How to clean nubuck shoes at home: what kind of material is it, its pros and cons

What is nubuck?

This is a natural material with a fleecy surface. Its basis is specially treated cattle leather. Initially, the raw materials are polished with abrasive materials and lightly rubbed - this results in a low pile.

Nubuck has many advantages. This is a breathable material that allows your feet to breathe. It is not afraid of cold weather, durable and lightweight, and with proper care it is wear-resistant. Shoes made from this material look expensive and elegant.

The disadvantage of nubuck is its sensitivity to moisture, dirt, and chemicals. In rainy weather, nubuck shoes quickly get wet. Stains easily appear on it, including from reagents that are sprinkled on the sidewalk during icy conditions.

There is also artificial nubuck. Externally, it differs little from natural material. Its advantage is that it is less sensitive to moisture. However, your feet don’t breathe in it, so it’s a stretch to call it a practical material.

Shoe restoration

Scuffs or “bald patches” greatly spoil the appearance of nubuck shoes or boots. A mark may remain after a trip in public transport or your own car, and sometimes the reason is improper care. On light nubuck such changes are less noticeable, but dark material reveals all the errors, while the shoes look worn and unkempt. In this case, it is difficult to restore the appearance of a pair of shoes, but you can try using proven tips.

How to clean nubuck boots and restore the lint:

Paint for shoes

• A special eraser for caring for nubuck products is used if you need to get rid of scuffs that outwardly differ in color from the main tone of the shoe.
• To raise the pile and cover the bald patch area, it is recommended to use a fine nail file.
• If the nubuck has suffered significantly and the color changes are very noticeable, then it is worth trying to paint over this area with shoe paint.

Restoration efforts may not be successful, in which case you should entrust the work to a professional and take the nubuck shoe pair to a workshop for restoration.

Learning to care for nubuck shoes

When buying boots, shoes or shoes made from this material, you need to know that:

• Using regular shoe polishes will negatively affect the appearance of nubuck. It is best to purchase products designed specifically for caring for this material. These include not only cleaning and restoring substances, but also various types of brushes, sponges, and erasers.

• The material should not be allowed to get wet, so avoid deep wet processing, especially machine washing. You should not go outside in nubuck shoes in wet weather when heavy rainfall is expected.

• Only dry shoes can be cleaned.

• Drying nubuck products is allowed only in natural conditions, without the use of household heating appliances.

• Shoes should be stored in a loose, well-ventilated box.

How to clean nubuck shoes

To maintain an aesthetic appearance, nubuck shoes require careful care. In this case, you should stock up on several resources at once:

• water-repellent spray that forms a waterproof coating on the surface of the shoe (it quickly cleans unexpected dirt);
• brush for delicate cleaning of dust deposits;
• eraser for removing dirt and stains;
• shampoo to remove dirt and white salt stains;
• cream for nubuck products;
• paint to refresh the color of the product;
• shoe deodorant.

Cleaning nubuck shoes together with the correct use of all these products will preserve the well-groomed appearance of your favorite products. At the same time, you need to remember some nuances. Firstly, before any processing of the product, it should be thoroughly dried at room temperature, away from heating devices. Under the influence of high temperatures, the skin dries out and hardens irrevocably. Secondly, during the season of wearing shoes, you need to take care of them twice a day.

In addition, you should adhere to the following steps when caring for nubuck shoes:

• After drying, remove dirt from the product using a damp cloth. You should start with the heel, then wipe the sole. After this, clean the main surface with a special brush.
• Difficult stains are removed with a special eraser, foam or shampoo (they are first applied to a sponge and not to the product itself).
• Contaminated areas are combed with a brush made of plastic, rubber or metal, lifting the pile with movements.
• If there are heavily soiled areas or abrasions that cannot be removed, a coloring aerosol is used to restore the color of the skin.
• After all manipulations, boots should be dried and treated with a water-repellent spray. Then leave to dry completely for several hours.

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Care products for nubuck shoes

Modern manufacturers offer a huge variety of shoe cosmetics. They often have approximately the same composition, but differ in cost and quality. Shoe care products will allow your favorite boots to retain their practical properties and presentable appearance for a long time. The following brands have proven themselves well:

• Ol Combi;
• Colonil;
• Kiwi;
• City;
• Sapphire;
• Salton;
• Hatch.

Traditional methods

Sometimes it happens that the necessary product is not at hand. In such cases, home methods for caring for nubuck shoes will come to the rescue. They are simple but effective, and all the necessary components for their use are usually available in every home. Folk remedies will help not only refresh the appearance of shoes, but also remove old stains. Cleaning nubuck shoes at home:

• Vinegar. It is good for removing salt stains and dirty stains. You need to dilute 1 teaspoon of vinegar per 1 liter of cool water. Soak a cotton pad in the resulting solution and thoroughly clean the contaminated area. Leave to dry and then comb the lint.
• Stale bread. After removing the crumb, rub simple stains with a crust of bread.
• Coffee grounds will help refresh the color of dark nubuck. Apply the gruel from strongly brewed natural coffee to the desired areas, let it dry, then remove the residue with a brush. This product is not suitable for light shades.

We buy care products

To keep shoes clean and maintain a neat appearance, you will need special tools for caring for nubuck. These include:

• Special impregnation with water-repellent properties. As a rule, it is presented in the form of an aerosol. Thanks to impregnation, a protective layer is formed on the surface of the shoe, which prevents the penetration of moisture and dirt.

• Shampoo. It will help get rid of salt stains.

• Paint to match the product. It can be used to disguise abrasions and touch up damaged areas of the skin.

