How to reliably protect and clean shoes from traces of reagents?

Saving city residents from injuries and falls in winter, cleaners generously sprinkle sidewalks with special products. Reagents corrode not only snow and ice, but also the surface of shoes. At best, the boots will be covered with white streaks that can be washed off. In the worst case, the shoes cannot be saved. Water repellent is not able to provide reliable protection. Using the right techniques, you can protect boots made from natural and man-made materials.

Reagent properties

Our wipers' favorite remedy is sodium chloride with the addition of sand or other salts. This product is the cheapest, and snowdrifts and ice melt right before your eyes. It is not recommended to use it because salts corrode car bodies, spoil asphalt, lead to corrosion of water pipes and corrode cultural monuments. What can we say about the harm to animals and soil? Unlike the environment, shoes can be protected from the effects of chemicals.

The highest concentration of salt is concentrated in snowdrifts and melted snow on the roadsides. The most generous amount of reagents is poured onto highways to prevent icing. The mixture of slush and chemical is pushed by the wheels to the side of the road. When crossing the road, try to walk along the pedestrian crossing, and on sidewalks, walk in the center, not on the side.

The fresher the stains on the surface of the boots, the easier it is to clean them. When you get home, don’t delay removing salt from leather, suede or nubuck boots.

Winter shoe protection

Shoes made of any material other than rubber suffer from antifreeze. Many people believe that it is enough to treat your boots with a water-repellent spray, and you will not be afraid of reagents. This simple method does not come with any guarantees, but has good reviews. However, you need to process boots at least 3 times, waiting until the previous layer is completely absorbed into the material.

One of the “grandmother’s methods” to protect your boots is to smear them with a piece of lard or treat them with beeswax. Nowadays, there are more “pleasant” methods, especially since lard can leave stubborn grease stains on shoes. It is recommended to soak leather boots with a special cream based on beeswax or mink oil. This should be done not before leaving the house and dipping your boots into a mixture of snow and reagents, but at night so that the oil is absorbed deep into the fibers of the material.

It is better to put shoes made of suede or nubuck in the closet until drier and sunnier weather, but if there is no choice, then take care of their protection in advance. Oil and fatty creams will stick the pile together and leave greasy marks. The only available remedy is an oil-containing spray that repels water, and with it chemicals. The suede surface of boots should be treated several hours before leaving the house.

How to save leather boots?

After a walk on a warm winter day, you may find white stains on your favorite shoes. These are the consequences of the generosity of janitors scattering government salt left and right. Leather shoes should be wiped with a damp cloth without waiting for the stains to dry. Remove any remaining water with a paper towel or dry cloth.

You can clear stains using:

• vinegar;
• sunflower oil;
• castor oil;
• aqueous-alcohol solution.

Mix vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:2. Soak a cotton pad in the solution and treat the surface of the boots, not missing the seams and joints. You can use alcohol instead of vinegar. It shows excellent results in removing streaks. After treatment, wipe the boots with a dry cloth to remove any remaining solution. Leave them to dry at room temperature. To remove stains with oil, soak a cotton pad in it and rub the boots, paying special attention to the seams. After drying, treat the boots with cream and polish with a soft cloth. If in some places it was not possible to clear the stains, paint over them with a cream of a suitable color.

Advice

Never place leather shoes on a radiator; they should dry at room temperature.

Saving suede and nubuck shoes

Wait until the suede pair of boots is completely dry. After this, you need to remove the stains using a special brush. If you cannot clear the stains, prepare a special shampoo. Add a little liquid soap (preferably for children) and a few drops of ammonia to the water. Foam the solution and treat the boots with it using a sponge. If the product does not show results, wipe the surface with a weak solution of vinegar.

If no remedy has helped restore damaged boots, hold them over steam, treating them evenly on each side. After this, lift the pile using a brush for suede or nubuck. To clean textile-coated boots, use a solution of water and ammonia. But it’s better to put off such shoes until drier days.

Protection from technical salts is the best way to preserve your favorite boots. Avoid snowdrifts and “mess” of dirt, chemicals and ice.It is better to walk through a puddle than along the side of the road with melted snow. In winter, it is better to wear two pairs of boots alternately so that they have time to dry out and become saturated with protective agents. Don't forget that rubber galoshes have returned to fashion. They are not afraid of snow or rain.