Shoe Care Instructions

Just like how we prioritize our skin care routine, we must also make time to take care of our leather shoes. What happens when you don't take care of your skin? It dries, cracks, and doesn't look good. It will then take time to reverse the effects and bring it back to the way it was, or it may cause permanent damage when not taken care of immediately.

On this page, we will teach you how to take care of your leather shoes so they will last as long as you want them to. Genuine leather is durable by itself, but will last even longer when properly taken care of. Here are some basic tips to help keep your favorite Rob & Mara shoes in prime condition.

Never submerge leather in water unless you're particularly angry at your shoes. Submerging leather in water may cause permanent damage to the material. Since genuine leather is natural and porous, it's not waterproof unless treated with a waterproofing chemical. There may be times, however, when our leather shoes can accidentally get wet from rain or other elements. Don't worry, that's okay. Simply follow these following steps:

1. Remove the laces.

2. Shake off as much water as possible and blot off the rest of the moisture with a dry, clean towel. Stuff your shoes with absorbent paper, tissue paper, or cloth. We don't recommend using newspaper as the ink may transfer to the shoes when wet. Only use blank paper if you can. Replace the paper every hour or so.

3. Never dry under the sun. Too much heat will dry and may cause the leather to crack and direct sunlight may discolor the material. Always dry your leather shoes indoors. Set them in front of a cool fan in a dry area inside your home. Rotate the shoes every now and then to dry out all sides.

4. Make sure the shoes are completely dry before storing or using them again.

Top-grain and full-grain leather are made from the outermost layer of the hide, making them the strongest and most durable types of leather. To clean your top-grain or full-grain leather shoes, follow the steps below:

1. Dust off the leather with a soft, dry cloth. Find a clean, soft, and dry cloth you can use to gently wipe away any debris, dirt, grease, oil, or grime that might be on the surface of the leather.

2. Wipe down the shoe with a damp cloth. Once you’ve used the dry cloth to wipe away grease and grime, wet a cloth with warm water and gently wipe down the surface of the shoe. Be sure you don’t saturate the leather or you can cause damage.

3. Air dry the shoes. It’s important that you give your leather shoes an ample amount of time to air dry once you’ve finished the cleaning process and before you wear them. Allow your shoes to dry for at least 30 minutes in a cool, dry area indoors away from sunlight or moisture.

4. Treat the leather. Apply shoe polish with a soft cloth and allow to sit for a few minutes. Then take the cloth or a horsehair shoe brush and buff the leather to a shine. This will help preserve and protect your leather shoes.

For this type of leather, conditioning is as necessary — or even more so — as conditioning your hair. Since cowhide can no longer produce its own oil to keep the skin from cracking, you as loving owners are responsible for keeping that beautiful work of leather moist.

There are many creams and oils that keep leather from cracking and flaking. We highly recommend the tried and tested Kiwi brand, which can be bought at your local hardware store. Kiwi shoe polish comes in black, brown, and neutral. You can use each color depending on the shade of shoes you bought.

Polishing your leather shoes doesn’t just give them that shiny finish, it also gives your shoes a layer of protection against harsh weather. Regularly polishing your leather shoes helps keep them moisturized, while maintaining their color and protecting their shine. There are a lot of shoe brushes out there used for polishing, but each one has a different use depending on the leather. For full-grain leather shoes, we recommend using a horsehair shoe brush.

• Horsehair brushes are the best type of shoe brush because they are sturdy yet incredibly soft, so as to not scratch the leather.
• Horsehair bristles are known for being exceptionally soft. In addition, the bristles are flexible which allows them to dislodge dirt stuck in your shoes’ grooves.
• After cleaning your shoes with a small amount of shoe cream, polish them with a horsehair brush and your dull and faint-looking shoes will get an extraordinary shine. 
• Regularly polishing your shoes protects them from the natural accumulation of dirt and minor discolorations.

Once in a while, you may get unwanted stains on your beautiful pair of shoes. You can use saddle soap, which is a type of leather conditioning product that’s used to clean, condition and protect leather from damage. However, if you want to go the easier way, you can make a simple yet effective DIY leather cleaner at home:

• Mix 1 part mild liquid soap with 7 parts water. Gently lather on the leather and wipe very gently with a damp cotton cloth.

