How to Clean Timberland Shoes

Originally a sturdy working boot, the Timberland shoe in its distinctive yellow color is becoming increasingly popular as an everyday shoe. Whether you use Timberland shoes for convenience or for fashion, you need to keep your shoes clean to prolong their life and not lose their bright yellow color. Made of nubuck leather, Timberland shoes require a bit of special care. You can keep your shoes looking like new by cleaning stains regularly and taking proper care of the leather. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Clean small stains

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Brush away dirt and small debris with a soft brush. Begin the shoe cleaning process by brushing. Starting at the ankle, brush back and forth across the entire surface of the shoe. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If there is only a little dirt on the shoe, you just need to brush it gently to clean it all. If there are still scratches or crumbs, you should brush the shoes as clean as possible before moving on to another method.
You can use any soft, clean brush to brush Timberland shoes. However, this shoe company also sells cleaning kits specifically for Timberland shoes. You can also purchase a brush specifically made for suede or nubuck leather, often called a “suede brush.”

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Remove scratches from shoes with a pencil eraser. Use a pencil eraser, suede eraser, or Timberland shoe cleaner to remove scratches from the surface of the shoe. Rub gently on stains until they disappear. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Shoe cleaners or bars can deal with light everyday rubbing, but are not very effective with dirt stains that cover the entire surface of the shoe.
The miracle eraser Mr. Clean Magic Eraser or a similar brand also helps clean up rub marks. Apply a little water to moisten the stain before cleaning.

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Brush your shoes again. Once you’ve removed all the stains on the shoes, you will use a brush to smooth the surface of the nubuck leather. The brush also removes debris that may remain on the shoe.

Move the brush gently over the leather surface, remembering to only move in one direction. This will ensure the shoe leather surface is uniform after brushing.

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Regularly clean the stains. Keep your Timberland shoes clean by cleaning the dirt once a week. This is especially important if you wear shoes every day, as dirt and grime can build up. With weekly maintenance, you can keep your shoes as clean as new for a long time.

Deep cleaning

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Buy cleaning and waterproofing products for nubuck leather that match the shoes. The product that you use must be specific to your leather material. Timberland shoes come in suede and regular leather styles, but the traditional Timberland boots are made of nubuck leather. You can clean suede and nubuck leather with the same product.

Be sure to purchase a leather cleaning product that is the same color as the leather of your shoes. Look on the product’s packaging when shopping to make sure it matches the traditional yellow leather of Timberland shoes.
If you’re not sure which product to buy, you can go to a shoe store or shoe repair shop and ask if they have a suitable one.

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Remove the shoelaces. Remove the laces and set aside if the laces are clean. If the shoelaces are dirty, you need to hand wash them and let them dry completely before putting them back on.

Wash shoelaces with soap and warm water until all dirt is removed. If you want a more thorough cleaning, you can rub the shoelaces with soap, then soak in warm water. Dry after washing.
You can also add shoelaces to a load of laundry in the washing machine. Remember, if the shoelaces are very dirty, you will need to wash them separately.

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Brush off dirt and debris with a soft brush. Brush each shoe with a brush to remove all grit. Brush gently to avoid scratching the surface of the shoe, and use a soft brush to be safe. Brush as much dirt as possible at the beginning so you don’t have to scrub as much later.

Don’t forget to rub the bottom of the shoe. The soles are particularly susceptible to sand and gravel, which you can easily brush off before cleaning. If you don’t get rid of the sand, dirt can get on your hands and lead to the house.
The brush works better than the wipe because it can get into the nooks and crannies of the shoe; however, you should be careful when using a brush to brush leather shoes, as a stiff brush can scratch the leather.

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Put one hand inside the shoe. When cleaning shoes, you need to keep the shape of the shoes. Insert one hand into the shoe to apply back pressure on the area you are scrubbing, keeping it from collapsing while you scrub.

You can also use your hands to push into wrinkles or lines that you want to smooth. As you push up wrinkles, the combination of thrust and moisture of the cleanser can restore shape to those areas.

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Scrub the soles of your shoes with a toothbrush and mild dish soap. Gently scrape off dirt from under the soles of your shoes. Wash the rubber sole of the shoe to remove any remaining dirt and check the results.

You can also use a cotton swab to clean the soil under the soles of your shoes. Dip a cotton swab in warm soapy water and scrape the soil along the grooves.

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Scrub the outside of the shoe with detergent and water. Use detergent, warm water and a soft brush to scrub the outside of the upper part of the shoe. Move the brush in one direction to smooth the leather surface. Continue scrubbing and add more detergent if needed.

Be sure to follow the cleaning product’s instructions for use when scrubbing the stain.
You can also use a soft toothbrush to deep clean the seams of the shoe.

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Use sandpaper to remove any remaining stains. If there are still visible stains after cleaning, you can clean them with fine sandpaper. Use 400-grit sandpaper to gently rub your hands in one direction and stop sanding as soon as the stain disappears. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

This step must be very delicate and should only be used as a last resort, absolutely do not scrub too hard. However, this method can clean stubborn stains immediately.

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Wash the shoe surface with a little water. After the dirt has been scrubbed as desired, you will clean the surface of the shoe. Use a little water to clean the detergent residue and residual dirt.

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Deep clean if necessary. The frequency of deep cleaning will depend on how often you wear your shoes and how dirty they are. In general, you should do a deep clean every time your shoes get dirty that the stain cleaning method doesn’t remove. If your shoes are worn every day and are very dirty, you may need a weekly deep cleaning. If the shoes are relatively clean, you only need to do a deep cleaning every 1-2 months.

If you want to deodorize your shoes, try using Sterishoe, Mycomist or Lysp disinfectant spray on the inside of your shoes to kill bacteria that are growing.

Dry and brush the surface of the shoe

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Keep the shape of the shoe with paper. If your shoes appear to be dented after cleaning, you should reshape them before they dry. Usually the toe part of the shoe is the most dented. To correct the shape of the shoe, you can roll up the paper and insert it into the shoe to restore the dented areas.

You can use newspaper, scraps, paper bags, or any other type of paper.

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Dry shoes for 24 hours. After you’ve used the cleaner to treat any stains, you need to let the shoes dry in a warm place. Usually shoes will be completely dry after 24 hours, depending on how wet the shoes are after cleaning. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Do not leave shoes near a source of high heat, such as a fireplace. Heat can melt the shoe glue or damage the surface of the shoe.

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Brush the surface of the shoe. When dry, your shoes can look a bit odd because the surface of the leather is often flattened and sticky. Use a clean, dry brush to lightly brush the leather in one direction to restore the shoe’s normal look.

If your shoe is so dirty that even a brush won’t work, you can hold the shoe close to the steam coming from the boiling kettle and brush it with a toothbrush. The steam will remove the greasy surface and you can brush it back.

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Apply a shoe care or waterproofing product. Use a shoe leather conditioner or waterproofing product to protect the freshly cleaned surface of the shoe. Follow the instructions on the product packaging when using. In general, you will use a clean rag to dab a little and rub the entire surface of the shoe. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Leather conditioners help prevent the skin from drying out and stretch it out a bit, making it easier to put your feet in your shoes. Waterproof products prevent water from soaking the skin. Both of these products are very useful for shoes, but you should not use them at the same time.

Things you need

Brush
Wiper
Suede eraser or cleaning stick
Dish soap
Toothbrush
Suede or nubuck leather cleaner
Fine sandpaper
Protective or waterproofing products for suede or nubuck leather
Warm water

Steps

Clean small stains

Deep cleaning

Dry and brush the surface of the shoe

Things you need

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