How to clean and care for nubuck shoes

Nubuck is a natural material, comfortable to wear and outwardly attractive. However, when purchasing shoes made from this material, you need to know how to clean the nubuck. “What's so complicated?” - many will say. - "Washed, if dirty, and set to dry under the battery." It is these people who, after wearing the first pair of nubuck shoes, will never again purchase shoes or boots made of this material. Moreover, they will tell everyone they know that nubuck shoes get wet in the winter, dust in the warm spring and lose their appearance for 3-4 socks. Let's not repeat their mistakes and find out how to clean shoes from nubuck so that it looks flawless and comfortable to wear.

Getting ready for the first sock

Bought a nubuck pair? Take your time to run for a walk. First you need to properly prepare the shoes: protect from autumn-spring dampness, winter slush and snow. To be fully equipped, at the same time as purchasing shoes from nubuck, buy tools and accessories for caring for this material. Maintain it in a neat condition will help:

• water-repellent impregnation, usually in the form of a spray;
• a special brush that gently cleans the surface of dust;
• cream paint;
• an eraser to remove dirt;
• shampoo for removal of persistent pollution, salt stains.

Also, a shoe spoon and a special deodorant will not be superfluous - they allow you to care for shoes from any material.

When special equipment is purchased, it is necessary to thoroughly soak shoes or boots before putting them on for the first time.

1. Choose a well-ventilated room, such as a balcony. Close the window to the apartment, and those that go outside, open to the maximum.
2. Lay a thick layer of old newspapers on the floor.
3. Put the shoes on the newspapers and apply water-repellent impregnation to it liberally.
4. Wait for the shoes to dry.
5. Repeat the procedure 2 more times.
6. Wait for the surface to dry.

Now we can assume that nubuck shoes have undergone initial processing from dampness at home and can be worn on the street.

Protect yourself from the vagaries of the weather

“Nature has no bad weather ...” This phrase will be true if you take care of nubuck shoes in a timely and correct manner. What are the vagaries of the weather and how to protect your favorite boots and boots from them?

Tip

A nubuck pair of shoes should not be the only one, otherwise it will have to be worn in a strong slush and in a shower, which is contraindicated for her. For extremely dirty and wet weather, there should always be appropriate shoes in the arsenal that do not let moisture in and are easy to clean.

If not to speak about extreme cases, proper care of shoes from nubuck will save her from the unpleasant consequences of snow, rain and dust.

First, a few general recommendations.

• Cleaning is always dry.
• Machine wash is contraindicated.
• Do not dry near a strong heat source (battery, heater).
• You can not use ordinary shoe creams - this will damage the appearance of the nubuck.
• You can take care of a nubuck using special means or proven home methods that do not contradict the general rules of care.
• Choose well-known brands of care products marked "for nubuck." If you want to try something new, before applying, check the product in a small area of ​​the fabric. The same applies to folk methods.

Now let’s take a closer look at how to clean your favorite shoes with store tools at home.

1. Arriving home, you must carefully, trying not to get on the nubuck, wash the dirt from the soles, heels and cords with a damp sponge, but not under running water.Then you should dry your shoes naturally, using a shoe dryer or stuffing well-crumpled old newspapers into your shoes.
2. When the steam is dry, proceed to clean. If the pollution is not strong, just walk along the surface of the nubuck with a special brush that removes dust and dirt. Individual spots can be removed with an eraser for nubuck shoes. In case of severe contamination (clearly visible spots of dirt, salt stains) organize wet cleaning with a special shampoo according to the instructions for use. As mentioned above, you can’t wash the nubuck, so when using shampoo it is applied in the form diluted with water (1: 2), the surface of the material is carefully cleaned and the product is removed with a damp cloth. Not under the tap!
3. After using the shampoo, wait until the steam dries and proceed to the next step.
4. If necessary, you can apply a tool that updates the color - cream paint. If spray is used, it will be useful to cover decorative elements with foil if they are on boots or boots. You can also use masking tape for this purpose.
5. Finishing dry clean shoes involves applying a moisture-proof spray. This should be done as carefully as before the first wear.

At home, using improvised means, you can only delicately clean nubuck shoes, except for the old ways of tinting with copy paper, coffee grounds and peeling with a bread crust. To update the color and protection from moisture, you will have to use special store tools.

You can clean the stain from dirt or oil with ammonia or vinegar.

1. Dry your shoes.
2. Clean the surface dirt with a rubber brush.
3. Prepare a solution to remove stains from water and ammonia (4: 1) or table vinegar (1 tsp. To 1 liter of water).
4. Put the solution on the cloth and wipe the stain, if necessary, do it several times.
5. Walk around the place where the stain used to be, with a cloth soaked in clean water and wrung out well.
6. Dry the surface of the nubuck shoe after wet cleaning with paint (if necessary) and a water-repellent spray.

Caring for shoes from nubuck is a simple, but permanent business. Therefore, when buying shoes from this material, remember: that it looked "excellent", you can not be lazy. Care should be thorough, delicate and timely.