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How to care for patent leather shoes
In order for patent leather shoes to last longer, they need to be looked after regularly. To care for these shoes you will need a microfiber cloth. It absorbs moisture well and does not leave lint on the shoes. You should always have such a napkin with you. Dust and dirt are clearly visible on glossy shoes, and it is better to remove them as soon as they are noticed. Otherwise, the shoes may become dull and cracks will appear.
Instead of such a napkin, you can use cotton pads or plain cotton wool. But you need to remember that you cannot clean patent leather shoes with force, as you can damage the mirror surface.
When caring for patent leather shoes, you should not use sponges and brushes that are used to clean leather and suede shoes. They may scratch its surface. Do not use soap solution because it contains alkali.
What can't be used?
Set aside sponges, brushes, and “combs” that you use to clean suede or leather. All these cleaning devices are not suitable for patent leather shoes. They can leave scratches on delicate surfaces, which then become cracks.
Also, do not clean varnished items with soapy water. It contains alkali.
Alcohol is no less dangerous. These substances are more likely to fix dirt on the surface than to clean it.
Proper care of patent leather shoes at home
You need to take care of patent leather shoes carefully and regularly. You should clean it at least once a day, but it is better to clean it several times a day as it gets dirty.
How to care for patent leather shoes
- First, remove dust and dirt that has stuck to the shoes with a napkin or soft cloth;
- In case of heavy contamination, wet the napkin a little and gently, without pressing, walk over the dirt. You can’t rub it, because you can scratch the surface;
- To remove moisture, you will need a dry cloth or microfiber cloth;
- After cleaning the shoes from dirt, you need to take a cream to care for the varnish coating and apply a small amount of it to the surface of the shoes. This way you can restore the original shine;
- Remove excess cream with a napkin.
To care for patent leather shoes, it is best to use special products that contain glycerin or lanolin. These can be creams, sprays, aerosols, polish.
Types of material
To better understand how to keep products made from this material in order, you must first understand which type it belongs to:
- Natural.
- Artificial.
- Oiled or nubuck oil.
Natural
Made from the skin of large animals. Due to its strength and pleasant soft surface, it is used, in addition to shoes, for covering furniture. Here are a few features of nubuck:
- Breathability.
- Strength.
- Resistant to moisture.
- Resistant to deformation and scratches.
Quality depends greatly on the manufacturer. In Asian countries, the “doubling” method is widely used, when the skin is pulled onto a drum, saturated with steam and stretched 1.5-2 times. Then they are fixed, treated with special chemical compounds and dried. This reduces the cost of raw materials, but impairs its strength and wear resistance. In addition, the pores of the “stretched” material quickly become clogged with dust, making it very difficult to clean. You can take such shoes if you do not expect large loads on them.
If possible, you should give preference to good European brands that do not use such “technologies”.
Artificial
Artificial nubuck, or eco-nubuck, looks very similar to natural nubuck, but costs several times less. Synthetic material has the following properties:
- High wear resistance.
- Environmentally friendly.
- Low maintenance requirements.
- The moisture resistance of artificial nubuck is much higher than that of “real” boots.
- Poor air permeability, which affects the comfort and health of the feet.
Oil
Nubuck-oil, or oiled (greased) nubuck, is treated with special fats after tanning. As a result of this treatment, the soft velvety texture is lost, but moisture-repellent properties appear. Hydrophobic nubuck is heavier than usual and looks more wet.
Material properties:
- Complete protection from moisture.
- It requires virtually no maintenance, can withstand high loads, and has a long service life.
- The cost is quite high, although it corresponds to the quality.
Folk remedies for caring for patent leather shoes
Glass cleaner
You can restore the shine of your shoes using folk remedies, but this must be done carefully.
Natural patent leather shoes can be cleaned with glass cleaner. Although it sounds scary, this method is actually safe. But the varnish coating in this case may crack if the shoe is based on artificial leather.
To clean boots or shoes, they need to be placed on the floor or table, after laying down a newspaper or cloth. Then apply a little cleaning agent onto a napkin and begin polishing without making any effort, without allowing the product to dry. The result will be stunning. The shoes will look like new.
