Clearly, with time and wear, shoes get stained and scratched, but since leather is a resistant but also very delicate material, we can use some tricks to try not to stain them and to try to make them like new again.

It is not always the best and ideal solution to buy specific leather cleaning products because you risk making the situation worse as very often every leather is different and a specific product may be good for one type of leather but not for another, so be careful!

Many do-it-yourself remedies for cleaning leather shoes are therefore preferable: these include the use of simple ingredients such as damp cotton cloths, cleansing milk and other natural products.

For smaller, localised blemishes: you can use a cotton wool pad dipped in cleansing milk (the one used for facial cleansing will do as long as it does not contain alcohol), which serves not only to remove the skin blemish but also to keep the skin shiny as new.

⚠️ WARNING: Do not use on suede.

Never use water: contrary to what you might think, it is better not to use water to clean leather shoes as it tends to harden and ruin them. If you want to use water to remove dust, for example, use a damp cloth and dry the shoe immediately.
Cleaning the lining: It is always a good idea to avoid getting the lining completely wet: moisture could corrode the material and water could wet the outer leather and ruin it. If there are stains on the lining, you can remove them by moistening only the area to be cleaned and treating it with a solution of water and alcohol or diluted neutral soap.

To absorb moisture, you can fill the shoe with household paper or neutral paper.

Some general tips for caring for your leather shoes

Keep them in their box, in its absence place them in a common cotton pillowcase (do not use plastic bags, the leather needs to breathe!) By doing so you will prevent them from gathering dust. To keep the shape intact, you can stuff the shoes with a little paper (avoid newspapers and magazines, the ink could stain the lining), so it won't get crushed and take on ugly creases.

Remember... don't throw your shoes away just because they have a stain! Try using these methods and above all... take care of them from day one!