Shoe Culture

“Leather cleaning & care”

The Do’s and the Dont’s

Thick and yet breathable, leather is a fascinating product that has accompanied, protected, and kept mankind warm from the outset.

In order to stabilise the raw animal hide and make it more durable, RUBIROSA uses two tanning methods:

chrome tanning, which creates a soft, light, and pliable leather and is therefore used as upper leather
vegetable tanning, which is purely plant-based and therefore can be used in the inside of the shoe, since it helps to avoid any allergic reactions even if the leather comes into direct contact with the skin.

But how to obtain the best from your leather shoes and make them last even longer?

An excellent starting point is to impregnate the newly purchased shoes, whether made of suede leather or smooth leather, using impregnating sprays, pumping atomizers, or liquid impregnating agents in order to protect the leather from the infiltration of moisture and dirt.

Nappa calf leather shoes should be cleaned with a soft cloth.

If stained with coarse dirt, it should be cleaned with a brush first.

Occasionally you can use special shoe shampoos or saddle soap, by massaging them into the leather with a sponge or cloth and then wiped off. Let the leather dry slowly and gently.

From time to time after the cleansing re-impregnate the leather and then proceed with the application of creams.

Suede is dry-cleaned with a brush for dust and dirt. Use crepe brushes with care for ordinary cleaning, and only when needed for rough cleaning go for brass brushes.

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 at room temperature. When they’re dry, re-roughened with the appropriate brush.

To refresh the color of suede, use a liquid paint application or special color activators from specialist retailers. There are also combination products that directly impregnate the shoe.

Don’t store or leave your leather shoes outside for a long time, since they can get affected by moisture and sunlight. Sun’s powerful UV A/B rays can cause the leather to fade or even crack open; while moisture encourages the formation of mold and mildew.

If possible, try to not get the leather wet. Never ever soak it into the water to clean it.

If the leather shoes ever happen to get wet though, gently wipe the water from the surface and then let them dry slowly at room temperature. Don’t dry them next to a radiator, or with a hairdryer or even leaving them in plain sunlight, since all these speed-drying techniques trigger chemical reactions within the shoe, affecting its look, texture, and overall quality.

Naturally don’t ever machine wash or tumble dry leather shoes.

And then enjoy your perfect leather shoes for a long time!

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return”