There are the usual footwear cleaning and sprucing up tips, like using shoe polish and weatherproofing spray, or making a trip to the cobbler. Here are some less obvious tips that will make your shoes look a little more loved.
1. Magic Eraser for Suede
Use a damp magic eraser to remove marks on suede footwear. It might not remove the marks and stains completely, but it will take the edge off. Sometimes using a nail file or a bit of sandpaper on stained suede can take the edge off too.
2. Nail Polish for Patent and Metallic Leather
Regular shoe polish is ineffective on patent and metallic leather. Find a nail polish that’s a close match to the colour of the shoe and use that instead. Apply two or three layers over the scuffs, allowing the nail polish to dry between coats. Again, it might not remove the scuffs completely, but you’ll notice a visual improvement.
3. Wipes for White Footwear
I have many pairs of white and cream footwear. As a wardrobe essential for my style, they get a workout too. Wiping them down with disposable wipes after every few wears keeps them looking remarkably clean and removes scuffs. It makes a big difference.
4. Nail Polish Remover for Stubborn Scuffs
You have to be careful with this one because I’ve taken the dye off my shoes leaving big yellow marks in place of the scuffs. But nail polish remover can be very effective at removing black marks from patent and white footwear. Test the cleaning tip in a less obvious area of the shoe first.
5. Black Sharpie Pen for Black Footwear
Filling in the worn toe boxes of black footwear with a black Sharpie (or black felt tip pen if you’re not in the US) is very effective. Any scuff that you see on black footwear is worth covering with a Sharpie if black shoe polish does not do the trick.
I’ve used all of these tips over the years, but using wipes on white footwear is the one I use most frequently. Please share your own footwear care tips in the comments section below.
