Practice shows that only a few people know how to clean leather shoes by all means. The reason is simple - many simply do not understand that such products are of different types and present various requirements for care. Even if the course is not people's means, and ready-made profile products, you need to follow certain recommendations. In order not only to clean the material without damaging its texture, but also to give it an additional aesthetic appeal, it is necessary to learn to distinguish the types of processing of leather products.
Types of leather shoes and their features
There are not many types of leather shoes, but each of them has certain properties and characteristics that affect the cleaning and care features:
- Finishing. This approach gives the skin a shine and allows it to retain its properties. Such products are more resistant to moisture, so they can even be washed. To achieve the desired effect, manufacturers use different sprays, oils and waxes. It is these shoes that are most often sold in stores.
- Without finishing. Quite capricious products, which you can take care of properly only with the help of special tools. Only in this case they will not lose their functionality and external attractiveness.
- Lacquered. A special type of skin, for the creation of which use special natural and artificial resins. If at least once to clean such a product in violation of technical standards and requirements, its appearance will suffer significantly.
- Color. A wide range of colors is achieved through the use of dyes, which affect the most common skin during its processing. It is necessary not only to wash it in a special way, but also to choose the correct shade of the caregiver.
- White. To remove stains from such a surface is especially difficult, and any incorrect manipulation can change the original color of the product.
Understanding the difference between existing types of leather shoes, and considering their specifics, you can quickly and accurately clean your favorite products without resorting to the help of professionals.
Rules for cleaning shoes from leather
While engaging in leather shoes with finishing, you need to pay attention to the following:
- Preliminary preparation is mandatory, for which a soft brush, rag and slightly warm water are used. First, remove the dirt and dust from the surface of the product with a brush. Then we treat the skin with a dry cloth, completing the preliminary dry cleaning. Next, we moisten the fabric, squeeze it hard and try to clean the visible persistent impurities. We send the product to dry, but not in the sun and not on the battery.
- If after surface cleansing on the skin were contaminated, they can be slightly rubbed with vinegar, diluted with water in equal proportions. When the desired result is achieved, we proceed to further care for dried shoes. To do this, apply a little cream of the right shade on the material and rub it with a lint-free cloth, without passing through any part. After the composition has dried, polish the skin with a soft brush. At the end, we drip a little water on a clean cloth and polish the surface once more.
Tip: When working with leather shoes, experts recommend using only filtered or boiled water. If you wash or clean such whimsical products with a tap water, then you will have to look for a remedy for removing the calcareous coating.
Following the material that has not been processed, we adhere to the following recommendations:
- In this case, again, pre-processing is required, but it has a certain specificity. First you need to clean the surface of the product with a dry brush, then with a slightly damp rag. If there are old dirt on the skin, then take a little soap, beat it into a thick foam, apply it to the problem area and wash it off with water. Properly dry shoes( without external sources of influence) and proceed to caring manipulations.
- Care completely duplicates the approach typical for products with finishing, but for final polishing, not water, but mink oil is used.
When caring for other types of leather shoes, you need to pay attention to such moments:
- Contrary to popular belief, patent leather can not be washed in the literal sense of the word. It is necessary to take a clean sponge, moisten it in water, squeeze out and lightly apply surface treatments. You can not rub the skin, even fine sand can scratch waxed material. Then we wait until the product dries and polish it with a velvet cloth. If the patent leather has become stiff, it can be restored with castor oil.
- In the case of colored leather, we first of all pay attention to the type of its processing and act according to one of the instructions already given. After it was possible to clean the material, it must be treated with the appropriate cream( if the skin is not varnished) and then the main thing is not to make a mistake with the color and work the entire surface without distraction. Otherwise, after some time the product will become stained.
- For preliminary processing of white products we take a sponge, soap( can be replaced with shampoo) and water. From water and soap we prepare a homogeneous solution without lumps and drops. We moisten it with a soft sponge, squeeze it lightly and go through the surface of the skin. Wash white products is not worth it, even if it seems that the material will withstand such an effect. After cleaning, repeat the manipulation with clean water and dry the shoes. The stained spots are best treated with specialized shop fittings or milk. Care for white skin consists of the use of colorless aerosols and sprays. In case of occurrence of cracks and abrasions we connect to the arsenal of means of waxes and oils for white skin.
The above cleaning methods are recommended not only in case of obvious contamination. It is better to resort to them every day. This will prevent rapid wear of products and maintain their original appearance for several years.
