Scratches on shoes: how to remove and get rid of them

Shoes scratch very easily. Steps, curbs, sharp objects on the way - all you need to do is catch them slightly, and your shoes or boots will be damaged. And even durable natural leather cannot withstand constant exposure to precipitation and reagents. It’s even more annoying if the shoes are completely new.

How to return products to a presentable appearance? It is impossible to completely get rid of the defect on your own, but it is quite possible to return the models to an attractive appearance. Agree that even a small scratch catches the eye, while a carefully corrected flaw is almost invisible.

Where do scratches come from and what to do before removing them?

They usually appear at the most inopportune moment. The causes are varied:

A manufacturing defect caused by the manufacturer;
Contact with various sharp objects when riding in vehicles or walking;
Exposure to natural phenomena such as snow, rain, hail, etc.
Poor quality of roads.

Once you see a scratch, you first need to assess the extent of its damage. This is very easy to do: you need to run your hand along it first in one direction and then in the other. If the roughness is felt only in one direction, this means that the leather of the shoe is damaged and the scratch is deeper. If roughness is felt in two directions at once, then in this case only the paint is scratched, which means the damage is not so significant.

Before you start removing scratches, you need to remove large protruding pieces of fabric using nail scissors or tweezers and carefully trim the surface. There is no need to throw them away.

Next, the shoes need to be thoroughly cleaned with a clean cloth, using alcohol or specialized cleaning agents.

How to remove creases from suede sneakers?

Sneakers made from natural suede wear very well, especially if you care for them properly. They do not tolerate wet weather or walking through puddles. In this case, they must be dried immediately and treated with a special soft brush to lift the villi.

How to remove creases from suede sneakers:

You can disguise defects on suede sneakers using a brush with small bristles. To eliminate minor damage, use a school eraser. It is necessary to walk it over the surface of the shoe.
On sale you can find special paint in a spray bottle and apply it to shoes after preliminary cleaning and drying. You can also remove scratches with black bread. To do this, rub the damaged areas with a crust of bread.

Recovery

On leather shoes

Many people prefer shoes made of high-quality real leather. This is easily explained, since leather shoes are suitable both for everyday wear and as an evening option for going out to a fashionable restaurant, corporate party, etc.

How can you remove scratches?

There are different methods.

"Emergency" methods.

Use only if the damage is minor and needs to be repaired quickly. For this purpose you can use:

Marker. You just need to match it to the color of your shoes and paint over the scratch.
Shoe polish. You need to carefully apply it with a special brush to the damaged area. It is ideal for minor, small scratches, covering them up and making them invisible.
Superglue "Moment". To apply it, you need to use the following scheme: take a toothpick, apply a little varnish to it on the torn piece of the product and on the base underneath it. Wrap a piece of fabric around your finger and press the torn piece into its rightful place and the skin should stick well.
Women's nail polish. Both colorless and black varnish are suitable. The principle of application is the same as in the case of glue.

How to quickly break in tight or narrow shoes

Important! Instead of varnish or superglue, you can use collodion - a chemical substance consisting of a solution of colloxylin.

"Liquid skin".

A paint that is used for urgent repairs of leather items at home. An irreplaceable item for shoes that can disguise such damage.

Mode of application:

Choose the color closest to the color of the shoes.
Apply liquid leather to the damaged surface and smooth evenly.
Leave for ten minutes so that it has time to dry completely. After which it needs to be polished.
Apply balm or cream to the surface.

Important! If the surface of the leather is severely damaged, then you need to apply several layers of liquid leather and let them dry one at a time. Preferably for at least a day.

Once the leather surface is completely dry, no scratches will be visible.

Wax.

For more serious damage, ordinary wax can help. You can buy special shoe wax or use beeswax. If there is neither one nor the other, then an ordinary home candle can replace it.

Mode of application:

Place the wax in a separate container and heat it slightly.
Gently spread it onto the problem area and then dry.
Polish the surface with a soft cloth or a special brush.

Important! If the shoes are colored, then after this procedure you should paint over the damaged area with a marker or cream to match the color of the shoes.

How to remove creases from leatherette sneakers?

