How to wash leather shoes?

Not all owners of beautiful leather shoes know how to properly care for it and which cleaning method is most preferable. Of course, the best for the care of leather products suited brushes, flannel or wool rags, but wet cleaning of shoes will not hurt, especially if you use shoes for daily wear. From our article you will learn how to wash leather shoes, so as not to deform it and restore the pristine appeal, gloss and cleanliness to your favorite shoes.

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Can I wash leather shoes?

When purchasing shoes in the store, take care of the care for shoes. Fortunately, every shoe store also offers related products to it - from jars of cream to sprays and special deodorants that effectively remove odor. The appearance of the shoes will take much longer to look presentable if you take care of the care products.

However, if with daily wear the shoes lost their former gloss and novelty, then use a wet cleaning - both outside and inside the product.

Important! Manufacturers of leather shoes categorically prohibit the washing of products in a washing machine. In addition, to cleanse products from the skin, you can not use detergents, bleach and stain removal agents. When treated with such aggressive means, even the best elastic skin is strongly deformed, and the consequences of such cleaning can be deplorable: one pair of shoes can stretch out considerably, and the other, on the contrary, will become cramped.

Wash leather shoes only by hand using the following tools and materials:

• Special sponge or soft cloth.
• Soap.
• Water.
• Ammonium alcohol.

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Rules for the washing of leather shoes

Before proceeding with the cleaning activities, carry out the preparatory phase:

1. Shoes carefully inspect and check its integrity. In shoes, there should not be easily lagging details.
2. Remove the insole and shoelaces.
3. Clean the shoes from dust and dirt with a brush or an unnecessary rag.
4. Remove dirt and pebbles from the soles.
   

Wash technology

Wash the products as follows:

1. Wash genuine leather shoes with a soapy soft cloth. To thoroughly clean the "bobs", use a solution of ammonia. Add 5-6 drops of ammonia to the soap solution.
2. Clean the insole with a brush and soap solution.
3. Wash laces with detergent or soap.
4. At the end of washing, dry the leather goods in a ventilated room: in warm weather - on the balcony, in the cold - near special electric dryers.

Finishing protection

After drying, shoes must be treated with special means to protect them from moisture and dirt. To do this:

1. Treat footwear with a special agent, such as castor oil, or apply mink fat and allow the medium to soak.
2. Apply the cream to the surface of the products. If the shoes are new, then you can limit yourself to a colorless cream.
3. Tarnished boots refresh with a cream tone slightly lighter than shoes.
4. Polish shoes to shine with a velvet or a piece of velvet fabric.

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How to clean the shoes from dirt inside?

If shoe cleaning from the outside does not cause special difficulties, then it is difficult to put it in order from the inside. Use the following tips and tricks to clean the shoes from dirt inside:

1. Use an old toothbrush( preferably with stiff bristles) and a weak detergent solution to wipe off dirt from the inside. Rub the insole carefully and gently, the main thing - do not be too zealous.
2. Regularly( once a week) wipe the inside of the shoes with a solution of ammonia( 1 teaspoon of alcohol per 1 liter of water).This procedure not only saves the appearance of the shoes, but also relieves them of an unpleasant smell.
3. For cleansing insoles made of thin skin, use a baby cream. First, with a slightly damp rag or sponge, remove dust and strong dirt from the inside of the shoe, and then apply a thin layer of a normal baby cream and wipe it in dirty areas. Wipe off any remaining cream with a dry cloth, leave shoes to dry. The inner surface of the shoes becomes not only clean, but also soft.
4. Use a shaving cream to clean the inside of the boot. Shoe masters recommend to use shaving foam for this purpose: gently apply the product inside the shoe, and after 30 minutes remove the contaminated foam with a cloth.
5. To clean the shoes from dirt inside, if the impurities are persistent, they can be removed by means for cleaning the carpets. After processing the leather insoles with this remedy, be sure to soften the inner surface with a baby cream.
6. Use a special foam for the skin and suede to clean the inside of the shoes. The product cleans the insoles perfectly.

Important! Taking care of the inside of the shoes, be sure to take care of your feet in parallel, as they tend to sweat and get dirty.

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How to remove an unpleasant odor?

The odor that has appeared in the shoe over time can be attributed to the following reasons:

• Shoe material is poor-quality and badly "breathes".
• The shoes are tight.
• Feet strongly sweats.

All these reasons lead to the fact that the inside of the shoes absorbs an infinitely unpleasant odor, and you want to wash your leather shoes.

To get rid of odor:

1. Ventilate shoes as often as possible.
2. Be sure to dry shoes after wearing socks.
3. Handle the inside of your shoes with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide.
4. Use soda or salt for light shoes. Pour the soda( salt) into the shoes for a day, then shake out, remove the residues with a rag or vacuum cleaner.
5. Use special ultraviolet dryers - they dry their shoes very quickly, besides, they kill all sorts of bacteria and fungi.
6. Wear socks only from natural fabrics, since synthetics only aggravate the situation.
7. Choose shoes only from genuine leather. The inside of the shoes must also be made of natural materials.
8. Use special deodorants for shoes that effectively remove odor. Also, do not forget about deodorants for the feet to get rid of the cause of the smell.

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Tips for the care of shoes

To ensure that your shoes have been in service for many years and have always been perfect, and you did not have to wash your shoes often, listen to the following tips:

• If the bots are dry, rub them castor oil or vegetable oil, and then polish. The oil will soften the skin.
• Shoes can be made practically waterproof, if you lubricate them several times with linseed oil along the seams.
• Suede bots clean the rough surface of a matchbox or a crust of stale bread.
• Brown leather shoes are perfectly cleaned by the coffee grounds.
• If the wet leather shoes harden, then after drying, grate them with petroleum jelly. After a few hours, clean the cream.
• Clean the shoes of small dirt with a normal eraser.
• Remove greasy stains on leather shoes with a solution of soda( 1 teaspoon of soda per 0.5 glasses of water).Rub the soiling until foam is formed, and then remove the product with a soft cloth.
• To wash leather shoes and remove any dirt, old cream, use a special shampoo or a normal wiper. Wet the napkin with a cleanser, first wipe one shoe first, then the second one. After - apply any fat, let it absorb. Fat perfectly repels water, will not allow the skin to decompose and deform. After treatment, apply cream and polish shoes.
• Do not wear one pair of shoes every day. Gather a "bench for spare," with a mode of operation, at least, "two in two."In the "exit" pair of shoes put pads inside, so that the shoes do not lose their outlines and do not lift their noses.
• So that the model leather shoes do not lose their attractive appearance, in the rainy season use rubber galoshes. This is the best way to protect shoes from water.

To date, a loud and expensive brand of shoes is no surprise. Much more respect is caused by people who are able to carefully take care of their shoes and extend their original look for many years, regardless of the intensity and conditions of use. We hope that thanks to the information provided in the article, you will find a way to properly care for your favorite shoes, and they will delight you with their beautiful appearance for many years.