SHOE CLEANING AND CARE

Shoes are not an exclusively feminine obsession, and to appreciate as long as possible their functional and aesthetic qualities it is better to  take care of them consistently by following a few simple rules, especially regarding the skin’s type or the upper’s material. Knowing how to to clean and take care of your shoes is therefore an essential prerogative to show off a flawless look on any occasion: here are  all the secrets to do that in the best way.

FIND OUT THE SHOES’ MATERIAL

The way in which you must clean and take care of your shoes obviously depends on the upper’s typology. 

LEATHER SHOES 

It is easy to clean shoes completely made of leather, meaning the outer part or upper, in order to make them last unaltered over time. An excellent way to take care of them is following the steps hereunder:

• – the first step is to delicately clean the shoe with a  dry flannel cloth, , wiping it over the upper’s surface.
• – now spread with a small brush for leather shoes a small amount of  specific shoe polish in the same shade of the shoe’s leather. It is important to apply the polish evenly over the whole upper’s surface. 
• – let it rest for a few minutes in order for the polish to nourish the leather and penetrate deeply.
• – finally, with a  soft cloth or a big brush different from the one you used before,  remove the excess shoe polish to clean also the surface.

It is essential to supply oneself with  products and accessories specific for shoe cleaning and especially the right ones according to different materials, such as leather, precisely. It is also equally important to use a special brush for each shoe polish or cream colour: therefore, put aside one brush only for black shoes, one for brown shoes and so on. You can perform this operation once or twice a year, depending on your shoe brush’s use. 

SUEDE SHOES

Suede shoes are extremely delicate and if they and without regular care and protection their refined aesthetics will not last long. Before describing the most effective cleaning method, it is worth focusing on their protection.  Spray products to apply on new suede shoes are commercially available, so that they will protect them from water and dirt. Spray products create a kind of invisible, intangible protective film on the shoe’s upper and good quality films can last up to a few months.

– with the aid of a specific brush made of rubber, or even better of natural crepe, delicately clean the entire surface. A valid alternative is a shoe brush with brass bristles, which you should run evenly with extremely delicate, circular gentle movements over the whole upper.

• – first, use a brush with horsehair bristles, which should be new and never used before, let alone with cream;
• – now use a slightly damp cotton cloth and run it over the shoe, especially if the upper is not completely renewed and dirty. You can simply wash certain canvas shoe models in washing machine, particularly if they are sport shoes. Before doing that it is better to read the retailer’s information written on the inside shoe flap or in the shoebox. Another trick to keep the canvas undamaged it is letting the shoes dry naturally in case they got wet with rain, or after running over them the damp cloth. Avoid keeping them near sources of heat and to prevent in any way eventual deformations, put the relevant plastic or wooden shoe-tree inside the shoes when not used, which should be in the same size or at best a size down compared to your canvas shoes.