Shoe Care Special! 9th October 2015

Shoe Stain Hangover?

As much as we spend on our beloved shoes we cannot promise that they will never encounter dirt no matter how much we try and look after them. The only way to avoid the daily grime would be to seal them in a glass box and admire them from the comfort of your favourite armchair, but lets face it, who wants to do that? Who wants to deprive themselves of the luxury upon their feet and the admiring glances?

The worst and most frequent stain I encounter is the dreaded “beer” stain. Once the drink has started to flow freely it becomes harder to keep a balanced grip on the golden chalice and before you know it you awake the next morning looking at a pair of shoes that has a pattern on them much like an antique globe…look theres Paraguay.

For those of us that have been in this situation before then you will know that no amount of wiping or polishing is going to get those stains out, that’s because the stain has absorbed into the leather. Wax polish doesn’t work, nor does cream, saddle soap and even solvents can’t seem to shift this pertinacious issue!

So what can be done? Many will say live with it, that the marbled stain forms part of the character of the shoe. I say NAY! There is another way.

Now what I will say first is that I have only tried this method on calf leather shoes, I would not recommend it on any other type of leather as I cant be sure of the outcome, I would also test on an inconspicuous area such as the heel; this is a home remedy and should be treated as such.

So what is this wondrous beer stain obliterator I hear you cry? The answer? Vinegar.

That’s right, distilled white vinegar to be precise, available at most stores, cheap and easy to get hold of. (Please don’t use the brown vinegar!)

So firstly give your shoes a brush, then mix 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. Using a soft cloth gently rub the solution over the offending stain, just to get the process started. Then dampen a paper towel with the solution, place it on the stain and leave it overnight.

When you rise from your slumber peel off the paper towel and you should find that the stain has gone. Hallelujah, A miracle of biblical proportions.

I would go to mention that I have only tested this on beer stains, whether it will work on other alcohol is not known to me so this would be at your own risk!