Suede is a kind of leather made from the underside of a hide. It’s soft, delicate, and notoriously easy to scuff. According to HGTV, you can actually brush most of the dirt away without using any liquids. Use bristle brush and move it in one direction, unless the dirt is really caked in and you need to move the brush in a few directions to get it out. If there’s an oil stain, put cornstarch on the spot and leave it alone for a few hours, then brush the powder off.

To clean silk, you should fill a container with cold water, add just a little bit of detergent made for delicates, soak the silk, agitate it a bit, rinse in cold water, and hang it up to dry. You can use the cold delicate cycle on your washing machine if you want, but never wash it with anything that isn’t silk. Here’s our full guide.

To clean leather, remove any dust or crumbs by vacuuming or simply brushing them off, then wipe it with a clean, dry cloth. If you spilled something on it, you’ll need a leather cleaner approved by the item’s manufacturer. You should spot test it first on a lesser-seen area of the leather to make sure it doesn’t discolor it. We have a full guide to caring for your leather here.

Delicate, pretty, and prone to showing wear, tear and stains, lace is a blessing and a curse. You shouldn’t wash it in your machine if you can avoid it; instead, hand wash with cold water, per The Laundress. Mix a small amount of detergent with water, and massage the soapy water into the fabric evenly. Allow it to soak for half an hour before rinsing, then gently press out excess water, and hanging it to dry.

You shouldn’t wash your sweaters after each wear, according to Martha Stewart, and when you do wash them (or any cashmere fabrics), you should measure them first so you can be sure you lay the item out correctly and don’t shrink or stretch it. Then, hand wash in cold water with a wool cleanser, though you can sub in shampoo if you have to. Submerge the fabric, swirl it around for 30 seconds, and let it soak for about half an hour before rinsing with cold water. Lifehacker reader Sitzpinkler also recommended hand-washing with Woolite, then drying on a mat, citing their wife, a sweater designer.

You can wash linen in a machine with like colors and lukewarm water, per Magic Linen. Use a mild detergent for delicates and avoid any that contain sodium borate, sodium hydroxide, cellulase, protease, or amylase. You also shouldn’t bleach linen. Always get stains out immediately because linen is very absorbent and the stains will sink in. The real trick with linen, though, isn’t cleaning it so much as keeping it wrinkle-free afterward. Remove the fabric from the dryer while it’s still a little damp and lay it flat to dry. Better yet, air dry linen from the get-go to keep it soft and wrinkle-free.

There are all kinds of weird hacks for cleaning denim floating around (some of which we’ve debunked) so you’re forgiven if you think you’re supposed to avoid washing your jeans for months or even stick them in the freezer for some reason. According to Esquire, wash denim after wearing it five to 10 times and hand wash them to avoid breaking down the fabric. Put them in a cold bath (literally in your bathtub) with some detergent, submerge them for 15 to 30 minutes, and rinse them three times. Roll them to release water and then lay them flat or hang them to dry.

To clean velvet, mix a drop or two of dishwashing liquid with a cup of water, according to Martha Stewart. Blot stains with a cloth dipped in the suds. Other than that, per The Spruce, hand- or machine-wash velvet in cold water and rinse it in cold water, but make sure you’re using a gentle cycle and detergent.