How to clean nubuck shoes at home?

A variation of dressed leather (nubuck) is a material of natural origin. Nubuck shoes began to be sewn a long time ago, mainly for those who are actively involved in sports: tourists, climbers, etc. Over time, this material has gained popularity among other people, because shoes made from it have a number of excellent qualities. You need to know how to properly clean such products.

Currently, nubuck shoes are not only comfortable, but also fashionable, acting as a good competitor for leather or suede products. But not everyone is ready to buy a similar pair of boots on the go, since this material needs some care. And at first it seems to many that it is very difficult to clean it. Consumers immediately begin to worry about the question: how to clean nubuck shoes at home on their own without harming the material.

When purchasing shoes from any natural material, you should immediately buy special care products and tools that you need to use from the first day of wearing. Also for nubuck, devices for cleaning products made of suede and velor are well suited.

First you need different brushes. They can be soft or hard, rubber or metal. As a rule, in specialized points of sale of shoes, you can find a brush for each type of material, which allows you to easily clean your favorite boots, boots and shoes at home on your own. Depending on the availability of cleaning surfaces, brushes are divided into several types:

• with one cleaning surface;
• having an additional layer, which is a soft sponge;
• combining rubber pile with a metal and sponge layer to remove dirt in hard-to-reach places.

Thus, there are both inexpensive simple brushes, and double or triple universal ones, which are more expensive, but are more functional. Therefore, when choosing this tool, it is important to rely on your own wishes and preferences:

• comfortable position in the hand;
• the size;
• the ability to fit in a purse or pocket, etc.

As an alternative, you can purchase a rubber "eraser" that cleans the material from small and slightly stubborn stains without compromising the quality of the material. Sometimes unscrupulous sellers may advise you to buy an ordinary stationery eraser. In no case should this be done - it greatly spoils the nubuck.

The second thing nubuck boots need is impregnation. It is important to apply it to the shoes immediately before putting them on for the first time. It is necessary to impregnate three times, carefully treating the entire surface. After each application, it is important to wait until the product is completely dry. and only then repeat the procedure. This treatment will protect the shoes from leaks and the negative effects of moisture on the material.

In the future, you can spray water-repellent impregnation on boots once every two weeks, then they will fully receive protection from stains and stubborn dirt.

The third item on the list of essential care products is shoe paint. Thanks to her, you can extend the life of shoes and regularly return them to their original beauty. Using the paint is simple: you must first clean the shoes from external contaminants, dry them thoroughly, and then apply the coloring agent. Just don't get carried away with painting shoes. It is needed only if there are worn places, the material has become dull, the color is uneven.

It is also important to know that natural nubuck has a rough surface with small villi. Therefore, only paints in the form of an aerosol are suitable for caring for it, and not colored creams or emulsions, as for smooth leather.

And finally, the fourth thing you need for care is a special shampoo. It is useful for general cleaning of shoes. Industrial shampoo is quite aggressive, so shoes are cleaned 1-2 times a year after the end of the wearing season and strictly according to the instructions attached to it.

It must be remembered that you can only clean nubuck shoes if they are completely dry. It is forbidden to dry nubuck products near the radiator. It is possible only in open space, putting paper inside. Even dust cannot be removed from wet shoes, because during cleaning it will only eat into the matte surface more.

For evening, office, sports and summer shoes, dry cleaning should be carried out daily. If it was dry outside, it is recommended to dry the shoes for two hours. Then, using a damp cloth or cloth, gently, without touching the material, removes dirt from the sole. The nubuck itself should be combed with a metal brush.

For shoes that are more prone to dirt, wet cleaning is used. In large quantities, moisture is very harmful to nubuck, so it is unacceptable to wash it under the tap, wash it in a typewriter and soak it. For wet cleaning, special products are used: shampoos, foams, stain removers and others.

The order is the same:

• remove dirt from the sole;
• brush nubuck;
• apply the necessary remedy;
• fix everything by applying moisture-repellent impregnation.

It is necessary to take care of nubuck shoes constantly, and not from time to time. This ensures longevity of wearing, but can significantly hit the pocket, since special tools are not cheap. In this situation, folk methods of home cleaning will help:

• Ammonia will help get rid of the white spots that occur in the spring from the ingress of sidewalk reagents. It must be mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 4. Dip a sponge, cloth or cotton wool in a small amount of the resulting composition and wipe the dirt. After that, the boots must be dried well, you can even hold them for a while over the steam to straighten the pile.
• Vinegar is great for removing stains. A teaspoon of vinegar should be diluted in a liter of cold water. And in the same way as in the first case, wipe the shoes.

• To remove greasy stains, salt is used, which everyone has at home. A pinch of salt must be rubbed into the stain with a sponge, and the remnants removed with a napkin. If necessary, you can repeat the manipulations several times. In the same way, chalk or talc is used if the shoes are white or natural coffee if they are black.
• Small fresh spots are easily removed with stale bread. The crust can be used as a gentle brush.
• Gasoline, alcohol, kerosene, turpentine will help remove difficult stains, such as oil. For cleaning, you need to make a weak solution. The procedure is the same as with vinegar or ammonia. The main thing is to check before use how the substance affects the material in an inconspicuous area.

A few more practical tips to help extend the life of your favorite boots, shoes or boots:

• Aerosol and spray products must not be applied to shoes indoors.
• Be sure to follow the instructions when using any chemical agent.
• You need to comb your shoes daily and put them away at night in the closet.
• It is better to remove dust with a rubber and rubber brush.
• Deeply ingrained dirt, complex stains and white stains are removed if you hold nubuck shoes for a quarter of an hour over steam. The material will soften and it will be possible to clean it with coarse sandpaper or a brush.
• Do not use cream or emulsion on nubuck. If there is an urgent need for this, the product must first be applied to a sponge or cloth, and then to shoes.
• Do not wash natural nubuck with soap or detergent.They form stains that are very difficult to reduce.
• Shoes made of artificial nubuck do not require such complex cleaning, which allows you to significantly save on care materials.

Remember that as soon as the season is over, it is necessary to carry out a general cleaning of a nubuck pair of shoes in order to prepare them for storage:

• In order for boots or boots to please their owner in the next season, it is important to follow a few simple rules: dry the shoes thoroughly; remove all dirt, damage and stains; take out the old insoles and disinfect the shoes from the inside so that mold does not appear.
• You can store nubuck shoes only in a spacious, but tightly closed box, with the possibility of ventilation. Storage in a bag is unacceptable - an unpleasant odor will appear.
• Shoes need to be checked from time to time. If the material is dry, then you need to treat it with a special agent for softening the skin, dry it and put it back in the box.

Shoes made of this material are valued for their beauty, wearing comfort and quality. Of course, the easiest way to clean it is dry cleaning. But since it is not cheap, and nubuck needs almost daily care, you can clean it yourself at home. There are many methods to remove dirt and not spoil the material. You can wash light-colored shoes at home without any problems.

For information on how to properly clean and restore nubuck at home, see the following video.