• A brush, or better yet several: one for cleaning soles and heels, the other for lint.

• Eraser. They remove stains.

• Deodorant. It will prevent unpleasant odor and act as an antibacterial agent.

How to restore nubuck shoes

Over time, even with careful care, any shoes take on a worn-out appearance. It is unlikely that it will be possible to restore the original gloss, but using simple methods you can improve the appearance of the product. Several methods that will help with this:

• To update the appearance, you can hold the product over steam. Then wipe with a flannel cloth, straightening out the lint.
• Grease stains can be easily removed using the following procedure. Blot the dirt with a napkin soaked in gasoline, then sprinkle these areas with talcum powder. After drying, clean off any remaining powder with a brush.
• The best solution would be to take the shoes to a dry cleaner, where, with the help of special products, the product will become like new.

Coloring

An important step in caring for nubuck shoes is their dyeing. A special cream or aerosol helps restore things to a presentable appearance and extend their service life by several months. In this case, it is not necessary to resort to the services of specialists - you can paint your favorite boots or shoes yourself, following the instructions included with the product. Painting should be done in a well-ventilated area, with newspapers or paper laid on the floor. The procedure algorithm consists of the following steps:

• clean the surface of the product from dirt and dust;
• remove the fat layer using a rubber eraser;
• let the product dry;
• spray paint at a distance of about thirty centimeters in one layer;
• apply a protective agent.

Nubuck shoes should be dyed if they are heavily soiled and have abrasions that cannot be removed. There is no need to resort to this procedure too often. For daily care, a special impregnation for shoes is suitable, which will significantly extend its service life. It helps maintain the softness, elasticity and velvety feel of nubuck products.

We process the material before first use

About to wear new shoes for the first time? Be sure to use a water-repellent finish first. This will help protect the product from the adverse effects of the external environment.

Water-repellent impregnation is sprayed onto shoes from a distance of 30 cm, trying to evenly cover the entire surface. Apply the product 3 times, each time allowing enough time for the previous layer to dry. Thus, the nubuck will be protected by an elastic film that prevents the material from getting wet. This will also make the stain removal process easier in the future.

Drying shoes correctly

Any care, cleaning after a walk, removing stains, restoring color and other procedures should only begin when the shoes are completely dry. That is why special attention is paid to the drying process.

Nubuck should dry naturally, without the use of any heating devices. Even electric drying insoles are prohibited. Exposure to high temperatures leads to skin deformation and drying out.

Shoes that get wet from rain or snow will need at least 4 hours to dry completely. You can speed up the process if you stuff paper inside and periodically, as it gets wet, replace it with a new one.

We take care of nubuck regularly

Daily care consists of three stages:

Drying

After returning home, the shoes are left to dry completely and then cleaned. If the weather was dry outside, then waiting 30 minutes is enough. This time will be enough for the nubuck to get used to room conditions.

Cleaning

Dirty, damp shoes begin to be cleaned only when they are completely dry. First, remove dirt from the sole and heel. To do this, you can use a damp sponge. However, be careful not to let water get on the nubuck surface. The delicate material is cleaned of dust and sand with a special brush. It should be soft, with long pile.

The detected stain is removed using a special eraser. After this treatment, the surface is combed with a metal, plastic or rubber brush. This will help lift the crushed pile.

If there is severe contamination, a stubborn stain or salt stains, then carry out deep cleaning using shampoo, foam or spray. But you must remember that any of the products are applied to the sponge, and not to the surface of the shoe itself! Remains of the substance are removed with a damp cloth.

Important: do not clean nubuck under running tap water! This also applies to removing dirt from the sole.

Application of special means: masking, protective

After wet cleaning, be sure to wait until the shoes are completely dry. If necessary, use cream paint or spray to mask scuffs or restore color. The product is selected to match the tone of the product.

The care of nubuck shoes is completed by applying water-repellent impregnation. The procedure is similar to that carried out after purchasing the product, before the first wear.

Note: the protective film will effectively perform its function only when it dries well. Therefore, the treatment should be carried out in the evening, then in the morning you can safely put on your shoes and go outside.

Paint for nubuck shoes

Paint for nubuck shoes
Of course, professional dyeing at a dry cleaner is preferable to doing it yourself. But if you decide to do the repairs yourself at home, follow a few rules:

1. First, insert the shoe trees. They will not only straighten wrinkles on the skin, but also help detect hidden defects. In addition, you cannot do without mold holders if partial or complete painting is planned in the future.
2. Next, thoroughly clean the surface of dirt: first with a brush, and then with a special cleaner.
3. If wet cleaning was carried out, be sure to let the shoes dry.
4. Read the instructions carefully and strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions.
5. To prevent paint from getting on the fittings and/or sole, cover vulnerable areas with masking tape.
6. Prepare your work area: cover it with newspaper, cling film or polyethylene.
7. Apply paint for nubuck shoes in thin layers in several sessions.
8. After painting and drying, apply impregnation with the appropriate markings.

Advice! When choosing paint for nubuck shoes, give preference to aerosol versions - they are easier to apply.

Storage rules

To save your shoes until the start of the next season, you need to follow a number of simple steps:

1. Clean well and dry.
2. Repair all damage, remove stains, remove insoles that have become unusable.
3. Treat with a leather softener.
4. Disinfect the inside of shoes with an antiseptic. This will prevent mold from appearing.
5. Store in a tightly closed box, but at the same time sufficiently free and ventilated.
6. Check your shoes periodically. If the skin is dry, treat with an emollient. The wet pair will need to be dried.