Faux leather is made from synthetic fibers and polymers. When heated, these materials melt and deform. Therefore, it is not recommended to iron such products even through a damp cloth. It is unknown how the polymer will behave. Usually on outerwear and skirts made of leatherette there are labels that indicate the washing and ironing mode of the products. However, shoes most often do not have such markings. Therefore, it is not clear how the leatherette will behave and what kind of fibers were used in its manufacture.

How to remove creases from leatherette sneakers:

The best option is to do the manipulations without heating. To do this, you need to stuff your shoes with newspapers so that all the creases and folds are evened out. After this, the shoes are thoroughly washed and dried.
After the surface becomes dry, it is necessary to apply a moisturizer with a large amount of fat. This can be either a leather cream or a special shoe cream. Try to choose beeswax-free products that are rich in fat. Products with dyes are also not suitable, as they can aggravate the problem.
After application, thoroughly rub the product into the surface and leave until completely dry. After this, repeat the manipulation. All this time, you should not remove newspapers and paper from the sneakers; it is necessary to keep the leather substitute in a taut state.
You can use a hairdryer. To do this, shoes are thoroughly cleaned of dirt, wiped with a damp cloth, and filled with a damp towel. Next, you need to moisten the surface of the artificial leather with water from a spray bottle and dry it with a hairdryer at medium temperature.
It is necessary that the distance from the shoes to the hair dryer is approximately 20 cm. Under no circumstances place the hair dryer close to the creases so as not to damage the surface of the material.

Converse

On patent leather shoes

Scratches on glossy shoes are somewhat more difficult to remove. And there are several proven methods that have been successfully used by people for a long time.

Unpleasant shoe smell: dealing with the problem

Nail polish.

If the surface of the shoe is colored, then you need to take colorless nail polish. If the surface is black, then you need to take a black varnish.

Mode of application:

Carefully apply the varnish with a brush to the torn surface and to the scratch itself;
Apply the torn piece to the damaged area;
Place a clean bandage or cloth on top and press for two to three minutes.

Thanks to this method, the scratch is almost impossible to see with the naked eye. But there is a significant drawback: the protective layer of varnish will not last more than two weeks. It will need to be constantly updated.

Nail polish remover.

To mask minor scratches, you can use not only nail polish, but also nail polish remover. The method is simple: you need to moisten a cotton swab in it, squeeze it out a little and gently rub it over the scratch. After a while she will not be visible.

Important! Before doing this, you should conduct a test on a not too noticeable area of patent leather. In some cases, the color from nail polish remover may rub off.

Eraser.

Minor damage can also be masked with special erasers.

Mode of application:

Clean your shoes, take an eraser.
Gently, with smooth movements, direct it towards the abrasion.
Wipe off the remaining eraser with a regular cotton pad, after moistening it in alcohol.
Wipe the surface with a soft cloth until it is dry.
Apply a small amount of oil to a cloth and massage the affected area. You can use any oil: vegetable, mineral or vaseline.
After this procedure, you should wipe the shoes with a clean cloth.
For the best effect, you need to treat it with special products designed for patent leather.

Getting rid of the enemies of suede: dirt and salt

It should be remembered that defects are more noticeable on a varnish surface. Therefore, you need to do everything necessary to prevent them.

How to remove creases from white sneakers?

To remove grass stains and dark-colored scratches from light-colored sneakers, you can use gasoline or tooth powder. If these are leather sneakers, then it is best to moisten the surface of the sponge with milk or olive oil and rub the mark.

How to remove creases from white sneakers:

Damage can be repaired using a liquid corrector. However, this is the best option for inexpensive Chinese shoes. If you are resuscitating natural leather sneakers, it is better not to use a corrector, as it will ruin them.
To disguise dark scratches that could not be removed with solvent, you can use white paint in the form of a spray or cream. However, the cost of such a product is quite high.
If there are deep scratches on white sneakers, it is best to use white varnish or gel polish for these purposes, which must be dried in an ultraviolet lamp and then wiped with a degreaser. This will hide imperfections. But if the scratch is in an area of constant bending and wrinkling, the varnish will soon peel off.

On shoes made of artificial leather

Shoes made of leatherette, like genuine leather, require careful care.

The best method for faux leather shoes is using decoupage glue - Mod Podge. It combines the properties of glue, sealant and varnish.

