Shoe care products

Every day we wear shoes, thereby exposing them to harmful effects. It interacts with dust, dirt, water, and temperature changes. In order to maintain its attractive appearance and extend its life, it is necessary to take good care of it. Proper care includes: cleaning from dirt, drying, cleaning, polishing, impregnation. For all these procedures, you need to choose the right shoe polish. What exactly is useful to you, you will learn from this article.

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How to clean shoes from dirt?

Cleaning shoes from dirt and dust is carried out using water or a brush - depending on the degree of contamination:

1. Place heavily soiled shoes under a stream of running water and rinse them for no more than 1 minute in order to have time to wash away the dirt, but to prevent moisture from getting inside.
2. If the shoes are not very dirty, clean them with a brush or wipe them with a damp, then dry cloth.

Important! Suede shoes and nubuck clean only with a brush specially designed for this material and only in dry form. If you like fluffy materials, read our article on choosing suede brushes.

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How to dry?

Properly dry wet shoes is necessary only at room temperature without the use of heating appliances, after inserting a specialized spacer into it or stuffing it tightly with paper. You can also use our ideas to do-it-yourself shoe dryer, which will speed up this process and make it easier for you to take care of your boots, shoes and boots.

Important! If the leather shoes are very wet, wipe them dry with a clean, dry cloth. And so that the dry skin does not harden, lubricate it with petroleum jelly. After it dries, apply a suitable cream.

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How to clean shoes?

Nowadays, there are a variety of shoeshine cleaners, ranging from folk to modern novelties. Each of them is intended for a certain type of shoe. They come in the form of paints, creams, aerosols, waxes, gloss, soaked sponges.

Most often, creams are used, since they are very convenient to use and usually retain their protective properties for a long time. They are different, with the main difference being the component composition. It may be as follows:

• Vaxa - a water-based mixture designed for a refreshing effect, only visually improves the condition of the shoe without caring for it. It is odorless.
• Gutalin, which includes turpentine. Gives the shoe shine, has a tinting effect, prevents drying of the skin. It has a pronounced smell. Usually placed in tin jars to avoid evaporation of turpentine. Flammable.
• Water-repellent creams contain fat. They repel moisture, moisturize and nourish the skin, giving it shine.

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Popular shoe polish

There are a huge number of companies that produce shoe polish today, each with a wide range of products. Therefore, so that you can quickly choose a really high-quality and effective shoe polish, check out the overview of the most popular shoes in the list below:

1. Nikwax Footwear Cleaning Gel is a versatile product designed to clean shoes from virtually all materials. Suitable for all skin types, suede, textiles, nubuck, artificial materials. The mixture is colorless, therefore, has no restrictions on the use of the shade material of the shoe.
2. Collonil Lack Mousse - foam for cleaning. Designed to clean patent leather. Gives her shine, cares and nourishes. Prevents the appearance of cracks on it. It has a colorless tone.
3. Universal foam for cleaning suede and leather. Refreshes the color of suede, cleans it from pollution. Gives the skin a natural glow and maintains its softness.
4. Salamander Professional Lack Care Lacquer Spray - designed for all types of patent leather. It contains silicone oil, which keeps the skin supple and soft, restoring its color.
5. Collonil Shampoo shoe polish is a specialized cleansing shampoo that cleans stubborn dirt and removes salt stains from various materials. It is used for cleaning textiles, velor, suede, nubuck, leather.
6. Spray for cleaning Salamander Professional Combi Cleane is a universal foam cleaner located in an aerosol can. Designed for cleaning shoes from all types of leather, suede, climate membrane, textiles, artificial materials. The spray head of the aerosol allows you to clearly apply the product to contaminated places.

Important! Depending on what materials and models of shoes you prefer, you may also be interested to know:

• How to color shoes?
• How to decorate shoes?
• How to make shoes non-slip?

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Traditional methods for cleaning shoes from suede

Even in our times, when there are a variety of shoe polish products, traditional methods of care do not lose their relevance. They are no less effective and popular, and also differ in their cheapness.

Method 1

A fairly simple but effective method of cleaning suede shoes at home:

1. Prepare a soap solution.
2. Take a sponge, moisten it in the resulting solution.
3. Wipe contaminated areas with it.
4. Spread the pile with a special suede brush.

Method 2

Apply this method by following these steps:

1. Take ammonia.
2. Dissolve it in water in a ratio of 1: 5.
3. Dampen a stiff brush in the resulting solution.
4. Clean it with suede in different directions.
5. Dissolve a small amount of vinegar in water.
6. Dampen a rag in it.
7. Wipe previously treated areas.
8. Take rags and polish suede.

Method 3

To use this method you will need: ammonia, milk and soda. Then do the following:

1. Take 1 tsp. baking soda and dissolve it in 0.5 cup of milk.
2. Add 2 drops of ammonia to the resulting solution and mix thoroughly.
3. Soak a cotton swab in this mixture and treat it with contaminated suede.

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How to clean light suede?

Suede itself is a very delicate material that requires extremely careful handling during cleaning. Light suede is a doubly difficult task, since it is on such material that stains often remain, and dark spots of any origin are difficult to remove. The following shoe polish products will help you safely and effectively remove contamination from such products.

Method 1

In order to clean light suede from dirt, you need refined gasoline. For this:

1. Take a clean rag.
2. Moisten it with gasoline.
3. Wipe gently over contaminated areas.
4. Moisten a clean sponge with water and squeeze it well.
5. Remove the remaining gasoline.

Method 2

Clean light suede as follows:

1. Prepare a soap solution.
2. Pour ammonia into it in a ratio of 5: 2.
3. Mix this solution thoroughly.
4. Dampen a clean sponge in it.
5. Wring it out.
6. Wipe contaminated areas.
7. Rinse again with a sponge, but already moistened in clean, warm water.

Method 3

If grease has fallen into suede, degrease the stain with talcum powder. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Take talcum powder.
2. Put it on the place of pollution.
3. Leave it for 4 hours to interact.
4. Shake off the powder from the surface of the material.
5. Walk on the treated area with a rubber brush.

Important! To always look at your best and easily combine different clothes and shoes for any occasion, use the advice of stylists from the following articles:

• How to choose shoes for a dress?
• Classic men's shoes - popular models.
• How to wear patent leather shoes?

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We hope that this article was useful to you and now you know which shoe polish is right for you.