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Last Updated on April 10, 2024 by Shopping Kim
Shoes are dependent on the choice of dress, occasion, and overall styling. We use them for morning walks, workplaces, or casual wear. However, what is equally essential is maintaining them appropriately.
Despite their toughness, natural materials still require some care. Moreover, if you have a leather one, its maintenance takes extra effort than the others. A simple act of cleaning and conditioning your loafers can extend their life expectancy by years.
Ways to Treat and Maintain Them
Storage
The first step to taking care of your shoes is to place them in the right place. They often get damaged when they are not stored properly. Few of us do not follow this as an essential practice. It is imperative to store your shoes in a dark and cool place as they will remain clean. Whereas before that, ensure to remove the dirt and dust from the shoes. Organize your shoe cabin by creating a separate area for polishes, brushes, cloths, and sprays.
Cleaning
Different shoes demand diverse types of cleaning processes. Before cleaning your shoes, you need to know the procedure specifically. For example, a bright and dust-free sneaker is always attractive. Readying a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda will ensure your sneakers are well-maintained.
Running Shoes
Cleaning running shoes is quite a work as not only with the dirt but getting off of that sweat smell can be difficult. Get off the dirt first by using a toothbrush. Put it in a cup of water mixed with a teaspoon of laundry detergent. Never use the solution on foam or leather, but use it on fabric, mesh, and rubber areas. To get rid of the suds, wet a sponge and wipe it off. Pretreat the dirt with detergent and put the laces in a bag while washing and reviving the laundry. Before re-lacing your shoes, clean the area around them.
Leather Shoes
In the case of leather shoes, you can clean your leather shoes with home remedies by making a solution of water and white vinegar of equal parts and using it as a wiping solution. You can even remove the scratches with a damp cloth soaked in baking soda. Or also use shoe dye, more so the highly pigmented shoes that help to make the leather smooth.
Leather or spray paints are beneficial for leather or vinyl shoes. Fabric paint care is excellent for cloth or canvas shoes. You can use angelus paint which is brilliant and opaque in color. Further, remember to remove all the dirt and protective coating from the leather before applying the dye.
Suede Shoes
Use a nailbrush or scrub brush to gently buff stains away. After getting the surface off the dirt, pressure it and go back and forth with the brush to remove the deep stains. It can also be removed with a nail file. For truly persistent marks, use a white washcloth to apply white vinegar or rubbing alcohol to the spot, or use it all over to brighten the suede.