How to Clean Leather Shoes and Boots
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Let’s be honest. Nothing says seize the day quite like a leather shoe. Whether you’re going for the classic Birkenstock, higher-lifted Dr. Martens boot, or an elevated Castaner, leather shoes are where function meets fashion for all occasions.
While leather remains a staple to wardrobes everywhere, you might be wondering how to clean leather shoes to preserve your must-haves for eternity. In this piece, we’ll be answering all of your questions, including:
- How to clean leather boots (and how often to)
- What products to use (and avoid) on leather
- How to combat dreaded leather shoe stains
- And tips along the way
Let’s get started!
Why Maintain Leather at All?
It’s true that leather shoes can last years—contingent on both how you use them and care for them.
Ever heard the phrase, The best medicine is prevention? As is true with anything—health, tech devices, relationships, cars—the name of the game is prevention and maintenance.
To keep your shoes healthy, simply don’t blindly create (or wait for) that dreaded, irreparable moment. To get the best bang for your buck, maintaining your leather shoes can:
1. Minimize wear and tear
2. Extend shoe lifespan
3. Maintain bright color and polish
4. Keep them looking (and feeling) fresh
And we get it. In this modern age, commitments are massive and time is tight. But this isn’t a huge ask, we promise.
Simply buff that scuff while you’re watching the latest streaming episode or in between sips of your morning coffee. Remember to throw down an old rag or some newspaper to avoid multiplying messes.
Ultimately, we’re advocating for you to truly get what you deserve—to walk around with your head held high—without the burden of those inconvenient dirt stains or what’s left of last week’s snow.
The more you incorporate a maintenance practice into your leather shoe care regimen, the longer you can enjoy them. Plus, learning how to clean leather shoes now will make your future shoe shops more valuable than ever.
What Products Can You Use on Leather Shoes?
Before we walk you through how to remove stains from leather, it helps to know what products to use and avoid when cleaning leather boots.
If you’ve got a stain in your beloved leather KEEN or COACH boots, don’t panic. Let’s start with a couple of easy DIY, at-home remedies first.
Walk, don’t run, towards the following materials at home:
1. A “scrubbing” rag or cloth (additional to the one for the floor), or a horsehair brush
2. Baking soda or cornstarch (or petroleum jelly for scuffs)
Now, you don’t have to know exactly what type of stain you have to combat it, but it can help to know what you’re working with. Common stain types for leather shoes include:
1. Ink
2. Grease or oil
3. Scuff marks
4. Water
5. Salt
While the following cleaning process is pretty straightforward, there may be some slight adjustments depending on the type of stain you have (we’ll go over this shortly).
How to Clean Leather Shoes and Boots: A Step By Step Guide
With your gathered materials and rag or newspaper ready to go underneath, here are the basic steps for cleaning leather shoes and boots.
1. Apply Baking Soda or Cornstarch
Dust your baking soda or cornstarch onto the stain.
2. Prepare a Damp Cloth
Prepare a damp cloth. Go for a Goldilocks happy medium here—not too wet, not too dry. Wring out the cloth well so no water drips.
3. Massage Gently
Bring the damp cloth to the solution and begin to gently rub it in so that all surface area of the stain gets covered. Commit with circular motions, like you would to remove a wine stain from a carpet (the horror!).
4. Let it Rest
Once you’ve tackled all problem areas, let it sit for some hours or overnight. Let the shoes dry naturally.
5. Revisit
Check on them in the morning and reap the fruits of your labor!
7 Quick Tips for Cleaning Leather Boots
While the aforementioned steps are standard for most stains, we’ve got a few nuanced tips for cleaning leather shoes.
1. Remove the Laces
If you’ve got just a small spot to address on the outside edges of the shoe, you likely won’t have to remove the laces.
However, if you’re working with multiple stains or stains close to the laces, be sure to remove them to avoid damage or difficulty maneuvering the solution.
2. Remove Debris Before Adding Solution
This one’s intuitive: If you’ve got dirt and yuck caked on your shoes, be sure to brush those off before adding the baking soda or cornstarch. This will clarify what you’re truly cleaning under the surface.
3. Be Mindful of Adding Water to Wet Stains
This one? Not as intuitive. Adding water to wet stains sounds counterproductive, so the dampness of your towel matters.
When working with wet stains, make sure the water is room temp or a bit warmer. Wipe the damp cloth around the stain moving outward without scrubbing too aggressively, as though you’re spreading the stain out.
4. Let Your Shoes Dry Naturally
As tempting as it may be, don’t use a blowdryer or place your shoes directly in the sun to expedite the process, as this can fade or crack the fibers. Be patient and watch your efforts pay off the slow and steady way.
5. Make a Water-Vinegar Blend for Salt Stains
Salt is a bit more complex than a water stain, but not by much! Instead of the baking soda or cornstarch, go for a simple 1:1 water-vinegar blend.
Note that depending on some leather, vinegar can cause damage due to the pH balance. Be discerning and use a smart fabric like a soft, microfiber cloth, wrung out well.
6. Replenish with Leather Conditioner
Similar to a facial, once you’ve gotten all the gunk up and out, it’s time to replenish. After such a luxury treatment, rejuvenate your boots with some leather conditioner, cream, boot oil, or leather honey.
7. Avoid Harmful At-Home Products
It may be tempting to use ingredients such as peroxide, lemon, or dish soap, or essentially whatever you have in your everyday drawers. Know that while some leather boots can handle a small amount of dish soap or lemon, there’s some risk involved (similar to vinegar).
You’re best sticking with the aforementioned options or investing in qualityshoe care kits, spot cleaners, and/or leather protectors to revitalize your shoes fast.
Remember the goals? Prevention and maintenance. We recommend buying these products once you buy your shoes so you can prepare yourself mentally and physically for the wear and tear process.
While you’d be fine to use at-home remedies in a pinch, the optimal shoe care regimen requires you invest in yourself with all the right products to have at the ready.
How Frequently Should You Clean Leather Shoes?
Ideally, you’ll want to clean your leather shoes after every use. If you’re not an everyday leather shoe-wearer, you can get by cleaning them once a week or once a month depending on how often you use them.
Be cautious of the all-too-common out of sight, out of mind mindset. While you might not want or need to clean your leather shoes, trust us, they want to be cleaned. Do your best to stay diligent!
Stick with Zappos
Now that you know how to clean your leather boots, it’s time to put your wisdom into action. Assess them after your nights out or work days so you’re not caught scrubbing something later that’s too far gone. Your future self will thank you.
No matter what kind of leather shoe owner you currently are, Zappos is here without judgment to help you be even better. Why? Because you’re worth it. (And so are your shoes.)
Take a peek at our leather-laden shoe catalog to implement this greatness today.
