Artificial shoe care

The requirements for shoes are always high, and almost all of them are the same: it should be comfortable, high-quality, durable and stylish. Branded shoes made of genuine leather meet similar criteria. However, the cost for it is often sky-high, especially if it looks fashionable and modern. Fashion changes from year to year, from season to season. It is difficult to keep up with all the fashion trends, regularly updating the “clothes” for the legs. An excellent solution in this situation is to purchase shoes made of artificial leather. On the shelves of stores there is always a huge selection of such models, they are affordable, its range is incredibly extensive, there is a couple to the liking of any fashionista. Not to mention such a popular and actively gaining momentum as veganism. This is a way of life that completely excludes the acquisition and consumption of goods in the manufacture of which animals suffer. Consequently - products made of leatherette begin to prevail in quantity over products made from natural materials. Let's figure out what care for artificial shoes should be like so that it lasts as long as possible.

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What is faux leather?

Artificial leather or leatherette is a synthetic material made using modern technology. Its task is to imitate and replace natural skin. Based on special paper, fabric or non-woven materials. Further, the base is impregnated so that it becomes more durable and a layer of polymer coating is applied to it. The final stage is the decorative finish of the material, the application of a pattern, a certain embossing that imitates the skin, grinding, matting or varnishing. Such material can have any color, shade and texture.

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Leatherette Care

Having understood the technology of manufacturing artificial leather, it is worth paying attention to the most important point: how to care for leatherette shoes? The most common problem when wearing such shoes is the appearance of cracks. To prevent them, you should always adhere to one most important rule: it must always be clean and dry.

If it happens that your feet are wet or sweating in shoes, then after that it must be dried. For these purposes, it is best to give preference to natural drying. As an option, you can use a special shoe dryer.

Basic care recommendations:

• Clean your shoes from dirt after each return home. To do this, it is best to use a dry cloth or sponge moistened with water. Do not actively wash it under running water.
• If possible, purchase a universal shoe cleaner designed for all materials. It will definitely come in handy on your household and carefully remove dirt from the surface of the shoe without harming it.
• Do not wash such shoes, especially do not do it in the washing machine.
• If the shoes are wet after the dirt cleaning step, they need to be dried. To do this, we stuff shoes or boots with crumpled newspapers and leave them in a dry, ventilated room, regularly changing the newspaper.
• It must be kept away from heat sources. It is possible to dry near a slightly warm, not hot heating battery, but in no case under or on it.
• If the shoe is used during the rainy season, periodically it is worth applying a waterproof spray or impregnation to it. It is important that they are intended to be applied to artificial skin.

Important! Ordinary glycerin also serves as an excellent protection against moisture - they need to polish the surface with a cloth made of flannel.

• If after returning from the street the shoes are dry and without much pollution, once again do not expose them to active cleaning. It is enough to wipe with a soft cloth to remove sand and dust from it.
• In the care of artificial shoes, it is necessary to use only creams and sprays that are designed for leatherette.

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Why do leatherette shoes go bad?

You have familiarized yourself with the main recommendations for the care of shoes made of leather substitute, let's look at the reasons why it spoils. These include:

• The purchase of shoes that do not fit the size of the legs. If it is great for you, it will certainly undergo deformation, as a result - there is a high probability of occurrence of creases, cracks will form in their places over time.
• Wearing shoes not in accordance with weather conditions.
• Lack of proper care.
• Shoes are worn too often, do not have time to dry out when wet.
• It is exposed to chemicals, this is especially true in the period of ice.
• Use of skin care products not intended for skin substitutes.
• The purchase of low-quality shoes. If it is of high quality, then in no case should it have a sharp, unpleasant smell, traces of glue are unacceptable on the surface, it is good if the sole in it is not just glued, but also stitched.

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Imitation leather shoe repair

It so happens that scuffs or even scratches appear on the surface of the shoe. Despite the relatively low price of artificial leather products, the appearance of such defects on it is extremely unpleasant. Let's try to figure out how to repair shoes made of leatherette.

Repair using spray paint for the skin

If in the process of wearing shoes you notice that abrasions have formed on it, and the color has faded in these places, do not despair. There are many colors for smooth skin, including those intended for application to artificial skin. The color palette of such paints is quite extensive, and you can easily choose the right color.

In order to color your shoes, you must adhere to the following algorithm:

1. Choose the most suitable color tone.
2. To clear it of pollution.
3. To dry it.
4. Shake the paint bottle thoroughly before use.
5. Holding the balloon upright, apply paint from it to the shoes, from a distance of 20 centimeters.
6. Allow the paint to dry.

Important! After staining, your shoes will not only restore the color, which will become even and saturated, but will also get a pleasant shine, will receive additional protection from moisture, since such sprays have water-repellent properties.

Repair with liquid skin

Sometimes cracks or scratches may appear on shoes. In this situation, it is worth taking a closer look at liquid skin, which is able to fill in damage.

Important! It is suitable for repairing genuine leather products, as well as for shoes made of artificial leather. The color palette of liquid skin is not as extensive as that of aerosol paints. Therefore, it will suit you only if it matches the color of your product.

Its application is incredibly simple:

1. To prepare the shoes for repair, it should be clean and dry.
2. Using a brush, very carefully apply the product to a crack or scratch.
3. Trim the application area with a damp sponge.
4. Allow the product to dry, it usually takes 2 to 8 hours.

Important! If you applied liquid skin not too gently and you do not like the result, you can safely remove it within 20 minutes after application.

Faux leather shoeing

If your shoe has peeled off the sole, it can be glued, as well as genuine leather products. To do this, do the following:

1. Take clean and dry shoes.
2. Degrease glue application area.
3. Apply glue according to its instructions.
4. Allow the glue to dry, thereby bonding together the parts to be glued - the gluing time is always indicated on the packaging of the glue.
5. If necessary, press the parts onto which the adhesive has been applied for the required time.
6. Wearing such shoes is best not earlier than in a day.

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Stock footage

As you can see, shoes made of artificial leather are not only affordable and rich in their range, but also quite convenient to care for. Knowing how to care for artificial leather shoes, it will serve you more than one season, your legs will always be neat and stylish.