Cleaning and Care
Cleaning and Care
First, shoes, whether made of suede leather or smooth leather, should be impregnated before first use. The process of impregnation protects the leather from the infiltration of moisture and dirt, thus contributing to prolonged usability of the shoe. Impregnating sprays, pumping atomizers or liquid impregnating agents can be used for this purposes. When using impregnation sprays or pumping atomizers, care should be taken that they are only used outdoors or with good ventilation.
Nappa calf leather
Nappa calf leather
Smooth leather shoes should be cleaned with a soft cloth; if stained with coarse dirt, it should be cleaned with a brush. Special shoe shampoos or saddle soap can be used as an adjunct for this. They are massaged into the leather with a sponge or cloth and then wiped off.
Let the leather dry slowly and gently. Saddle soap should only be used occasionally as it greases heavily. If used excessively, it can close the pores of the leather and colour creams will no longer be able to penetrate properly. Even smooth leather shoes should be impregnated from time to time: the right time for this is after cleansing and before the application of creams.
Suede calf leather
Suede calf leather
Suede is dry-cleaned with a fine brush for dust and dirt. Then we recommend brushing through the leather with care. For suede leather, you can use brass brushes for rough cleaning. Otherwise, we generally recommend crepe brushes for suede leather. For stubborn stains or salt crusting, you can thoroughly clean suede with water and curd soap. The leather must then be completely wet so that no new crusts arise. Then stuff the shoes with newsprint paper and dry slowly and gently. It is best to hang them at room temperature so that they can breathe. Finally, they are re-roughened with the appropriate brush.
To refresh the color of suede, use of a liquid paint application or special color activators from specialist retailers is recommended. There are also combination products that directly impregnate the shoe.