Shoe Cleaning

Shoes go through a lot, and without the proper care they can very easily begin to show their wear and tear. However, with the proper knowledge of shoe cleaning, your shoes can last a lot longer than you would normally expect. In order to do this though you need to make sure that you know what you are doing. Luckily as long as you don't get into too nasty of a mess, there isn't all that much to getting your shoes clean. All you really need to do is follow a few guidelines, and you will be ready to handle most kinds of messes that your can find yourself faced with.

• Suede. Suede is often considered one of the more difficult types of shoes to clean, but in reality it couldn't be easier. Whenever your suede shoes get dirty or muddy, you want to make sure that you allow them to dry completely first. This will allow an easier time of cleaning, where you can simply brush the dried dirt off. Use a suede eraser to remove any particularly nasty stains, while using a brush to help get rid of any scuffs. Once you have your shoes cleaned, be sure that you apply some suede protector to the material to help prevent any future stains.
• Canvas. Canvas shoes are probably the single easiest type to clean around. Frankly all you really need to do to clean some canvas shoes is to wash them. Be sure that you remove the shoe laces, and then to place the dirty shoes into your washing machine. Wash as you normally would, and you should remove most (if not all) of the stains that you can find yourself faced with. However for more difficult stains you may want to apply a cleaning agent directly to the stain, and scrub the stain away with an old toothbrush. Rinse and wash as you normally would, and the stain should be completely removed.
• Leather. Smooth leather shoes are also extremely easy to clean. If the shoes have any laces, then be sure to remove them first. Take a soft shoe brush and work over the entire exterior of the shoe to remove any dried dirt and mud that may be stuck onto it. Once you have done that place two cups of warm water into a bowl, and then add a little bit of mild hand soap, and work the mix into a bubbly froth. Use a sponge or rag that has been dampened in the cleaning mixture and wipe down the entire exterior of the shoe. Take another soft rag and wipe the shoes dry. After you have cleaned the shoes you will need to recondition the leather, and if necessary polish the leather so that it will last longer.
• Satin. Cleaning satin shoes yourself can be extremely hard, and frankly isn't something that you should do yourself. This type of shoe will often require specialized cleaners and tools, and as such should be handed over the professionals.