How to clean nubuck shoes at home: effective methods and means for removing stains and dirt

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Author of the article

Svetlana Pavlikhina

Reading time: 5 minutes

People often prefer nubuck shoes, but proper care is necessary to maintain their appearance. Many people do not know how to clean nubuck shoes at home.

You can purchase special products in stores or use improvised ones. It is permissible to store such shoes only after preliminary cleaning.

Next we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of such shoes, how to clean them, and how to store them properly.

What is nubuck

This is leather with a fine pile, it is made using special processing and dressing, in the process chrome tanning and polishing are carried out.

There are three types of this material:

Natural.
Artificial.
Oil.

Most often, stores offer shoes made from natural nubuck, the leather of large animals processed in a special way.

The following advantages of the material are highlighted:

The surface allows oxygen to pass through well, which has a beneficial effect on the health of the skin of the feet. The material does not contribute to sweating of the skin in summer, and retains heat well in winter.
Shoes made of nubuck retain their original appearance for a long time and wear well, although they require proper care and storage, since the material is demanding on the environment.
The product looks elegant and harmonizes perfectly with any clothing.

Store salespeople usually conceal that the material does not tolerate moisture, and for an unknowing person this becomes an unpleasant surprise. If you wear nubuck shoes without prior preparation, their appearance will deteriorate quite quickly, as the material becomes unusable.

How to clean stains?

Traces of dirt often appear on shoes, especially if the weather is wet. In this case, you need to clean nubuck shoes from stains immediately after identifying problem areas. This must be done delicately, following a number of rules:

The rubber tips of a special brush will remove all unwanted marks.

An eraser can handle simple stains. There is a special one for delicate fabrics, but the regular one is more often used. They should rub the dirty area and then clean it with a brush.
For more complex stains, use a brush with rubber or plastic bristles.
You can wash large areas with a special shampoo; afterward, be sure to rinse off the foam with water.

If after cleaning or during prolonged wear, worn stains appear on the surface of the shoes, they can be masked with special paint. Before application, you need to clean nubuck shoes and dry them. Then apply the paint: if it is in liquid form, it is applied with a sponge, and the aerosol is sawn evenly. Such products must be selected individually depending on the color of the shoes.

Use of purchased products and devices

Sprays, brushes and other products for regular leather are absolutely not suitable for caring for nubuck.

It is necessary to purchase special cleaning products:

Double-sided brush. On one side there are soft fibers, on the other there are metal ones. The tool allows you to remove dirt without much difficulty, and does not spoil the material. It is recommended to purchase two brushes: one to keep at home, the second to use as a travel brush, so that it is always at hand.
Special eraser. It removes dirt from the fibers well; it is most convenient to use it on light-colored shoes, which are more difficult to care for. You should not replace this tool with a stationery eraser; it has a different structure and is completely unsuitable.
Shampoo. It is not required to be used frequently; complete cleaning is required several times a year.
Special impregnation. Perfectly protects products from precipitation (snow, rain). The product must be applied at home, which will give it the opportunity to be absorbed before going outside.

When caring for nubuck shoes, you must first clean them with a double-sided brush. It will remove dirt not only on the material itself, but in the seams . Then you need to apply a spray that matches the color. In wet weather, it is recommended to additionally use a water-repellent spray.

These simple steps can quickly restore a more attractive appearance to a couple. Before purchasing products, you need to make sure that they are really suitable for this material.

How to clean?

Do you want your shoes to look the same as the day you bought them?
Then you should start caring for it from the first day of wearing it! Since you have decided to acquire a beautiful and expensive model, do not forget to buy special care products for this type of skin. These are all kinds of brushes, sprays, impregnations; without these helpers, care is impossible.

Let's look at the basic rules of cleaning and care:

You need to clean it very carefully, do not rub as hard as you can on the surface, do everything gently and carefully. For these purposes, use special rubberized brushes for nubuck.
Before going out for the first time in a new pair , you need to treat the surface with a special water-repellent impregnation, which you need to immediately purchase along with the shoes, otherwise your new shoes, boots, boots will not last you long! Before you start processing, carefully read the instructions and treat the surface at least three times. Let each layer dry and then apply the next one. This treatment should be repeated after a walk in heavy rain or snow.
Dry cleaning. On ordinary days, we first clean it with a dry brush, removing all the dust and dirt; nubuck brushes do an excellent job of this.
Wet cleaning. After dry cleaning, we apply a special spray to the surface. It is important to match the spray to the color of your shoes. It will help you not only get rid of wetness, but also preserve color.
Dry. After wet cleaning, you should dry it well. If you have time, you can keep it over steam so that the villi straighten out.
In winter, white traces remain, or as they are called, salt from the snow. It can be cleaned with a regular damp sponge, and then, as always, apply a spray and dry.

