HOW TO LOOK
AFTER
YOUR SHOES
I personally like my white Converse a bit dirty
 
(by a bit dirty I just mean not too white, and I don’t mean `were white` but are now brown red and green).
 
But for my other shoes, I love them clean and brand-new even though I have walked in them every single day for a very very verryyyy long time (okay, one week).

But as many of you will be, I am often afraid to damage my shoes when I am cleaning them.
 
Non-suitable product, wrong way to do it… it can be very easy to make your shoes worse if you don’t know how to treat them in the correct way !
 
So here are some tips teaching you how to clean your shoes depending on the type of leather (normal leather, patent or suede)

look after fine leathers

look after suede leather

“NORMAL” LEATHER :

You first need to know if the leather is finished or unfinished.
 
This will be the result of different processes but briefly finished leather is protected by the color-coating and clear-coating, while unfinished leather is unprotected because it doesn’t have either of these coatings applied.
 
But most of the leather items that you will buy in store will be finished leather.

If your leather is finished :

Step 1: Place a small amount of gentle moisturizing soap on a damp cloth and bring it to a light lather.

Step 2: Rub the damp cloth on the leather without putting too much water on the leather.

Step 3: Wipe away lather with a fresh damp cloth. Don’t rinse the leather in water.

Step 4: Polish leather with a dry towel.

Step 5: Treat leather with a leather conditioner after it has dried completely.

If your leather is unfinished :

Step 1: Use a damp cloth or sponge to rub saddle soap into the leather; work soap into a light lather.

Step 2: Wipe away lather and allow to air dry.

Step 3: Oil leather with a leather preservative such as mink oil.

SUEDE LEATHER :


First, stuff your shoes with some newspaper, especially in the toe area, so it keep the shape of the shoe.


Brush gently the surface of the shoe (so the dirt goes away) using a suede cleaning brush that you can find at your local cobbler. You need to brush in the direction of the fiber !

For the marks impossible to remove with the brush, you can use a cleaning stone.

But keep being gently.


Suede leather is actually a very sensitive leather, which one needs to be kept away from water.

But if your shoes have already gotten wet, paradoxically it’s better to clean them with water to avoid water stains !


Place a towel inside the shoes and spray a verrryyy thin layer of water on the surface of the shoes.


Rub hard the stained area with a nail brush
Absorb the water with a slighty wet cloth.

This will help the shoes to dry without developing any water stains.


Place the shoes in a cool dry area, but don’t put them outside with the sunshines as the colour could change !  

 

pss- Shoe Safety officer

If you have any of your own tips for shoe care or refurbishment that you'd like to share then pleasde let us know and we will add yours here and give you a credit too. Or even link out to your site if you have a great resource for shoe care tips - just mail us from our contact page and start the message `shoe care tips`

SHOP LEATHER OR SUEDE SHOES - NOW!