This brilliant look. Cleaning shoes at home
It is known that you only have 7 seconds to make a first impression. Only one thing is clear: there will be no second chance. So don't do anything that will interfere with making a good first impression... of course, nothing is easier than getting rid of unkempt shoes!
Shoe care guide
A well-maintained pair of shoes not only looks dapper and makes you look so polished (no pun intended), but it also adds a significant boost to your life. I've heard that HRH The Prince of Wales has been wearing a pair of John Lobb Oxfords since the early 70s - something that can only be achieved with good shoe care.
So how can we change the way we look after our shoes?
I have an old pair of Loake Oban leather rain boots that are in desperate need of a little love. These are fantastic shoes and impress with an outstanding price. But still, as much as it pains me to admit, this couple was treated poorly. She is about ten years old, during which time her soles have been changed once or twice, and her fronts retain traces of their former beauty. But don't worry, they'll make the perfect pair of shoes to demonstrate how we can turn worn-out shoes into just slightly worn ones by polishing them.
The process will take some time, but the results are worth every moment, and the process is both relaxing and rewarding.
First of all, the boots must be dry, which is important for cleaning and polishing.
To maintain a happy household, it is necessary to place newspaper on the surface on which we polish our shoes. My mother never liked me polishing my shoes on the dinner table like a little boy, so learn from my experience and put some newspaper down. I recommend choosing Vedomosti, but Kommersant is also suitable.
Step 1
These boots are not particularly dirty. I've seen guys in the office with shoes in worse condition, but as you can see, they are well polished without reservation. They have been cleaned regularly over the years and are now coated with many layers of old cream and would indicate good handling.
First of all, you should take a good shoe brush and clean the dirt from your shoes. If brushes are not enough to remove dirt, I would wipe them with a damp cloth to remove all the dirt and then let them dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Next, I would like to remove all traces of previous cleanings. It might look a little scary, but bare with me... I cleaned them with cotton swabs soaked in acetone (nail polish solvent). You can easily find it in the medical office of your girlfriend, wife or lover.
Step 2
To do this, you need to apply a little acetone to a ball of cotton wool and lightly rub the surface of the boots to remove traces of previous cleaning. Be very careful not to remove any existing leather finish or impregnation from the leather pores, as acetone may well strip the leather of any natural oils. Economical application is key.
Prohibition - at this point I realized that these boots were leather, so acetone could not harm them (acetone is a solvent and can dissolve some polymers).
If you are unsure whether using acetone will cause damage, test on a less visible part of the shoe (testing the tongue is a good idea, as this is the most covered part of the shoe and the possible effect on the finish will not make much of a difference).
Instead of acetone, you can use strong alcohol to clean the skin.
You will see old cream on the cotton swab.
Step 3
Here you can look at one shoe (above) with the old cream removed and the second (below) before the removal process. The difference is obvious.
Step 4
When both boots are processed, a new stage begins - impregnation of the leather. Leather is a natural product and needs to be treated to prevent drying out and cracking. It can be soaked in leather balm, conditioner cream, mink oil or leather care soap. This will protect the leather from drying out and also cracking.
For black shoes this is easy to do, light colored shoes (such as light tan) may darken slightly as a result of this process, if this is not clear, test on a hidden part of the shoe or accept the possible slight darkening.
Step 5
When doing this process, I applied the cream conditioner on a soft cloth. Our mantra is again to use sparingly, you can add more at any time. Don't be afraid to rub harder if you want to saturate the leather with conditioner. Leave the boots for 10 minutes or so, then blot off any excess with a soft cloth.
Now we need to give the boots a shiny look and bring out their true color. This is done by applying a cream with wax.
First of all, take a brush, put a little wax on it and work it on the welts of the shoes (the place where the forefoot meets the sole) to cover all the seams and welts with wax.
You'll notice that I took the laces out of my shoes. Honestly, I should have done this earlier (at the very beginning of the process) as it makes the boots easier to clean and allows the leather under the laces to be treated. This also protects your laces from being processed.
How to make leather shoes smaller?
Home method: wet leather shoes with water and spray with shoe stretching agent. Place the paper inside so that it does not stretch the shoes, that is, without excess, and does not allow the shoes to lose their shape. As the skin dries, it will shrink and tighten.
Interesting materials:
How to put music on a photo on an iPhone? How to log into your Bluestacks account? How to grow melon at home? How was mass measured in ancient times? How to write a fractional number in Excel? How to format a number in Excel? How to copy and paste a row in Excel? How to multiply the same number by different numbers in Excel? How to AutoSum in Excel? How to enable notifications on Facebook?
Using insoles
Insoles will be especially useful if your boots are a little big.
The area around the back seam is especially problematic. That's why a wound appears above the heel.
- It is necessary to buy thick insoles, the size of which is larger than required.
- They are inserted into shoes, starting from the toe, and carefully distributed inside the shoe.
- The excess insole rises up the heel of the shoe and thus covers the seam.
Now, having put on the ankle boots, it is possible to secure the foot firmly, and walking in them does not cause the same inconvenience.