Each owner will definitely express a desire to wash it with plain water. But is it possible to do this? Unfortunately no. Nubuck really doesn’t like moisture, and you can’t wash such shoes in the usual way, they quickly lose their appearance, become tougher, and it will be almost impossible to restore them!

Using Home Remedies to Clean Nubuck Shoes

If there is heavy soiling, it is better to have the item dry cleaned, but this option is not always available.

In such cases, you can deal with contamination at home using various methods:

Ammonia. With its help, salt stains that regularly appear during winter walks are perfectly removed. It is necessary to prepare a solution by taking 4 parts of ammonia and one part of water. The resulting liquid easily removes stains; it is advisable to hold the shoes over the steam, this will allow the villi to straighten. The material requires treatment with a tinting spray.
Vinegar does an excellent job of removing stains on delicate materials. You need to mix one spoon of this product in a liter of water. Using the resulting solution, use a swab to clean the shoes from dirt, hold them over steam so that the villi straighten, clean with a brush, and treat with a spray.
Kitchen salt is great for removing grease stains. It is enough to rub them with fine salt, and then treat the pair with a wet cloth. Then dry and clean with a special metal brush.
You can clean the material with pieces of stale bread or an eraser.

There are a number of tricks for restoring shoes:

To touch up problem areas or update color, copy paper is used. This method has been used for a long time; even our grandmothers often resorted to its help.
If you need to clean a brown surface, you can use coffee grounds.
To straighten the pile, you can hold the product over steam or use simple sandpaper.

In order to clean nubuck shoes, you should not wash them under running water; this will adversely affect the material. Washing with soap will completely ruin the product.

Is it possible to restore?

If you did not follow all the above rules, then most likely it has completely lost its appearance. Is it possible to fix this situation? Yes, it's possible! If the usual methods did not work for you at all, then go to a dry cleaner, they will restore it very quickly. But be prepared that this service is quite expensive.

But to avoid this procedure, you just need to follow the rules, which you absolutely cannot do with nubuck shoes:

Only need to be cleaned dry. Wait until it dries, only then start processing. Removing dirt and dust from a wet surface will only worsen the problem; stains and dirt will penetrate even deeper into the skin and then cleaning them from there will be an impossible task.
Do not machine wash under any circumstances! Nubuck does not like moisture very much; washing it in a machine or washing it in the usual way will ruin the shoes without a chance of restoration. Remember that for tough stains, there are special shampoos and stain removers that will do the job perfectly.
Never dry on a radiator or other heaters.
Do not use creams and foams not intended for nubuck products.
Ironing nubuck products is strictly prohibited! Even from the wrong side. This will damage the villi, and it will be impossible to restore their previous appearance.
Always comb the pile with a brush so that it does not lose its shine. Or steam it.
Do not lean or put pressure on the shoes while cleaning ; do everything carefully and carefully so as not to damage the surface.

If you, through carelessness, put a very noticeable stain on your shoes, then there are a couple of ways to deal with this:

Stains are easily removed using simple plastic.
For severe contamination, you can use ammonia diluted in water. But do not rub the stain, do everything carefully, after which, do not forget to dry the shoes well and treat them with a spray.
To remove stubborn stains , there are special shampoos and stain removers for nubuck; they do an excellent job with stains of any complexity.

How to remove greasy marks

Removing greasy stains from nubuck shoes is an extremely difficult task.

You can use special methods:

Using salt (the cleaning method was described above).
Using starch for cleaning, then treating with a special brush.
Grease and oil stains are easily removed from white nubuck with starch and talcum powder, after which the products are cleaned with a brush.

To remove such contaminants, you can use gasoline . You have to be careful because it can ruin the material, leaving streaks. If this happens, you need to rub the damaged areas with the metal side of the brush and paint over them with spray paint for suede and nubuck.

