It's finally *almost* summer! And with spring often comes an envy to refresh, buy new things and get rid of the old. Like a lot of people, I own a LOT of shoes but I feel like I always wear the same 3-4 pairs. I decided to go through my entire collection to see what I wasn't wearing anymore and see if it could be fixed or donated. I know that shoe care products can contain a lot of toxic chemicals so I decided to try and hunt down natural options to clean, refresh and give a second life to the shoes I never wear.
I ended up finding loads of options, with some working better than others. I focused on things I could fix with ingredients I had around the house or easily accessible. Curious? Keep reading!
1. UNCOMFORTABLE SHOES - get some insoles or cushions
We all have those pairs of shoes right? The ones that were so pretty but ended up being torture to wear, so they never see the light of day? I decided it was finally time to try and fix the problem. Depending on what the problem is, there exists a wide range of insoles and cushions you can stick to the inside of your shoe and voilà! These sandals were pretty uncomfortable to wear for a long time because my feet weren't resting properly in them. I got gel cushions that give me arch support and the difference is so impressive! There are some cushions to prevent your foot from rubbing in the heel or some half insoles to keep the front of your foot more comfortable in heels. These insoles might not be from particularly ethical companies (I couldn't find any handy anyway...), but to me new insoles are still more eco-friendly than a whole new pair of shoes!
2. DIRTY FAUX SUEDE - use an eraser, soap and water
I always thought suede was a difficult fabric to clean because of it's fuzzy texture. I don't own any suede shoes but I do have these faux-suede ones from Primark that I bought with no intention of keeping. That being said I love wearing them to work, so why not try to salvage them! The trick to this is to start by rubbing a white rubber eraser on the dirty areas of the shoes. This will lift up the fibers and the dirt and make it way easier to remove. Once that's done, you can use some gentle soap (I used olive oil soap) with a damp cloth to rub the dirty areas. It's quite surprising how much dirt ends up on the cloth! Once the shoes look clean, lay them to air dry and brush the suede back into place. This should work for real suede as well, but I'd recommend doing a small patch test first just in case.
3. SLIPPERY HEELS - change the heel tip to add some grip
I struggle with heels. I wear them from time to time but it doesn't take a lot for me to swear off a certain pair. The problem with this particular pair of shoes is that they were very slippery. And I don't know about you, but if there's gonna be almost none of my foot touching the ground, what actually does needs to have some grip! Some cheaper shoes have plastic soles instead of rubber, which makes them very slippy. Fortunately, it's very cheap and easy to ask your cobbler to replace it for an actual rubber heel! Another thing you can do for the front of the shoe is to add a sticker that's made to add some grip. You can purchase them in shoe stores or online and now you can walk around safely.
4. SCUFFS ON PATENT LEATHER - cover them in olive oil
This has to be the easiest trick on the list! Patent leather can look so cool with all its shine so it's a bit heartbreaking to scuff it. But shoes are shoes and it does happen. When you feel like your favourite pair could use a refresh, all you have to do is rub olive oil on the patent and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Once the time has passed you can buff the oil away with a cloth and it will get rid of most of the scuffs! My pair wasn't too bad at all but I definitely saw a difference in the before and after.
5. DAMAGED HEEL/SOLE - go to your cobbler
I have spoken about this before but sometimes the best thing to do is to go and see a professional. Once in a while if a pair of shoes I like has a very damaged heel or sole, I will bring it to a cobbler. Cobblers are usually fairly cheap and every single time I go I'm amazed by how good the results are. They can fix, adjust and glue any part of the show that's damaged of doesn't feel right. So even though it can feel a bit strange the first time, go and ask questions and see if they can solve your problem! I've saved multiple pairs of shoes and boots that way.
6. DIRTY RUBBER - use a rubber eraser and baking soda
This is more of a personal choice because some people prefer to keep their converses dirty to give them character, but I really felt mine needed a good clean. These shoes are from Primark, I've had them for 3 years and I'm really surprised that they survived this long! So when trying to clean rubber, the first thing to try is to rub the dirt away with a rubber eraser! I think the efficiency of this depends on the type or quality of rubber, because it worked WONDERS on the top part of my shoes, but not on the edges. For the stubborn spots with more texture, all you have to do is mixing baking soda and water to create a paste. Spread the mixture on the area you want to clean and wait for 10-15 minutes. After that, you can scrub away the dirt and rinse the paste and voilà! Shoes looking just like new.
7. SMELLY SHOES - baking soda, cornstarch & tea tree oil
This isn't the sexiest of topics but hey, it happens. My feet don't usually smell much but I have this one pair of shoes that for some reason always smell. Well I might've just found the trick to help with that. Here's the magic recipe : combine 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 5 drops of tea tree oil. Once it's well mixed, you can store it in a salt shaker! After wearing your stinky pair of shoes, sprinkle the mix into them and let sit overnight. The baking soda has odour absorbing qualities and tea tree oil is a well known antibacterial. I would advise to dust it off your shoes before wearing them again though!
8. DULL LEATHER - marseille soap
Saving the best for last. I love leather shoes & boots but they do need quite a bit of upkeep if they're going to remain in good condition. If your leather is looking a bit dull, you can use Marseille soap to wash and give it a new life! Marseille soap is a specific type of vegetal oil soap but I don't see why you couldn't use a regular olive oil soap. Just rub the leather with a damp cloth that has soap on it. Be gentle and use circular motions to avoid damaging the leather. Once you're done, do the same with clean water this time and after that, make sure to dry the shoes with a dry cloth! Ta dah!
