How Do You Clean Faux Suede Dining Chairs?

Clean faux suede dining chairs by vacuuming first, then brushing the surface with a soft suede brush to lift the nap, and treating marks with a barely damp cloth using a small amount of mild washing up liquid. Blot rather than rub, work in small circles, and always dry the area gently before brushing the nap back into a single direction. Faux suede tolerates water far better than real suede, but it still dislikes being soaked.

Faux suede, sometimes sold as microsuede or micro fibre suede, is a polyester fabric with a very short brushed pile. That pile is what gives it the soft handle, and it is also what makes cleaning slightly different from cleaning a flat woven fabric.

Understanding the Nap

The nap is the direction the fibres lie. Run your hand across a faux suede seat and you will see the colour shift slightly depending on which way you push the pile. This is normal and is not a fault.

Cleaning disturbs the nap, which is why an area can look darker or patchy after treatment even when the mark itself has gone. Brushing the pile back into a consistent direction once dry resolves this completely, and skipping that step is the most common reason people think their cleaning attempt failed.

Use a soft bristle brush, a suede brush or even a clean nail brush with soft bristles. Brush in one consistent direction across the whole panel, not just the cleaned patch.

Weekly Maintenance

Vacuum faux suede chairs weekly using an upholstery attachment on a low suction setting. High suction can pull at the pile over time. Pay attention to the crease between seat and back where crumbs collect.

Follow with a light brush across the whole seat to keep the nap uniform. This takes seconds and keeps the fabric looking even rather than developing shiny patches where people sit most.

Regular light maintenance genuinely prevents most deep cleaning. Faux suede holds dust in the pile, and dust that stays there gradually dulls the colour in a way that looks like the fabric is wearing out when it is simply dirty.

Removing Fresh Liquid Spills

Act quickly. Blot the spill with a clean white cloth or kitchen towel, pressing firmly and lifting rather than wiping. Keep moving to a dry section of cloth until no more liquid transfers.

If the spill was water alone, allow the area to dry naturally and then brush the nap. Faux suede often shows a temporary water ring while damp that disappears entirely once dry.

For anything with colour or sugar in it, follow the blotting with a light clean using a cloth wrung out in cool water with a drop of washing up liquid. Work from the outside of the mark inwards to stop the ring spreading.

Treating Set In Marks

Older marks need a little more patience. Mix a small amount of mild washing up liquid into cool water and create suds. Apply only the suds with a cloth, not the water beneath them, which keeps the fabric from becoming saturated.

Work in small circular motions over the mark. Rinse the cloth, wring it out well, and go over the area again to lift the detergent residue. Detergent left in the pile attracts dirt and causes the patch to grey faster than the surrounding fabric.

Blot dry with a clean towel, allow to air dry fully away from direct heat, then brush the nap. Repeat if needed rather than scrubbing harder on the first attempt.

Grease and Oil Marks

Grease needs a dry approach first. Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda or cornflour generously over the mark and leave it for at least thirty minutes, longer for older marks. The powder draws oil out of the pile.

Vacuum the powder away thoroughly, then assess what remains. Most of the mark will have lifted. Treat any shadow with the washing up liquid method above.

Avoid solvent based cleaners on faux suede unless the manufacturer code specifically allows them. Solvents can dissolve the adhesive bonding on some microfibre backings and leave a stiff patch.

Ink and Pen Marks

Ballpoint ink on faux suede responds to surgical spirit applied with a cotton bud. Dab rather than wipe, working from the outer edge of the mark inwards, and change the cotton bud frequently so you are lifting ink rather than moving it.

Test on a hidden area first. Some faux suedes are dyed with pigments that surgical spirit can lift. If the test area shows any colour transfer onto the bud, stop and use the washing up liquid method instead, accepting a partial result over a bleached patch.

Dealing with Shine and Flattening

Faux suede develops a shine where it is compressed repeatedly, usually across the front of the seat and on the top of the back rail. This is the pile lying flat rather than the fabric wearing away.

Brushing with a suede brush lifts the pile and restores the matt appearance in most cases. For stubborn flattening, hold a steam iron 15cm above the surface without touching it, let the steam relax the fibres for a few seconds, then brush immediately. Never let the iron plate contact the fabric, since polyester melts readily.

Rotating chairs around the table every few months distributes this wear evenly across the set rather than concentrating it on two seats.

What to Avoid

Do not use bleach, fabric softener or all purpose household sprays. Fabric softener coats the fibres and destroys the matt suede character permanently.

Do not soak the fabric. Water that reaches the foam beneath takes a long time to dry and can produce an odour that is far harder to remove than the original mark.

Do not use a stiff brush or an abrasive pad. These pull fibres from the backing and create bald patches that cannot be repaired.

Do not dry with a hairdryer or place a chair against a radiator to speed drying. Direct heat can shrink the backing and cause the surface to ripple.

Checking the Cleaning Code

Look for a label under the seat with a cleaning code. W means water based cleaners are safe. S means solvent only. WS means either can be used. X means vacuum only with no liquid at all.

Most faux suede carries a W or WS code, but not all. Following the code is more reliable than following general advice, since manufacturers know how their particular backing behaves.

When Faux Suede Is the Right Choice

Faux suede suits dining rooms that want warmth and softness without the maintenance of real suede or the coolness of leather. It resists water reasonably well, comes in muted tones that suit British interiors, and feels pleasant year round.

It is less suited to households where spills are constant and immediate, where a wipe clean surface serves better. If you are weighing up materials, our range of modern fabric dining chairs UK sale sits alongside leather dining chairs UK so the two can be compared directly. Whichever you choose, browsing the full dining ranges at Furniture in Fashion helps confirm that the seating tone works with the table you already own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use water on faux suede?
Yes, sparingly. Faux suede is polyester and tolerates water far better than real suede, but the fabric should be damp rather than wet, and never soaked through to the foam.

Why does faux suede look patchy after cleaning?
The nap has been disturbed. Brushing the whole panel in one consistent direction once the fabric is dry restores an even appearance.

How do I get shine out of faux suede seats?
Brush with a soft suede brush to lift the flattened pile. For persistent shine, hold a steam iron above the surface without touching it, then brush immediately.

Is faux suede hard to look after?
Not particularly. Weekly vacuuming and occasional brushing handle most of it, and the fabric hides light marks better than many flat weaves.

Can faux suede chair covers go in the washing machine?
Only if the manufacturer states so. Many faux suede covers are dry clean or spot clean only, since machine washing can separate the pile from its backing.