Important cleaning rules

According to nubuck production technology, pile on the surface is created by exposure to an abrasive, which is how a special velor structure appears. “Maintaining” shoes requires taking into account a number of simple rules:

Nubuck products react negatively to contact with water, so you can’t walk in them in the rain or snow, much less wash them.
Fat-based creams and impregnations are strictly prohibited.
Do not use excessive force during cleaning. This negatively affects the pile and harms it.
To prevent lint from being wiped away, you will need a special brush, as well as a product in an aerosol can. Other methods are not suitable.

Clean only dried shoes

The emphasis is placed on the condition of pre-drying because otherwise it will not be possible to eliminate the root cause of contamination.

Microparticles will clog deep into the pile, which on nubuck is not very long anyway, thereby making it impossible to restore the appearance and structure of the material. And from a dry surface, dirt is removed with a special brush, which is necessary for all owners of nubuck shoes.

Cannot be washed under running water

Any footwear is not intended to be cleaned under running water, with the exception of rubber boots. Leather, suede, nubuck should avoid contact with liquids. Only wipe with a special solution or spray treatment, no rinsing. Otherwise, you will have to forget about the attractive appearance of shoes and boots forever.

How to use stain removers

Various solutions to the problems of owners of nubuck shoes by ensuring the production of special cleaning products. These are mainly foams or sprays that are applied to the surface and then removed with a special brush. Sometimes a nozzle is included with the cylinder; it is also used to clean nubuck. The rules for use are simple: follow the instructions for use.

What can be used

The category of “approved” products includes any products that are marked “for nubuck”. These are chemicals in cylinders, brushes and erasers. Sometimes a cleaning agent or impregnation contains a colored pigment: this is necessary to restore the appearance of shoes and paint over damaged areas. The choice of proposed compositions is so large that it makes no sense to recommend a specific brand or spray.

You can always choose a cleaner based on the seller’s advice, according to your own taste and budget. Moreover, nubuck care products can be found in shoe stores.

How to dry properly

Drying nubuck products does not involve the use of open flames or heat sources, including heating radiators. It is better to use special electric dryers that are inserted inside the boots. Another reliable, trouble-free method is to stuff the internal space with crumpled paper (newspaper). Cellulose absorbs moisture, ensuring nubuck dries evenly.

Using impregnation

An aerosol composition with a water-repellent effect is useful where walking through puddles and snow cannot be avoided. Impregnation will not completely eliminate contact with a liquid medium, but it will help prevent negative consequences.

Apply to a clean, dry surface. Then you just have to wait for the solvent to evaporate, and the shoes are ready for a walk.

Cannot be washed in a washing machine

Washing shoes in a machine is stressful, no matter what material it is made of: leather, nubuck or synthetics. The consequences will predictably be the saddest: a clean, but hopelessly damaged pair of shoes, low shoes. Therefore, for nubuck shoes, contact with water is categorically excluded.

Features of cleaning shoes made of light nubuck

You cannot use any method to clean shoes made of light nubuck. You can use starch or talc, a solution of water with ammonia, then dry it, straighten the pile and treat it with paint or shoe polish on top.

You can use a damp sponge to remove salt stains. Then dry the shoes and apply a water-repellent spray.

Any cleaning method must be carried out in advance, and not just before leaving, since drying is an important step in caring for the material.

How to restore “dead” shoes

Nubuck shoes lose their attractiveness and presentability when they fade and form so-called bald spots - abrasions. Special spray dyes of the appropriate color will update the appearance of the shoes. If the shoes look too “dead”, try applying a dye to the nubuck that is a shade darker than the color of the shoes.

You can straighten the pile and restore elasticity by holding the shoes over boiling water for several minutes. The color of dark shoes returns after rubbing them with a crust of bread. Brown shoes can be refreshed by rubbing problem areas with coffee grounds. Scuffs can be eliminated after manipulation with a rubber eraser, a toothbrush or a piece of pumice.

It must be remembered that movements and pressures must be very delicate. If this does not help, all that remains is to take the shoes to a restoration workshop.

Nubuck shoes look chic on your feet. But this chic is achieved through regular and careful care of the capricious material. Therefore, if you are not ready to take care of your shoes every day, then it is better to opt for less demanding suede or leather.

Dry and wet cleaning

When using shoes in wet weather, you need to take into account that they must be dried after wearing, and this will take several hours. It is not recommended to clean after coming home from the street; you need to give the couple time to adapt to room temperature.

