How to look after your street shoes

By street shoes we mean your everyday shoes - any pair of shoes that are not for dancing (check your inbox for last Friday’s email if you want to find out how to care for dance shoes). 

If you love shoes as much as we do, you’ll know that the best pairs often get worn out, dirty, and even smelly from frequent wear. We want to help you avoid this and get the most out of your beautiful Burjus. 

So, are you ready to dive in? Let’s do this!

Stop shoes from smelling

Firstly, always air your shoes out before putting them away. Leaving them sweaty causes bacteria to form which smells bad.

Clean and deodorize the insides of your shoes regularly. You can buy a special deodorizing spray for shoes from your local shoe store. 

For a homemade solution, you can sprinkle baking soda on the inner soles to absorb the sweat and stop the smell. Or you can wipe inside your shoes with a few drops of tea tree oil which is antifungal and smells great.

Keep the shape

To retain the original shape of your shoes you can use a shoe tree made ideally from cedar wood, which absorbs moisture.

You can also stuff shoes with newspaper which will keep them dry, especially if you’ve been caught in the rain and your shoes are a little damp.

Leather, vegan leather and patent shoes

You can clean these materials with a damp cloth and stains should slide off easily. Use warm soapy water for more stubborn stains.

You can also try a solution of water and vinegar on more stubborn stains. 

Satin shoes

Satin shoes need special care. Try to brush off the stain first with a clean dry cloth.

Then use cold water with a little dish detergent, but go gently to protect the lovely satin finish.

Suede shoes

One amazing trick for suede is to use a pencil eraser to gently rub off stains and marks on the fabric. Don’t forget to use a special suede brush afterwards to restore the “nap” (the fibers that stand up) of the suede.

You can also buy a special suede protector spray from your local shoe repair store which will protect the delicate material if you get caught in the rain.

Final Note...

One golden rule for you - never put your shoes in the washing machine, no matter what they’re made from - even a low temperature can damage the glue that keeps shoes together and make them come apart. Eek!

I hope you found this little guide to caring for your shoes useful.