Leather Shoe Care: Easy Home Remedies
In order to properly care for leather, you should know the type of leather and the type of stain that you're dealing with. General spot cleaning of aniline and pigmented leathers can be done with quality leather cleaners and conditioners. This works on gum, makeup, dirt, vomit—just about anything with the exception of ink, oil and grease stains.
Ink Stains
Oil-based inks are the most difficult stains to remove. An example of this would be ballpoint pen ink. Since ink is a dye, it absorbs into leather quickly. You should always wait until the ink is fully absorbed and dry, instead of wiping it around and making more of a mess. Don't worry, you can still get it out.
If you haven't purchased a professional cleanser, you can try a white, non-abrasive, pencil eraser. Once the stain is dry, rub gently until it fades away. This may take several minutes. When finished, use a cloth to wipe away the eraser flakes and apply a small amount of uncolored leather polish to the area. When dry, buff the leather with a cloth for a nice shine.
If the eraser doesn't work, try applying a small amount of mineral spirits to the stain with a clean cloth. If the ink starts to spread, stop. If the ink begins to fade, it's working. Continue until it's gone, let dry and apply some leather conditioner.
Other remedies including dampening a cloth with a mild dish detergent, car leather cleanser, hairspray or wood alcohol and rubbing the stain out. Remember to try on a small inconspicuous area first to make sure the solution doesn't mess up the leather's pigment. When dry, apply a small amount of leather polish to the area.
If spots are still visible, try dipping a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and lightly dabbing at the ink. First use the wet end of the swab, then pick up the ink with the dry end. Try not to spread the stain around.
Professional products include: Premium Leather Care Ink and Stain Remover and Stainsafe Quick 'N Brite, which also conditions as it cleans.
Grease and Oil
If you have food oils, body oils or grease on your leather, start out with a leather degreaser. If you have a stain on suede or nubuck, you'll need to use leather degreaser on a cloth made specifically for suede and nubuck. Oil and grease is extremely hard to get out of aniline. If the over-the-counter leather degreaser doesn't work, you may need to call a specialist.
Gum
If your leather shoes can fit in the freezer, put them in for a few minutes until the gum has had a chance to freeze. Once hardened, it should be pretty easy to break or flick apart. If you can't make room in the freezer, hold ice on the gum spot until it hardens, but try not to let the water melt all over the leather. If you're worried about dripping water, try a computer aerosol cleaner. The compressed air can freeze the gum as well. One last method is lightly rubbing canola oil over the gum. Once the gum is removed, rub the oil evenly into the leather to maintain an even grain color.
Paint
Oil-based paints are extremely hard to get out of leather. Since most paint removers will also remove the pigment from the leather, you should talk to a professional. If the paint is water-based, you should have success with warm water and mild soap.
Water
Water spots are easier to get out of leather than you'd probably think. Just ball up some white bread and blot or rub the spots. The water should be absorbed into the bread after a few minutes.
Odors
Most odors, including animal urine, can be removed from leather. Find a non-toxic enzyme-based cleaner that is meant to be used on leather. You can usually find this in a pet or hardware store. Follow the instructions and your shoes should be smelling just like leather before you know it.