It is worth resorting to the help of a brush; using water is strictly prohibited. It is better to clean the sole using the dry method . If this method does not give the desired results, you can use a damp cloth, but make sure that water does not get on the material of the product.

Wet cleaning of stains should be carried out when dirt appears that cannot be removed using a dry method. After the procedure, shoes should be thoroughly dried.

Using a special shampoo does not lead to streaks and cleanses the skin well, but it is often not recommended to use it. It is advisable to carry out the procedures at the beginning and end of the wearing season.

When using a coloring spray, you need to take into account that the product is quickly absorbed and dries, so the treatment must be carried out quickly.

Then it is advisable to straighten the pile with the metal side of the brush; it is advisable to do this in advance, since if you do everything immediately before leaving the house, the material will be more sensitive to dirt.

Required cleaning products

What should you get along with buying a pair? What helpers do we need in the daily care of nubuck?

For dry cleaning:

First of all, you need to get special brushes for nubuck. They will easily remove dust and dirt from your shoes. The choice of such brushes is very large, both in type and in cost. They come in one, two and three-sided types, usually one row of hard bristles to remove dust from the folds and seams of shoes, then rubberized bristles to clean the entire surface of the shoes, and a third row of metal ones for more detailed cleaning.
To remove stains and scratches , it is better to purchase a special eraser, but a regular eraser will also work.

For deep cleaning:

Moisture-repellent impregnation. Be sure to get this type of impregnation, it will extend the life of your shoes and protect you from getting wet. It is better to choose it to match the color of your shoes; there are a huge number of such sprays. The main thing is not to skimp, expensive shoes need appropriate expensive care!
Shampoo. It will help you get rid of salt stains during the winter season, and will also help deal with stubborn stains and restore the original appearance of your shoes.
Tint spray. If you bought colorless impregnation, then tinting sprays will come to your aid; they will quickly return the original color of your shoes.
Don't forget about antibacterial sprays. If you have acquired artificial nubuck, then this spray will not hurt you. It will relieve you of unpleasant odors and unnecessary germs.

Also, do not forget that proper storage also plays an important role:

It should be stored in tightly closed boxes or textile bags to protect it from dust. Don't forget that you can't store shoes in plastic bags!
Be sure to stuff it with paper to avoid wrinkling and losing its shape.
Before you hide it in a box , do not forget to thoroughly clean it, spray it and dry it, and only then hide it until the next season.
When it's time to take it out of the box , it's worth steaming it to keep it looking fresh and ready to wear.

Is it possible to clean wet nubuck shoes?

It is not recommended to clean wet nubuck; it is advisable to dry it, and it is better to do this at natural temperature or using a special dryer; exposure to heating devices has a bad effect on the material.

When drying shoes, it is recommended to use newspapers that need to be stuffed inside. This technique ensures uniform drying and the shoes are not deformed.

If the pair is made of artificial material, then wet cleaning is possible, but washing is not recommended.

What is nubuck?

In the manufacture of nubuck, genuine leather, in particular from cattle, is used; this distinguishes it from suede, although they are very similar in appearance.
Nubuck is primarily a type of leather that is processed and polished with sand or other fine materials.

Natural – made from leather of animal origin, has a fleecy outer surface. The most demanding to care for, but has low wear resistance. A big plus of natural is its excellent breathability.

Artificial - made from synthetic materials, looks very similar to natural. It is much cheaper, although it is more wear-resistant, easy to care for, resistant to moisture, but does not allow air to pass through at all, unlike natural ones.

Oil - during production it is treated with a special substance, due to which it becomes completely waterproof. It is very easy to care for, has excellent strength, and will last you much longer than natural ones. It differs from the usual one in its slightly damp surface and weight.

Prevention of nubuck shoes

To prevent nubuck from losing its appearance, it is enough to know about the special care rules:

Avoid “wet” cleaning of natural nubuck and do not use foaming detergents;
do not clean until it has completely dried naturally;
use strictly special creams;
do not dry shoes on the radiator;
Nubuck does not like polyethylene. Should be stored in a cardboard box;
try not to wear such shoes in rainy weather. This will help protect it from defects and stains;
always carry a double-sided brush with you, which will carefully clean the surface and then comb out the fine lint;
If you are not confident that you can handle restoring overly dirty boots on your own, do not take risks. Dry cleaning workers will be able to resolve this issue professionally and effectively.