We make it a point to use breathable materials for our shoes in order to avoid the accumulation of sweat and stench. However, if you're the type to have really sweaty feet, your leather shoes could most likely pick up your foot smell. Follow the instructions below on how to clean and deodorize your stinky leather shoes:

1. Fill a spray bottle with a small amount of white vinegar. Spray it inside your leather shoes and allow it to dry for a few hours. The vinegar is not only a deodorizing agent, but also kills bacteria that may be growing inside your shoes.

2. Sprinkle baking soda inside each shoe. Once the vinegar has dried, sprinkle at least 1 tbsp baking soda into each shoe. You need to use enough baking soda to cover the entire insole of the shoe. Shake the shoe to distribute the baking soda across the insole. Tilt the shoe forward, back, and side-to-side to help spread the baking soda across the insole. The baking soda will soak up any bad odors and may also kill any odor-causing bacteria.

3. Let the baking soda sit in your shoes overnight. Wait a few hours, preferably overnight. Extra-stinky shoes may require up to 24 hours. The next day, gently tap the shoe upside down to get rid of any excess powder.

4. Repeat the baking soda treatment as needed. If your shoes tend to get smelly often, you can repeat this once a month. Avoid using this too often though, as the baking soda can cause the leather to become dry or brittle over time. If you have leather shoes that tend to get sticky, try leaving them in a cool, dry area so that they can air out. A dryer sheet stuffed inside the shoe can help further freshen it up.

Nubuck is a type of leather made from cowhide. Like suede, it is sanded to create a nap. But while suede is made from the inside of the hide, nubuck is made from the outside, which is stronger and more durable. Due to their texture, both nubuck and suede leather are quite vulnerable to stains, so they must be cleaned and protected with tools and products that are specifically designed to care for them. To clean your nubuck and suede leather shoes, follow the steps below:

1. Remove the laces.

2. Wipe your shoes with a nubuck cloth. This type of cloth is specially designed for cleaning nubuck. Nubuck cleaner is typically integrated within its fibers. Wipe with this regularly to remove light soiling and shiny spots. This prevents grime from building up. Wipe in several directions, using circular motions to clean all sides of the nap.

3. Brush the surface with a nubuck brush. Use a circular motion, taking care not to spend more than a few seconds on any area, as this could damage the nap. This will clear the nubuck of dirt and grime.

4. Clean a particularly soiled area with a nubuck cleaner. These cleaners come in liquid and aerosol form, and are formulated for use on nubuck. Spray the cleaner onto a nubuck cloth and wipe the entirety of the surface. Finish by brushing the nap to remove any residue.

5. Wipe your nubuck routinely and apply a protectant. Regular wiping with a nubuck cloth will prevent you from having to resort to leather degreaser and leather cleaner. You should also apply a spray protectant at least every 6 months. Spray the item, then allow time for the nubuck to thoroughly dry before using or wearing it. Make sure to lift the nap before you apply protectant. The best time to spray this protectant is after cleaning your nubuck surface.

6. For tougher stains, use sandpaper to sand a nubuck surface. As nubuck is created by sanding cowhide, it can withstand sanding for cleaning purposes. For the toughest stains, rub them carefully with sandpaper until the stain is removed. If you only need to clean a specific stain, only sand that particular spot.

7. Use a nubuck brush to remove residue. As you sand the nubuck, you’ll be creating a fine dust composed of the leather and whatever grime it contained. Brush it away to keep your nubuck clear and clean.

For nubuck and suede leather, use a crepe rubber shoe brush. Crepe rubber is a latex material that is sticky and soft. This unique material is ideal for nubuck and suede as it clings to the nap of these types of leather, restoring the shoes' shine. To remove light stains, brush along the direction of the nap. For heavy-duty cleaning, brush both along and against the direction of the nap.