A sock becomes another protection for the foot. You will need a thick wool sock, or two cotton ones. The principle and purposes of its use are the same as those of insoles. The boots are worn with thick socks so that the material stretches during use and the skin of the legs suffers less.
How to shine your shoes so they light your way
After these tips, a bright future awaits you!
While the rains are falling, you have a unique opportunity to escape the boring reality and plunge into the amazing and magical world of shoe cleaning.
First, check if you have any cream left from last season. Remained? Then throw it away. “Not a single cream retains its beneficial qualities for more than a year,” assures Vladimir Kotov, a shoe cleaner and receiver.
When buying a new batch of shoe care products, give preference to thick varieties. The thinner the consistency of the cream, the shorter its duration. It is enough to apply thick varieties to the skin only once every 3-6 days (depending on weather conditions), and in between, you can get by with a dry brush.
Remember the main rule, which guarantees you one percent of success in this enterprise: never clean your shoes less than an hour before going outside. “Cleaning organized five minutes before going out can deform the shoes,” explains Vladimir. The cream will not have time to be absorbed, and the pressure of your mighty foot from the inside will turn your shoes into varnished casts of your feet. Ideally, 8-12 hours should pass after you polish your shoe (or better yet, both) and before you go out.
Use a damp cloth to remove any dirt left over from the spring from your shoes. If the pieces are very large and hard, use a dry brush with thick bristles and only then a damp cloth. Now dissolve a tablespoon of liquid soap in a liter of warm water and, using small circular movements, thoroughly wash your shoes with the resulting solution.
After finishing the water procedures, wipe your shoes dry with toilet paper. Do not use newspaper under any circumstances: the ink may bleed and ruin the skin (especially light and thin skin). Let the shoes dry and recover. Do not place damp boots on or near a radiator: they may lose their shape and freeze forever in a bizarre grimace.
When the boots are dry, generously spread the cream over them. Time it for 20 minutes.
What you need to clean your shoes
Shoe polish
There are two types of shoe polish to choose from: cream and wax. What you choose, polishing cream or just wax, depends on how highly polished your shoes are needed.
Shoe polish gives an average shine, but moisturizes the skin well and renews the color of shoes. Keep in mind that if you choose the wrong shade of cream for your colored leather shoes, you can adjust the color of the shoes, so be careful in choosing the cream. Shoe wax, for its part, wipes out very small damage to the skin, abrasions, and gives a strong shine.
after polishing shoes. However, it does not update the color of the shoes, since the wax is sold in the real color - beige. For simple care, I still recommend using shoe polish in the chosen color for your leather shoes. There are fewer problems with it, and it will do a better job of protecting against moisture.
Polishing cloth
Your ads will be inserted here by
Easy Plugin for AdSense
.
Please go to the plugin admin page to Paste your ad code OR Suppress this ad slot.
Shoe polishing cloth is needed to polish your shoes to a shine. A specialized polishing cloth can be purchased from a shoe store, but a regular old cotton and paper T-shirt will also work.
All you need to do is wrap a little cloth around your fingers and polish your shoes.
Clean rag
A clean cloth is needed to wipe off excess cream. Any soft fabric works great.
How to clean boots
Brush for footwear
A shoe brush is a key tool that you absolutely cannot do without. I strongly recommend purchasing a brush with real horsehair.
Why horsehair?
The thing is that this hair is hard enough for the brush to clean the shoes well and very soft so as not to damage the leather on the shoes. A good brush is cheap and will last for several years.
Don't be greedy.
Small brush with handle (if needed)
In order to clean shoes in hard-to-reach places, you need a small brush with a handle. Of course, you can buy a specialized brush in the store, but an ordinary, old toothbrush will do.
How to clean shoes to a mirror shine? | Step by step guide
Glass of water (as needed)
Water is useful for cleaning dried dirt and final polishing of your pair of shoes.
What you need for cleaning
- Shoe cleaning cream
- Two brushes – soft and hard
- Polishing cloth (preferably wool)
- Water
An old toothbrush will also come in handy to help you get to difficult places.
The cleaning process cannot be called quick and “clean”, so we recommend covering the floor with oilcloth or newspapers. To make it more convenient to work, take a stool or chair. Boots for spring/autumn also need preparation: remove the laces, wash the boots thoroughly with a wet cloth. You should start cleaning only after the shoes are completely dry.
Several recommendations for caring for nubuck boots
If nubuck boots are dirty, water will not help, but will only worsen the situation. You need to remove dirt with a soft brush, using special sprays and shampoos for suede shoes. When there is a lot of dirt, we recommend making a solution of water and alcohol 4:1 - it will dissolve the salt and remove the dirt, but will not spoil the material of the boots. In order for winter boots to “survive” the summer well, they need to be cleaned of dirt and dust, put fabric or special shoe inserts inside, put the shoes in a box or fabric bag and send them to the mezzanine.
Cleaning method No. 3
- You will need a tin of shoe polish. It needs to be turned over the fire and the contents set on fire.
