How to Clean Leather Shoes

You can keep your leather shoes clean by regularly cleaning dirt and debris with the right tools. Normal leather should be cleaned with a soft-bristled brush, while suede will need a special brush to protect the texture of the leather. Besides using a leather cleaner, it’s also important to remember not to use water to clean leather shoes, as water will dry out the leather and cause shrinkage.

Table of Contents

Cleaning leather shoes

Clean dirt or debris with a soft-bristled brush. Gently rub the brush over the surface of the shoe to remove any debris from it. Do not scrub too hard lest you damage the surface of the leather. For a cleaner shoe, you’ll scrub the brush along the seam and sole.

Avoid using a stiff brush, such as a bristle brush, as it can scratch the surface of the leather if you’re not careful.

Remove shoelaces to protect them during cleaning. If your leather shoes are lace-up, carefully remove the laces and set them aside so they don’t get caught in the cleaning product or shoe polish. Don’t leave your shoelaces on during cleaning if you want them to stay clean.

If the shoelaces get dirty, you’ll put them in a laundry bag and put them in the washing machine to wash them.

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Scrub the shoes with a soft bristle brush and leather cleaner. Apply a small amount of skin care product to a soft-bristled brush and gently scrub the surface of the leather with the brush. Move the brush back and forth to allow the product to penetrate the skin. Continue scrubbing until the dirty skin becomes shiny like new.

You can use a clean microfiber towel if you don’t have a soft-bristled brush.
Avoid using water to clean leather shoes. Water causes the skin to shrink and dry out over time. As a result, your shoes can become stiff and wrinkled.

Apply talcum powder to the grease stain. If your leather shoes have stubborn grease, cover them with an absorbent powder, such as baby powder. Next, you only need to wait 2-3 hours for the talcum powder to absorb all the oil. The last step is to use a soft brush to scrub away the powder.

You can clean grease stains with cornstarch instead of baby powder, but it will take 7-8 hours for the cornstarch to absorb the oil.

Apply leather conditioner to cleaned shoes. At this step, you can reuse the brush or towel you used to clean the shoes or change the towel/brush with a new one. Apply a small amount of leather conditioner to the surface of the shoe and spread it evenly with a brush or towel, wait a few minutes for it to dry, and then rub or wipe away any traces of dry curing product remaining on the surface of the shoe.

Use a leather conditioner the same color as your shoes. For example, if you have black leather shoes, choose a black maintenance product.

Use more shoe polish to add shine to the shoes. You will use a soft cloth to take some wax or cream shoe polish, and then rub the surface of the shoe in small circular motions. Use an extra clean towel to wipe off the excess polish. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Avoid applying shoe polish on non-leather parts.
You don’t need to use shoe polish, but it will make your shoes look like new!

Cleaning suede shoes

Use a special brush for suede shoes. Buy a suede cleaning brush at a shoe store or online. You will rub the brush back and forth across the suede surface gently. Remember to scrub the entire surface of the shoe to remove scratches and stains.

When owning suede shoes, you must use a brush specifically for this type of shoe. You cannot use an alternative tool to clean suede shoes.

Use a pencil eraser to clean scratches and stains. Just take the eraser and rub it on the scratch or stain. However, move the eraser in the same direction to avoid damaging the suede material. Finally, you’ll brush away the crumbs with a suede brush. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Clean grease stains with cornstarch. You will rub some cornstarch on the stain so that the cornstarch penetrates the suede layer. Wait 2-3 hours before cleaning grease stains with a suede brush ^{[3] X Research Source}

You may find it hard to believe, but cornstarch can really clean grease stains on suede. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Spray a silicone-based shoe protector on suede shoes to create a waterproof layer. Spray this product immediately after you buy the shoes, and spray again every time you clean the shoes. Hold the spray bottle about an arm’s length from the shoe and spray until the product is evenly distributed over the surface of the shoe.

In general, any suede waterproofing spray available at any athletic or leather shoe store will work.

Cleaning shiny leather shoes

Clean shoes with a mixture of water and mild soap. Don’t forget to remove and wash your shoelaces if necessary. You will wet a clean towel and put a few drops of soap in it, then gently rub the entire surface of the shoe. The next step is to use another clean cloth to clean the shoes. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Polished leather shoes are leather that has been coated with a plastic material to create a shine. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Clean scratches using hand sanitizer and cotton swabs. First, you will dip a cotton swab in hand sanitizer. Next, carefully scrub the scratch off the shiny leather shoe. The last step is to use a clean towel to wipe the dry hand sanitizer left on the shoes. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

If necessary, you can also polish the shoes with mineral grease (Vaseline cream).

Polish your shoes with mineral oil and a clean towel. Mineral oil is the main ingredient in most common leather shoe cleaners; Therefore, you do not need to use additional specialized polishing products. Put 4-5 drops of cleaning product on a clean towel and rub it on the surface of the shoe. The next step is to use another clean towel to polish the shoes until they have a perfect shine. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You can use cotton balls instead of clean towels if you like. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Advice

Do not use water or soap when cleaning suede material to avoid damaging the leather.
Deodorize shoes by sprinkling them with baking soda, and then leaving them overnight for the baking soda to absorb oil, sweat, and moisture.

Things you need

Cleaning leather shoes

Soft brush
Clean towel
Skin hygiene products
Skin care products
Leather shoe polish

Cleaning suede shoes

Brush for suede
Eraser
Corn flour
Shoe protection spray with silicone ingredients

Cleaning shiny leather shoes

Gentle soap
Clean towel
Hand sanitizer
Mineral oil

Steps

Cleaning leather shoes

Cleaning suede shoes

Cleaning shiny leather shoes

Advice

Things you need

Cleaning leather shoes

Cleaning suede shoes

Cleaning shiny leather shoes

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