Despite the fact that this method will not harm natural leather, you should not resort to it often.
Egg white
It removes scuffs and cracks and returns shine to shoes.
To make it easier to apply the protein to shoes, it needs to be whipped until foam forms. After this, apply a thick layer and leave for two minutes. After this, remove the residue with a soft cloth, apply a water-repellent spray and polish the surface of the shoes until shiny.
Milk
Just like egg white, milk removes stains and restores shine.
Soak a cotton pad in milk and wipe the stains on the cleaned surface of the shoe with it. After this, wipe the shoes dry and use polish to secure the result.
Salt
Dissolve 1 tbsp in a small amount of water. l. salt, wait until the salt has completely dissolved. After this, moisten a cotton swab and wipe the stains with it. After 5-10 minutes, remove any remaining product with a damp cloth and wipe the shoes dry.
Glycerol
Glycerol is an organic compound, the simplest representative of trihydric alcohols. Non-toxic, it is a viscous, transparent, odorless liquid.
Source Wikipedia
You can buy it at any pharmacy. It's inexpensive, and a bottle will last a long time.
Moisten a cotton pad with glycerin and wipe the cleaned surface without any effort. Leave for half an hour, then wipe the shoes with a soft cloth and polish. Then let the shoes dry for 24 hours.
Ammonia with glycerin
This option is suitable for cleaning light patent leather shoes. Ammonia will remove stains, and glycerin will soften the skin and eliminate minor scratches and cracks.
Mix 1 tbsp. l. ammonia and a little less glycerin. Apply the resulting mixture to the shoes and gently wipe with a napkin. After a few minutes, wipe with a microfiber cloth and let the shoes dry.
Coffee or tea
You can restore the shine of dark patent leather shoes with cooled coffee or tea. Using a cotton swab, apply any of these drinks to a clean surface and treat it. Then wipe dry and polish with a microfiber cloth.
Eraser
With its help you can get rid of stains and streaks on dark patent leather shoes.
Wipe your shoes to remove any dust and rub the eraser over the dirty stain until it disappears. After this, polish your shoes.
Lemon juice
It will help get rid of coffee or wine stains and dark streaks.
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon, soak a cotton swab in it and treat your shoes. After this, wipe it with a soft cloth and dry it.
Onion with vinegar
Grate the onion and squeeze out the juice using gauze. Add 1 tsp to it. vinegar and mix well. Soak a cotton pad in this mixture and treat the surface of the shoe. After this, wipe dry, polish and put in a dark, well-ventilated place to remove the smell.
Repairing damage
Being a fragile and vulnerable coating, the varnish film quite often undergoes various types of damage: scratches, chips, abrasions, etc. Any of these changes significantly affects the appearance, depriving the shoes of their spectacular stylish status. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to turn back time and restore the integrity of the varnish coating. But in most cases, defects can be skillfully disguised, which will undoubtedly have a positive effect on aesthetic characteristics and presentable appearance.
Nail polish is suitable for masking scratches and abrasions.
- Choose a polish that matches the color of your shoes and apply it to the scratch with gentle movements, trying not to go beyond the boundaries of the damaged area.
Nail polish is a great helper in masking shoe defects - Let the varnish dry and then polish the surface.
If the varnish film is damaged and part of it has moved away from the leather base, nail polish will also help correct the situation. In this case, you can use either a varnish that matches the tone of the shoes or a colorless one.
- Carefully move the damaged area of the varnish film to the side.
- Apply nail polish to the damaged area of the leather base and the back side of the peeled film.
- Press the varnish film onto the product. Use a dry cloth to press down.
- Wait for the varnish to dry.
Small cracks can be hidden using a matching eyeliner, soft colored pencil or felt-tip pen. To fix the problem you need to:
- Paint over the crack with a pencil and carefully shade the colored component using a dry cloth.
You can hide small cracks in the varnish using a felt-tip pen. - Polish your shoes with a soft cloth.
How to get rid of scuffs on patent leather shoes
Scratches and cracks spoil the appearance of patent leather shoes. But don’t rush to get rid of such shoes. If the problems are small, you can get rid of them.
