Suede chaps protect the legs and pants from flying pebbles when riding a motorcycle, or from dusty weather when cowboys are on the trail. When it comes to cleaning the chaps, however, you should take care to protect the suede from permanent damage. To keep your chaps pristine, only wash them when they show signs of dirt, mud and grime on the outside of the legs.

Brush the suede chaps with a soft-bristled suede brush to remove any clumps of dirt embedded in the suede fabric.

Run hot water in the washer and add your normal liquid laundry detergent. You may set the washer for a small load and use 1/4 of the amount of laundry detergent you would use for a normal load of laundry.

Place the suede chaps into the washer after the water has loaded. Allow the chaps to agitate for one to two minutes, then stop the washer.

Remove the chaps from the washer and spray inside the chaps with a stain remover, such as Shout or Spray n’ Wash. Dirt and grime become embedded on the inside area of the chaps, staining the fabric. Rub the stain fighter into the fabric and place back into the washer.

Turn on the washer back and allow the chaps to go through the entire wash cycle.

Remove the suede chaps from the washer and lay outside to dry. Do not put chaps in the sun to dry as the sun’s rays can fade the suede and shrink the fabric.

Put the suede chaps in the dryer only after they are completely dry. Turn the dryer to air-dry only, with no heat, to fluff the suede fabric. Leave in the dryer for 10 minutes.

Take the suede chaps out of the dryer and stretch the fabric in all directions. This helps to stretch the fabric if it may have shrunk. Pull more around the thigh area as the chaps tend to shrink in width not length.