It’s fall and it is getting harder to have great-looking shoes when the weather is wet, and there is more risk of damaging your favorite shoes.
Wearing a soaking wet pair of shoes is never a good feeling, so it’s understandable if you’d want to take yours off. The sooner, the better. But before you carelessly leave your shoes outside, know that improper cleaning and drying of your wet footwear can permanently damage its color and texture, shortening its lifespan overall.
Here are some tips on how to deal with rainy days and keep your shoes clean!
How do you dry shoes after rain?
Cleaning your sneakers and other footwear is of high importance. As bacteria love moist environments, soaked shoes or sneakers produce an unpleasant odor when they aren’t properly dried, so try to do some damage control as soon as you take your shoes off. Take note that how you dry your sneakers isn’t the same as your leather shoes; different shoes require different care if you want to maintain their unique textures.
The rainy season is a crucial time to give your shoes a little TLC (tender loving care) because chances are, your shoes are a lot dirtier than usual during these months and if you neglect the pesky dirt and mud, they could end up permanently staining your shoes.
How to clean various fabrics?
Sneakers cleaning
Once you’ve taken your sneakers off after a heavy rain, take the sock liner out of them, and let them absorb the water from the inside out. This can help speed up the process of drying out your sneakers. Then, take some newspaper, crumble it up and stuff it into the shoe. Let your sneakers dry for a couple of hours. Then pull the newspaper out and see how dry the sneakers are. Done!
Leather shoes cleaning
Unlike sneakers, leaving your leather shoes out to dry under the sun shortens the lifespan of their material. Direct sunlight dries out leather too quickly, leading it to crack or lose its color or shine.
Using a soft cloth, start off by wiping away any mud or water that can harden or leave a spotty stain on your leather pair. Stuff a few sheets of old newspaper inside to absorb the moisture but be sure to leave them to dry indoors afterward.
Suede shoes cleaning
Don’t wash them with water! Suede leather has a fuzzy texture so it’s best cleaned when dry by brushing off the accumulated dust and dirt like mud stains with a soft-bristled nail brush or a toothbrush. Blot your suede and pair it with a paper towel or tissue to absorb moisture; leaving it to dry on its own will make the fibers feel stiff. Once it’s nice and dry, it’ll be easier for the dirt to be brushed off using a toothbrush. Be sure to brush the suede in just one direction.
Clothes cleaning services know exactly how to handle cleaning shoes from different fabrics. Here at Hollywood Dry Cleaners, our experienced staff members will take professional care of your favorite pair of shoes, especially in the fall and winter.