The methods are different.
Marker
It can be used if the scratches are not too noticeable. Match the marker to the color of your shoes. If the color of the marker is a little darker than your shoes, blend it out a little with a soft cloth.
But remember that this option for masking scratches is temporary. Once your shoes get wet, they will be visible again.
Wax and Vaseline
Wax softens patent leather, fills small scratches and prevents them from turning into cracks. Vaseline fixes the result. If there is neither wax nor Vaseline, you can take castor, olive oil and glycerin.
Wipe your shoes to remove dust and dirt. Apply the product to your shoes with a cotton pad or napkin for 15 minutes. Then buff with a soft cloth until the oil, wax and petroleum jelly stains are gone.
Nail polish
You can use it to paint over scratches and abrasions, also matching it to the color of your shoes.
Tooth powder or paste
Black stripes can be easily removed with toothpaste or powder. These products have whitening effects and make shoes more well-groomed.
Cleaning sneakers with this method is not difficult. You don't even have to make any special effort.
Just take a toothbrush, apply a little toothpaste to it (don't put too much, it will slip off your shoes and fall off more than it stays on), scrub gently with the brush.
After removing the black stripes, remove the remaining product with water and a cloth. The toothpaste foams a little but comes off quickly. There is no use in scrubbing off black stripes with shoe polish. This product does not help remove stains.
But if you're in a hurry and don't have time to get rid of dark spots, take shoe polish and just cover up the dirt. This will help hide the stained area.
Only in the evening be sure to remove the dirt. Otherwise, new spots will appear later, and this will take a lot of time.
How to properly dry and store patent leather shoes
Patent leather shoes can be dried at room temperature, avoiding direct sunlight. Using electric dryers will cause cracks in your shoes.
To make your shoes dry faster, you can put an activated carbon tablet inside or stuff it with paper, they will remove excess moisture. After the shoes have dried, polish them and treat them with the necessary product - a moisturizer and color fixer.
Before storing shoes, they must be treated with patent leather shoe care products. Place the mold holder in your boots or shoes. If you don't have one, you can stuff paper into your shoes.
Shoes should not touch each other. There should be a separate package for each. Or you can simply wrap them in fabric and put paper between them.
Melamine sponge
A universal remedy is a melamine sponge. This is a special type of plastic that resembles an eraser in properties, but is much better in action. Melamine sponge works great to combat this problem.
It removes dirt, marker marks and other stains from shoes. This product is indispensable in the household. The melamine sponge helps to wipe off almost any dirt, which is why it is so popular.
How to remove black stripes from shoes? Wet the melamine sponge in clean water and press on both sides with your palms to squeeze out excess moisture. Rub the tip over the black mark.
Melamine sponges are very flexible with a firm texture, but it crumbles during use. Remove residue from the floor with a cloth or vacuum. The sponge does not leave scratches, but melamine particles should not be allowed to enter the body.
Factors that can ruin patent leather shoes
The coating of patent leather shoes is negatively affected by several factors:
- Shoes lose their appearance and cracks form on them at sub-zero temperatures;
- And, conversely, at high temperatures and direct sunlight, the varnish stretches. Therefore, you should not dry such shoes near heating devices. The permissible temperature that will not adversely affect shoes is from zero to + 25 degrees;
- The properties of the material structure are damaged by moisture. The varnish surface may become deformed or change color - light or dark spots may appear. It is for this reason that such shoes cannot be washed and stored in a room with high humidity;
- Do not clean such shoes with brushes, hard sponges, or use cleaning powders to avoid scratches on the shoes;
- The appearance of shoes will be ruined by gasoline, acetone, and solvents if they are used for cleaning.
Removing scratches with nail polish
Nail polish helps disguise minor scratches. Initially, you need to choose a color so that the shades of the coatings match. Apply a thin layer of the product to the problem area. The disadvantage of this method is that the effect will last no more than 2 weeks.
If you do not have the required colored varnish, you can use a colorless one. A good alternative is collodion, a thick, sticky solution.
