less than 1%.

18.3: Applying 80g of Fatliquor 5.0 will deliver an increment of 13.3% fat liquor when dry, as the 66.6% water contents evaporate.

19: Product Review:

1. The Lazarus Effect
   Product Reviews -Posted by Larry Bauman on 31st Jul 2017 This product revived my 40-year-old Sheepskin coat that cracked at the touch after applying another company's 'Restoration' product. That other product ruined my coat, and I was about to throw it away, but took a chance on the Leather Doctor. After applying Hydrator 3.3, I saw an immediate change. I then continued with the Fatliquor 5.0 and was shocked to see the change. My coat is now as soft and supple as it was when I purchased it in 1975! Don't even take a chance on valuable leathers with other companies' products, this one will amaze you with its results.

Your opinions and insights are precious and will help us to improve our writing to solve your leather problem more efficiently.

Updated November 2, 2024, by Roger Koh.