For stains that are deeply set into your nubuck or suede leather shoes, use a brass wire shoe brush. The brass wires are sturdy and rigid which helps them work away the tougher stains without damaging your shoes. However, this type of brush isn’t suited for smooth leathers and can leave scratches if used on the wrong pair of shoes. We recommend trying it out first on a small part at the back of your shoes to see if it works nicely. 

Kidskin leather is a type of soft leather made from goatskin and is traditionally used for gloves. Due to its well-rounded features such as adaptability, durability, suppleness, and the fact that it is impressively lightweight, kidskin leather is also widely used for other fashion purposes such as footwear and clothing.

Since kidskin leather is very soft, it entails more care during use than cowhide. We recommend using your kidskin leather shoes with utmost care with the following advice:

• Refrain from using your kidskin leather shoes when commuting on public vehicles or if you walk a lot on unpaved roads.
• Do not drag your feet when walking; rather, lift your feet up with every step to avoid the leather from skidding the ground.
• Avoid sharp corners and objects when walking as these may accidentally scratch the leather when come into contact.
• Store your kidskin leather shoes in moderate temperature, away from direct sunlight, moisture, and extreme dryness or humidity. This will help the leather keep its natural look and texture over time and reduce the possibility of the skin cracking.

To upkeep and clean your kidskin leather shoes, follow the following steps:

1. Dust off the leather with a soft, dry cloth. Find a clean, soft, and dry cloth you can use to gently wipe away any debris, dirt, grease, oil, or grime that might be on the surface of the leather. We recommend using a small microfiber towel.

2. Wipe down the shoe with a damp cloth. Once you’ve used the dry cloth to wipe away grease and grime, wet a soft cloth with warm water and very gently wipe down the surface of the shoe. Be sure you don’t saturate the leather or you can cause damage. Wipe very gently as kidskin leather is soft and quite sensitive.

3. Air dry the shoes. It’s important that you give your leather shoes an ample amount of time to air dry once you’ve finished the cleaning process and before you wear them. Allow your shoes to dry for at least 30 minutes in a cool, dry area indoors away from sunlight or moisture.

4. Treat the leather. Apply shoe polish with a soft cloth and allow to sit for a few minutes.

1. Remove any caked-on dirt. If your shoes are particularly dirty, you may want to start by taking them outside and slapping them together to knock loose any large bits of dirt or mud. If you leave too much mud on the shoe, it will take a lot longer to get them clean.

2. Use an old toothbrush to remove loose dirt. Before you begin scrubbing away at the rubber parts of your shoes, start by brushing or scraping off any loose dirt that’s stuck to it. The more you remove with a dry brush, the less mess you’ll have to deal with once you create your cleaning solution. Don’t worry about scrubbing too much, if the dirt doesn’t come free quickly, it will once you begin using the cleaning solution.

3. Mix 1 part baking soda and 1 part laundry detergent. Avoid using laundry detergents with bleaching agents. The baking soda will act as an abrasive to help the soap remove dirt and grime. Depending on how much you need to clean, you likely won’t need much baking soda or laundry detergent. Begin by mixing 1 tbsp of each in a small bowl thoroughly. You can always add more of each ingredient if you find you haven’t made enough.

4. Scrub the rubber with your cleaning solution. Use your old toothbrush to apply the combination of baking soda and laundry detergent to the rubber portion of your shoes, then scrub it in. Using a circular motion with the brush is often the most effective way to remove dirt and grime.

5. Use a different sponge or cloth to thoroughly rinse the soles. Once you’ve adequately scrubbed the cleaning combination into the soles of your shoes, take another clean cloth or sponge and soak it in clean water. Run it along the sole, rinsing it with each pass until all of the mixture has been rinsed away. Make sure you remove all of the cleaning mixture or else the rubber may become discolored.

6. Dry the shoe completely. Once you have rinsed all of the soap off of the shoe, use a clean towel to dry the rubber before you wear the shoes again. Once you have the shoe dry, you’ll have a better sense of how well the cleaning mixture did, and you can repeat the process at this point if you need to. Make sure the shoes are completely dry before storing them, as leaving the shoes wet could lead them to smell or grow molds. Wet shoes can also be dangerous to wear, so be sure they’re completely dry and free of soap before putting them on.