Materials:

special paint for shoes of a suitable color;
Mod Podge glue;
the smallest brush for painting;

Mode of application:

Having previously cleaned the shoes from dirt and removed all excess material, you need to carefully distribute the shoe paint in the right place.
Let it dry thoroughly and apply another coat if necessary.
Using a brush, apply a thin layer of glue to the entire painted area and smooth it gently.

This method does not eliminate scratches, but it does help disguise them.

Care tips for maintaining perfect whites

It is worth following a number of recommendations to ensure that your shoes remain as impressively snow-white:

Do not store white sneakers in a place exposed to direct sunlight. They will quickly turn yellow.
They should also not be stored in a place where shoes may become covered in dust. The white color will take on a difficult to remove grayish tint.
For storage, place clean (only clean) shoes in a bag made of breathable material and put them in a cool and dark place.
When washing, you can regularly use a light optical brightener.

Before using any homemade recipe, it is worth testing it on an inconspicuous piece of white leather or fabric. In the future, if you have already proven products, caring for white shoes will no longer cause any particular difficulties.

Preparatory stage

Before you get rid of scratches, you need to prepare your shoes for the process. To do this, thoroughly clean your boots or shoes from dirt and dust. To do this, dampen a cloth in a light, warm soapy solution and wipe the surface. Then go over the material with a damp cloth to remove any remaining soap.

Finally, wipe the products with a dry cloth and leave to dry in a ventilated place away from sunlight, batteries and electrical appliances. To make the inside of your shoes dry faster, you can fill your shoes or boots with newspaper and replace the paper with dry paper as it gets wet.

Inspect dry and clean shoes. Carefully trim any protruding pieces of skin that do not fit back with nail clippers or scissors. After these steps, you can begin the process of eliminating defects.

How to prepare the product for use

Before dyeing, leather shoes must be cleaned of dust and dirt. Wash, wipe with a dry cloth and let dry. Products made of white or light leather must be degreased with alcohol before applying paint, otherwise it will not be possible to obtain an even color over the entire surface.

Applying a protective coating

The protective coating after dyeing leather shoes performs several functions:

fixative – additionally fixes the coloring matter on the surface (for example, after using a spray);
protects against moisture and dust;
adds shine and deep color.

As a protective coating, you can use water-repellent impregnations, wax or shoe polish. Suede products can be treated with a spray, and to fix the color, wipe the surface with water and vinegar.

How to remove cracks on the soles of sneakers?

It is not easy to restore the sole if cracks appear on it. However, it is still possible to do this at home. The simplest option is to use Moment glue or epoxy resin, which is sold for gluing car parts. To do this, you need to bend the sole in half so that the ends of the crack become visible.

How to remove cracks on the soles of sneakers:

It is necessary to scrape off dirt, debris, and remove contaminated areas using a shoe knife. After this, sandpaper is applied and the surface is degreased. Next, a thick layer of glue is applied, the edges are connected to each other.
Such shoes must be placed under a press or a heavy object for a day. Using a knife, you need to mark zigzag lines that will connect the two parts of the sole. Using a shoe hook and thread, you need to connect the edges of the sole. This way you get double protection: gluing with epoxy resin and seam.
You can restore the sole using nylon and a soldering iron. It is necessary to degrease the surface, remove debris, and then wipe the cracks with sandpaper. After this, you need to heat up the soldering iron and melt the material along the crack line on both sides. Next, a piece of nylon is inserted, which is melted using a soldering iron. The molten mass must be pressed into the resulting space using the handle of a soldering iron, not the spout. The spout is hot, so dents will form.

Repair
Read on topic:

Shoes squeak when walking: what to do?
How to clean boots from white stains: tips
How to stretch and break in shoes: tips
How and with what to remove fuel oil from the surface of sneakers, shoes, and boots?
Slippery soles of boots: what to do?

Experts recommend purchasing not one pair of shoes for the season, but two or three, in order to alternate them with each other. It is recommended to store winter shoes not in plastic bags, but in cardboard boxes, stuffing them with fabric or paper. This helps smooth out folds and prevents creases from appearing. Before storing a winter pair, you must thoroughly clean it with a thick layer of paper or cloth, and apply a large amount of a high-fat care product on top. After a few months of storage in the closet, such shoes are completely smoothed out and ready for subsequent wear. The best option for storing shoes is cardboard boxes with ventilation.