Winter shoe care: Homemade tricks to ditch store-bought cleaners
How can you effectively maintain the cleanliness of your favourite winter shoes using only items found at home? We offer tips on removing dirt and unpleasant odours without the need for expensive cleaning products.
Caring for fall and winter footwear is not a simple task. Most shoes worn during this time are made from leather materials, including suede. To tackle dirt, soil buildup, or those irritating white salt lines, it's beneficial to know a tried and trusted method that not everyone is aware of yet. You likely have this product at home.
How to clean leather footwear?
Do you buy new cleaning products every year for your leather shoes? This time you won't have to. We'll teach you a simple and exceptionally affordable way to keep your leather shoes shining this winter.
To remove minor dirt from footwear, use a well-known product that most of us have at home: dried and previously crumb-free bread crust, preferably with a soft interior.
Simply rub the dirty area of the shoe with a piece of crust, similar to using an eraser, until the stain completely disappears. Then, use a regular shoe brush to remove the remaining crumbs. This method works for both leather and suede.
Fighting unpleasant odours
Shoe cleaning isn't limited to the outer surface. It's also important to care for the interior, particularly when dealing with unpleasant odours.
One of the simplest home remedies to neutralize bad shoe odours is tea. Place a bag of black tea or a sachet of loose leaf tea inside the shoes for a few hours to significantly freshen them up.
The freezing method is also worth trying. Pack the shoes in a plastic bag and freeze them for a few hours to eliminate many unpleasant smells. Do not use this method for leather footwear, however.