- The cream should burn for a few seconds, then close it with a lid to extinguish the flame.
- The cream heated in this way is taken with a damp cloth, applied to the shoes and rubbed to the desired shine.
- The last layer of cream should be heated with a stream of warm air from a hairdryer or a candle flame.
- After 10-15 minutes you need to do the final polishing with a damp cloth.
How to clean shoes and make them glow
The method that we will consider further is practically not suitable for everyday shoe care. It is more suitable for the case when you stepped in a puddle, your shoes got muddy to the ground and you immediately need to put the pair in order so that they do not get damaged.
We will consider a very simple and quick option for cleaning shoes at the end of the article. So, having collected all the listed items that we will need for work, place them nearby so that they are always nearby. When you start cleaning your shoes, spread a newspaper or rag so that you don’t have to wash the floor later, as dirt can fly off from your shoes.
Step 1: Preparing the Shoes
We remove the laces from the shoes and place a wooden spacer or simply crumpled paper into the shoes so that the surface of the shoe is elastic. This makes it easier to clean and polish shoes.
Step 2. Cleaning from dirt and dust
Take the prepared rag and wipe every centimeter of the surface of the boot from dust and dirt. If there is a lot of dirt or it is stuck in places that are difficult to reach, use a small brush with a handle or an old toothbrush.
If the surface of the shoe is quite dirty, wet a piece of cloth and walk with it to probably remove any remaining dirt.
Before moving on to the next step, let the shoes dry for about 10 minutes and inspect the entire pair to make sure all the dirt has been removed.
Step 3: Apply shoe polish
Apply enough shoe polish to the boot to cover the entire surface. Rub the cream in a circular motion, this will allow the cream to be better absorbed into the skin surface and distribute the cream evenly over the shoe.
If necessary, apply more shoe polish until you have treated every inch of the surface and it becomes matte.
Don't forget about a small brush and use it to lubricate the cream in places that are difficult to reach. Let the cream absorb and dry slightly for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Polish your shoes
Take the prepared horsehair brush and polish the shoes, moving the brush from side to side with sharp movements. The shoes will gradually begin to gain shine
.
Take a polishing cloth and drop a little water on your shoes (you can simply soak the cloth in the water mixture). Use a circular motion to polish your shoes until they shine, wetting the cloth as needed.
Note that you don’t need a lot of water, just a wet rag so that no water drips from it.
Step 5. Lacing the shoes
After polishing your shoes, take out the spacer or paper, lace up your shoes and let them dry completely for 15-20 minutes, after which you can hit the city streets.
Preparatory process
Before cleaning your shoes, you need to prepare the necessary tools, a workplace and the boots themselves.
You will need the following:
- cleansing cream;
- soft and hard brushes;
- soft cloth for polishing;
- water.
Additionally, an old toothbrush, ear sticks, a lighter, and a cloth for moistening with water (or cotton wool) are used. The place of work also requires some preparation, because the process itself is slow and does not exclude accidental contamination of furniture and the interior as a whole:
- spread newspapers or old oilcloth on the floor to keep the floor clean;
- for convenience, take a chair or stool - while squatting, you will want to speed up some steps, and quality will suffer as a result.
Berts should also be prepared:
- First, remove the laces.
- Now work on the boots. They need to be washed thoroughly. This doesn't mean you need to bathe them in water. The best solution is to clean them with a brush dipped in water at room temperature. Careful removal of dirt and dust from each area will contribute to high-quality shoe care results.
- After the berets have dried, you can begin applying the cream.
Important! All work is carried out outside; moisture should not get into the interior of the boots. If such a problem occurs, dry your shoes using a special dryer. In the absence of it, baby powder is poured inside, which will dry and remove the smell from wearing shoes. As an option, stuff the boots with newspapers; they will absorb moisture.
What happens if you wash suede in a washing machine?
Natural or artificial suede is a delicate material made in a special way. Shoe manufacturers do not even recommend getting suede items wet, so machine washing of almost all suede shoes is prohibited. ... Suede will lose its softness from prolonged exposure to water.
Interesting materials:
How to freeze flywheel mushrooms? How to freeze mayonnaise? How to freeze sliced bread? How to freeze raw applesauce? How to freeze raw chanterelles? How to Password a Photo Album on an iPhone? How to burn files to disk using Nero? How to burn a movie from a DVD to a flash drive? How to record video from Samsung s20 screen? How to record a video from Skype to a computer?
Tips and tricks
- It will be more convenient to polish ankle boots if the shoes are worn on the foot or on a blank.
- If the laces are slightly different in color, they can be tinted with cream at the final stage, but without polishing.
- In hard-to-reach places, applying or removing the care product will be easier with an old toothbrush or a cotton swab for the ears.
- Never use alcohol to care for shoes: it degreases the leather, making the surface dry and brittle.
- Shiny, polished boots don't look good with matte soles; lightly polish these areas with polish.
- The thickest layer of cream should be applied to the places where the shoes wear the most: on the toe and heel.
What are ankle boots
What to wear with tractor-soled boots
