Hand on heart: how many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet? And how often do you buy new ones? Many people love to equip themselves with new shoes for the upcoming season. Good shoes are often a real investment that should last a long time. This makes it all the more important to take good care of your shoes. Because the right care preserves the value of the shoes – so you can enjoy them for a long time. But how do you care for suede leather, smooth leather, oiled leather & Co.? We'll give you a brief overview.
Smooth leather
Smooth leather is the most frequently used leather, it feels smooth and supple. The grain side of this leather is processed to the outside. Depending on the animal, the grain is more or less strong. Smooth leather is usually dyed on the surface and has a smooth finish. This makes it water- and dirt-repellent and the surface relatively robust. Fine smooth leather is usually soft and absorbs more moisture.
How to care for smooth leather: Remove coarse dirt with a Cleaning Brush before care. If the dirt is heavier, clean the shoes with pedag Combi Cleaner or remove the dirt with a damp cloth. After drying, nourish the shoes with a shoe polish that matches the color. After a few minutes polish them to shine with a polishing brush, a cloth or the polishing glove. Finally waterproof the shoes – and ready are your perfectly cleaned smooth leather shoes!
Suede leather
Suede leather is the generic term for all leathers with a velvety or fibrous surface. A distinction is made between fine nubuck leather and coarser velour leather. In order to obtain nubuck leather, the leather is roughened on the grain side, giving it a particularly fine, velvety surface. Velour leather uses the back of the leather, which has longer and coarser fibers. To preserve the sensual experience of suede leather, the right care is important.
How to care for suede leather: To clean and loosen the fibres, use a brush suitable for suede leather. For fine nubuck, a brush with crepe lamellas is recommended, velour, for example, can be brushed with the Special Brush. Then apply a matching liquid care product from the heel to the tip. If you prefer to spray, you can use pedag Suede & Nubuck Spray. It refreshes colors, nourishes and waterproofs slightly. After drying, brush up the fibers so that the leather gets its fluffy structure again. For intensive protection, you can finally waterproof your suede shoes with pedag Waterproofer.
Oiled leather
Oiled leather has a very special character. It is supple, but does not shine and develops a certain patina over time. The surface of this leather is provided with a dyed fat or wax layer. This makes the leather darker and its color slightly irregular. Greased leather can be recognized by the fact that light strokes can already be caused by the fingernail. After polishing, they'll disappear.
How to care for oiled leather: You can clean oiled leather shoes with a brush as well as with the pedag Combi Cleaner. In order to maintain the greasy character of the leather, oiled leather needs the right care afterwards. pedag Oiled Leather Care is perfectly adapted to the needs of greasy leather and waxed leathers. The crowning glory of every shoe care is the waterproofing, in this case with the pedag Wax Waterproofer or classically with the pedag Leather Wax.
Synthetics
Synthetics are now the most frequently used material in the manufacturing of shoes. Imitation leather is a fantastic material, well processed it is hardly to be distinguished from real leather optically. It often feels the same, but is cheaper. Imitation leather is easier to care for than real leather. However, as it loses its plasticizers over time, it also needs regular care and protection.
How to take care for synthetics: Here we also start with the cleaning. Remove coarse dirt, then clean with the pedag Combi Cleaner or with pedag Crystal Gel. pedag Scuff Cover Cream fresh up the color. To protect it from water, dirt and stains, you can waterproof imitation leather with the pedag Waterproofer.
Textile
Textile shoes are especially popular in summer. In the warm season, sneakers and chucks are in high demand. In contrast to leather, textiles do not contain fat (exception: waxed textiles). Shoes made of textiles such as cotton, linen or canvas are unfortunately sensitive. To keep them beautiful for a long time and to keep the cool look, they need protection.
How you care for textile: Clean them with pedag Combi Cleaner, fresh up colors with pedag Suede & Nubuck Spray or pedag Ultra White (great for white sneakers!). You can waterproof textile shoes with the pedag Liquid Waterproofer or the pedag Waterproofer. The environmentally friendly Natural Protector is also ideal for this purpose. Tip: Most summer textile sneakers have a light rubber sole. With the pedag Sneaker Cleaner it becomes bright white again. Stains can also be removed with the pedag Smooth Leather Cleaner.
Classified by material type
By the way: Our online shop helps you to find the right product for your shoes. The category Shoe & Leather Care is divided into material categories. Once you have selected a material, you can use the "Application" filter to further narrow down whether you are looking for something for cleaning, care or color refreshment.
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