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Whether your leather shoes have small scratches in them or deeper ones, there are some elementary ways to gear up the scratches and so your shoes are looking great once more. For minor scratches, use things similar petroleum jelly, white vinegar, or recoloring balm to gear up the leather. If your shoe has a deeper scratch, fill up it in using a leather cream smooth that'south the same color as your leather shoes.

  1. 1

    Make clean the shoe using a damp material or shoe brush. Dampen a clean cloth and employ information technology to wipe downward the leather shoe's surface. Leather that'southward untreated tin can exist damaged past water, and so if you're not sure whether your shoes are treated or not, utilise a horsehair brush made for buffing shoes to remove whatsoever clay or dust before yous start fixing the shoe.[ane]

    • Let the shoe dry out completely before repairing it if yous used a clammy cloth to wipe it down.

  2. ii

    Rub petroleum jelly on the leather to fill in a scratch hands. Dip a clean cloth in petroleum jelly and apply circular motions to rub information technology into the scratch. Wait ten minutes earlier wiping the excess petroleum jelly off using a clean rag.[2]

    • The jelly should fill in the calorie-free scratch so it's not visible anymore.
    • Avert using petroleum jelly that'southward colored or scented.

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  3. iii

    Apply white vinegar to the leather to disguise a modest scratch. Dip a cotton fiber ball or clean material in white vinegar. Dab the white vinegar on the scratch—this will cause the leather to swell, disguising the scratch and so it's no longer visible.[3]

    • Utilise a shoe smoothen to your leather shoes afterward using the vinegar, if possible, to proceed your shoes looking shiny.

  4. iv

    Use a leather marker or recoloring balm to fill in a lite-colored scratch. If the scratch on your leather shoe stands out against the rest of your shoe'southward color, find a leather marker that's the same color every bit your shoe and use this to fill in the scratch. Instead of a leather marker, you can also utilize recoloring balm, which is colored shoe polish that'southward available in many different colors.[4]

    • Match the leather shoe'due south colour to the leather marker or recoloring balm as closely as possible to ensure your scratch isn't visible.
    • Use a clean rag to apply recoloring balm to the leather.

  5. five

    Heat the leather using a hair dryer to prepare a scratch using swelling. Once the leather swells, the scratch will disappear. Aim a pilus dryer set to medium heat on the scratch and expect for the leather to warm up a fleck before using your fingers to massage the scratched area of leather.[five]

    • If you're aiming the pilus dryer at your hands and information technology'due south too hot, then the hair dryer is too hot for the leather as well.

  6. 6

    Use olive oil to your shoes to repair very shallow scratches. Sometimes all you have to do is dab a piffling olive oil on the scratch to get in disappear. Dip a cotton brawl or paper towel in the olive oil and dab the oil into the scratch advisedly. Wipe away any excess oil using a clean rag or paper towel.[6]

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  1. 1

    Remove loose leather using sandpaper or small pair of scissors. Deep scratches tend to exit pieces of leather sticking out from the shoe's surface. To remove these pieces, apply a fine grit sandpaper to gently rub off the actress leather, creating a smooth surface. Alternatively, snip the extra leather off using tiny pair of scissors.[7]

    • If you utilise sandpaper, exist sure non to rub too aggressively and then you lot don't mess up the leather.
    • Employ 120- to 220-grit sandpaper.

  2. 2

    Clean the shoes using a shoe brush or damp cloth. It'south of import to remove any dust or clay before you fill in the scratch. Wipe the leather shoe down using a damp cloth or use back and forth strokes to make clean the shoe using a shoe brush.[8]

    • Allow the shoes dry if yous used a damp textile on them before filling in the scratch.
    • Pay actress attending to the spot where you'll exist filling in the scratch when you're cleaning the shoe.

  3. 3

    Fill in the scratch using a leather cream smoothen that matches the shoe. Leather cream polishes come in many different shades, so select 1 that nearly closely resembles the colour of your leather shoes. To test the color out, dab a small amount on the shoe and rub information technology in, seeing if the colour blends in with the rest of the shoe.[ix]

    • Wait for a leather cream smoothen at a specialty shoe shop or online.

  4. iv

    Rub the foam smoothen into the scratch and whole shoe using circular motions. Once you've determined the right colour for your leather, dip a clean cloth into the foam and apply it to the scratch. Rub it into the scratch using small round motions. Apply the cream polish to the rest of the shoe as well to be sure the color blends in well.[10]

    • Rub the foam polish into the shoe gently to avoid causing impairment.

  5. 5

    Wipe away excess cream evenly and permit the shoe dry out. Once you've filled in the scratch, wipe away the excess cream smoothen using the rag. Let the cream smooth dry completely before using the shoes or adding another glaze.[11]

    • Consider buffing the shoe with a horsehair brush after the polish dries for a final sheen.

  6. 6

    Apply additional coats of the foam smooth if needed. If the scratch isn't fully filled in yet, utilise a second layer of the cream polish to the scratch. Employ round motions and remember to utilise the cream to the entire surface so it blends in well.[12]

    • To exist certain your leather shoes match, apply the colored cream polish to both shoes, even if only one of them had a scratch.

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Add together New Question

  • Question

    How can I preclude scratches on my leather shoes?

    Marc Sigal

    Marc Sigal is the Founder of ButlerBox, a dry cleaning and shoe intendance service based in Los Angeles, California. ButlerBox places custom-designed, wrinkle-resistant lockers in luxury apartment buildings, class A office buildings, shopping centers, and other convenient locations and so you lot can selection upwardly and drop off items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Marc has a BA in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

    Marc Sigal

    Shoe Care Specialist

    Expert Answer

    There are protective leather creams and waxes you can buy at the shop. Apply the product to your leather shoes using a microfiber towel or a brush. Then, vitrify all of the wax with a brush.

  • Question

    What does leather conditioner practice?

    Marc Sigal

    Marc Sigal is the Founder of ButlerBox, a dry cleaning and shoe care service based in Los Angeles, California. ButlerBox places custom-designed, contraction-resistant lockers in luxury apartment buildings, grade A office buildings, shopping centers, and other convenient locations so you lot tin pick upwardly and driblet off items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Marc has a BA in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

    Marc Sigal

    Shoe Care Specialist

    Practiced Respond

    Leather conditioner keeps the leather supple so information technology doesn't dry out and cleft.

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  • Utilize a protective leather foam or wax to your leather shoes to help forbid scratches in the future.[13]

  • Proceed your leather shoes conditioned and then they don't dry out and crack.[14]

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  • Avoid polishing leather shoes that are muddied since you could polish the clay into the leather and make your shoes look worse.[xv]

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Things You'll Need

  • Clean cloth
  • Shoe brush
  • Petroleum jelly (optional)
  • White vinegar (optional)
  • Cotton brawl (optional)
  • Leather mark (optional)
  • Recoloring lotion (optional)
  • Hair dryer (optional)
  • Olive oil (optional)
  • Sandpaper (optional)
  • Pocket-sized scissors (optional)
  • Shoe brush
  • Clean cloth
  • Leather foam polish

References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/sentinel?v=BRG1OiO75kg#t=6m52s
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRG1OiO75kg#t=7m18s
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/sentry?v=BRG1OiO75kg#t=7m58s
  4. ↑ Marc Sigal. Shoe Care Specialist. Skilful Interview. 15 Jan 2022.
  5. ↑ Marc Sigal. Shoe Care Specialist. Practiced Interview. 15 January 2022.
  6. ↑ Marc Sigal. Shoe Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 15 Jan 2022.

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