How To Clean And Wax Leather Shoes

What you demand

A pair of well-polished black leather shoes neatly arranged and surrounded by shoe cleaning and polishing supplies — Photo: Nick Unruh

For leather shoes

Horsehair brush: The bigger the castor, the improve, as a larger brush is easier to generate more friction with as you're buffing the shoe. Pros may recommend having 2 brushes, one for dusting and one for polishing; you can go away with ane equally long every bit yous brush off the shoe with a towel before yous get to polishing.

Spray bottle with cold water: A modest travel-size spray bottle helps you evenly apply a light layer of h2o in the first footstep of the cleaning procedure.

Shoe cream polish: Shoe cream recolors your shoe by adding pigment and filling in small scratches. This cream applies a sparse, temporary tint rather than a permanent recoloring of the shoe, and then your cream shine doesn't have to exactly match the shoe colour. You can utilise a lighter shade to maintain your electric current color or a darker one to add together some patina—and like a bad haircut, eventually it'll go away. If things are truly dire, yous tin can strip it off by gently wiping it with a material and isopropyl alcohol.

Shoe copse or newspaper: These pieces keep your shoe holding its shape while y'all clean it. Wooden shoe trees, if you lot can get a pair, are great and will help keep your shoes fresh between wears.

For suede shoes

Suede brush: A strong-bristled brush allows you to elevator the nap (the fibers on the suede) to remove debris and to re-fluff the nap afterward.

Suede/nubuck eraser (or literally any eraser from the dorsum of a drawer): An eraser can rub small-scale scuffs and light stains off suede, as well as help to restore its original texture.

Suede shampoo, h2o, and a small basin: You can employ a dedicated suede cleaner or a minor mix of soap and water.

Shoe castor or toothbrush: A gentler brush can assist while y'all're applying the suede cleaner.

Newspaper: Stuffing your shoes with paper helps them keep their natural shape and provide light resistance while you're cleaning more stubborn stains.

Waterproofing spray: Applied later cleaning, this spray helps to go along the leather dry and clean.

How long will this take to clean?

A closeup of a jar of white Saphir cream — Photograph: Nick Unruh

Plan for twenty minutes for a quick clean of your shoes and 45 minutes for a more thorough clean.

How to clean leather shoes

A shoe tree inserted in a black leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

If this is the beginning fourth dimension you've cleaned your leather shoes in a while, remove the shoelaces and give them a clean with saddle soap (follow the directions on the tin). But most of the fourth dimension you don't need to do either—merely insert shoe trees or stuff your shoes with newspaper so they concur their shape.

A person using a horsehair brush to clear dust from a black leather shoe — Photograph: Nick Unruh

Vigorously castor your shoes with a horsehair brush to make clean any dust, dirt, and debris; don't forget to castor the welt, the crevice where the shoe meets the sole. Then, wipe your shoes with a slightly damp cloth or employ a spray canteen to employ a light mist to the shoe, and wipe that off with a dry cloth.

A person applying shoe conditioner to a black leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Let the shoe dry for about five minutes, and then utilize a thin layer of shoe conditioner past massaging fiddling dabs into the leather in pocket-size, round motions, using low-cal to moderate pressure level across the unabridged shoe. You can do this with either a textile wrapped around your index and centre fingers, a dauber, or your bare alphabetize and center fingers. Whichever method yous go with, be sure to get the tongue of the shoe, as well. Wait effectually 5 minutes for the conditioner to dry out and for the leather to absorb its nutrients.

Two fingers on the shined surface of a black leather shoe — Photograph: Nick Unruh

Requite each shoe a quick buff with your horsehair brush, using moderate pressure. The friction from the brush heats up the conditioner'due south ingredients and brings out a nice shine.

A brush gently applied to a shiny leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Apply a minor amount of shoe foam shine and massage it over the whole shoe in circular motions using your fingers. Less is more than here: Apply a layer thin enough that information technology covers the entire surface of the shoe simply non and then much that information technology globs up.

A close up of two fingertips with black shoe cream — Photo: Nick Unruh

Give the cream five to 10 minutes to dry, then brush with the horsehair castor using firm pressure. This step blends the foam, removes excess polish, and brings the temperature of the polish upward to a high shine. Y'all tin echo the process and use another coat of shoe cream polish if you want to cover your bases.

A white cloth with light black marks from excess shoe cream — Photograph: Nick Unruh

Use a cloth to lightly wipe the shoe down again; this takes off whatsoever excess foam that the leather didn't absorb.

A pair of polished black leather shoes — Photo: Nick Unruh

This basic care routine for leather shoes is all the average person needs. Your leather shoes are now cleaned, rehydrated, and freshly repigmented. Stick some shoe trees in at that place, give your shoes 24 hours in between wears, and you've already significantly extended the life of your leather shoes.

How to clean suede shoes

A pair of suede leather shoes surrounded by shoe cleaning supplies — Photo: Nick Unruh

You can spot-treat well-nigh stains on suede with a suede brush and eraser. But more serious stains require a expert suede shampoo or a mix of soap and water to really penetrate the soiled areas.

A closeup of a suede shoe — Photograph: Nick Unruh

To have off any debris, lightly castor the suede, with the grain, using a suede brush, an old toothbrush, or a terry-cloth towel.

A brush applied to a suede leather shoe — Photograph: Nick Unruh

Add some suede shampoo to a pocket-size bowl of water (almost a 2:one ratio of water to shampoo) and mix with a shoe brush or an one-time toothbrush. Work the shampoo all over the shoe with the castor using circular motions and firm pressure. The suede will plough darker equally it saturates, which is perfectly okay and normal.

A horsehair brush applied to soapy shampoo on a suede leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Rinse all the shampoo off with clean h2o, and brush over the shoe again until there are no more suds. Then shake the shoe to remove excess water.

A person holding a suede shoe under running water — Photo: Nick Unruh

With a clean towel, blot away at the shoes to absorb as much wet as possible.

A person rubbing a suede shoe with a towel — Photo: Nick Unruh

Stuff the suede shoes with paper and let them dry out for at least 24 hours.

A person stuffing a suede shoe with paper — Photo: Nick Unruh

Brush over each shoe with a suede brush—dorsum and along over the grain—to re-fluff the suede.

A person brushing a suede shoe — Photograph: Nick Unruh

Last, apply a layer of waterproofing spray over your suede shoes and requite them an hr to dry.

A person applying a layer of waterproofing spray to a suede shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

A pair of clean suede shoes — Photo: Nick Unruh

Other shoe-maintenance tips

Don't vesture the same pair of leather shoes two days in a row, and try to alternate between them evenly if you tin. Leather shoes need fourth dimension to dry out from the moisture they blot. Giving them merely a mean solar day to breathe, with a pair of shoe copse inserted, volition significantly help to extend the life of your shoes.

Information technology's a good practice to give your shoes a lite, quick brush-off with the horsehair shoe brush after wearing them. When it comes to the frequency of cleaning them with a conditioner, it actually depends on how often you clothing them and the conditions you put them through. A prophylactic rule of thumb is one time a month.