Keeping your shoes and boots clean can be the difference between tired, beaten boots and long-lasting looks that you can wear for years. Finding out how to clean shoes and boots properly will keep your kicks looking good for longer – saving you money in the long run.
Whether you’ve bought some new boots or a sleek pair of heels, you need to take care of them.
Our handy guide on how to clean women’s shoes and boots will help ensure you’re correctly maintaining your footwear.
In this guide:
Avoiding a build-up of dirt is essential to prolonging the lifespan of your shoe material. However, the way you clean it is something that you need to consider. Different materials require different care, and our easy guide to cleaning your shoes will ensure that they stay in a great condition for longer.
Suede is one of the more delicate materials to clean. And while they can be cleaned, it’s how you clean them that differs from other women’s styles.
Preperation:
Clean mud:
Clean scuffs:
If brushing doesn’t remove the marks, use a clean pencil rubber to remove them.
Before cleaning women's leather shoes, you’ll need to check the inside label to find out what type of leather they’re made of – treated and untreated leather require different cleaning techniques.
You might only need to clean them every few months, and condition them every year to protect the leather and keep the material soft and supple.
There’s a simple solution to cleaning women's trainers - most can be run through the washing machine on a low setting. Check the label on your shoes just to make sure.
If they can:
If they can’t be washed in the machine, add washing powder or washing up liquid to a bowl and use a brush to scrub the solution into the trainers.
Patent leather is much easier to clean than leather. You can buy patent leather cleaner, but a soft cloth and a little soapy water will work just as well.
Canvas is a fabric, which in some respects makes cleaning canvas shoes a lot easier than suede or leather.
If they can’t be machine washed, it’s possible to use baking soda, washing up liquid or washing powder as a canvas shoe cleaner
Just like shoes, there’s no one cleaning method that suits all boots – it all depends on the material.
To remove dirt, you can simply give them a wipe with a damp rag. If you need a bit more manpower, you can clean boots with saddle soap – a type of soap made specifically for cleaning and protecting leather.
If using saddle soap:
To remove scuffs, dampen the corner of a soft cloth, dip it into some baking soda and gently rub the scuffs until they disappear.
The longer you leave a stain on suede, the more chance there is of it staining permanently.
It’s important that you dry your shoes to avoid them getting damaged and becoming misshapen. The best option is to let them dry naturally. If, however, you want to speed up the process, you can stuff them with tissue to help absorb some of the moisture. Check every hour and if still wet, replace the tissue - repeat until they are fully dry.
Avoid direct heat, such as from a radiator, as this can damage the shoes and can cause them to become brittle and crack.
Store them in a cool, dry place and, storage permitting, keep them in boxes or dust bags.
We recommend that you store your shoes by type and season. Keep summer and spring shoes such as sandals at the front during the warmer months and boots located at the back. When it’s autumn and winter, switch them around.
It’s also a good idea to stuff the toe end of your shoes with acid-free paper. And, avoid airtight storage solutions, as this can cause some materials to go mouldy.
For more information on how to take care of your shoes and other guides, visit shoezone guide hub.