It was also my first leather purse. I am so pleased with it, Ive also been using it on my Lucky Emmie flats. Those flats have seriously seen better days and theyre not even that old! But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. All opinions are 100% my own.var search_me = '225_52653'; var scriptElems = document.getElementsByTagName('script'), i=scriptElems.length - 1, curLoc; for (; i; --i) { curLoc = scriptElems[i]; if ('innerText' in curLoc) { if (curLoc.innerText.indexOf(search_me)) break; }else if ('textContent' in curLoc) { if (curLoc.textContent.indexOf(search_me)) break; }} addImpression(225,52653);var clkHndlr = function(event) { addListenersForClickAround(225,52653, curLoc); };addEvent(window, 'load', clkHndlr); A little over a year ago, I purchased the Madewell Kensington Satchel as a birthdIay present to myself. Then took it out and dried off all the water I could with a large towel. I let it sit in the cold water for 10 minutes. Take a clean cloth, dip in water, and wring it out. When its time to sit down and clean your leather shoes, youll know. I also try to be careful to not put my bag in harms way by not setting it on the floor and always double check surfaces before setting it down. We broke down each step (and what youll need) to make your leather shoes look fresh-out-of-the-box new again. Please contact me for use of any of my photos. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. One of the best ways to keep your bag looking nice is to prevent stains in the first place. But I am thrilled with the results! What Is Cactus Leather? If your bag gets saturated with water, its best to use a leather cleaner to remove the mink oil, and then let the bag air out and dry before re-applying. After these multiple failed attempts I gave up for a few weeks. Mink oil hasnt darkened any of my leather in that color (I use it on my madewell boots too!). I kind of alternated with them. Their response was that they encourage guarding against stains by suing a leather protectant and to visit a leather specialist or cobbler once a year to clean away buildup. Pick up a package of baby wipes. *DISCLAIMER* I am not a leather expert and do not claim that this will work on all types of leather. Perhaps most intriguing is the use of reclaimed leather in the uppers. Now that you know exactly how to clean your leather shoes, feel free to shop away! I use it all the time. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Add a bit of liquid soap or leather cleaner and wipe down your shoes. Topics of expertise and interest include agriculture, conservation, ecology, and climate science. Just a tad more wax and this baby is history! One of my most popular posts on my blog has been my post on removing a water stain from a leather bag. I take the sponge and apply the conditioner in a thin coat. I soaked the entire bag for 20 minutes. It is clear, which is wonderful. We recommend using a brush specifically made for cleaning leather shoes. It has a number of other "Do Well" projects that involve supporting the charity Girls Inc., advocating for LGBTQ equality, and improving access to drinking water with charity: water. Yeah! Sneakers are having their moment. I tried other methods to clean them and even washed them A little bit of color difference across the back of the bag but better than it was. This organization has, since 2005, identified best environmental practices in the leather-working industry and provided guidelines and certification incentives for companies to improve their production standards. So after this, I took a teeny bit of wax with a clean, damp section of the rag and worked it in to the leather. I recently bought a beautiful leather Madewell bag, and it made me think about writing a post on how to care for the bag before an accident happens! Well it faded the stain alright- along with the rest of the bag (it took a good bit of the dye off). Hello, I just received a Madewell bag for Christmas and the color is very similar to yours pictured above! Remove the laces (if your shoes have them) before wiping the shoes down with anything! **I did read that on non-vegtable tanned leathers, saddle soap can be too harsh so make sure you know what type of leather you are working with.**. Im super eager to try this process. I definitely think that would work, I tried it on a vintage Coach bag as well that didnt a lining either . You can treat your leather products once a month to keep them looking new. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Its a mysterious stain (the owner did not remember what the liquid was) and so I really kind of took a chance buying this bag, hoping I could remove it. Is It Sustainable? Brush off dirt, dust, and any random debris before you do anything else. I let it air dry for a few days, and applied a little saddle soap on it, and OMG- it was like brand new! It participates in the Blue Jeans Go Green program that recycles old denim into housing insulation and credits your donation toward a new pair of jeans. (LogOut/ This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. None of my posts are influenced by affiliates or partnerships. Shop It: Jason Markk Premium Hog Bristle Wood Block Brush ($11). Luckily, it couldnt be any easier to do yourself at home. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Thank you so much for reading this post! White sneakers are a must as the weather warms up. But me being me I just really want it gone. I had no idea how to care for leather, so my purse has not been cleaned or conditioned this whole time! Each product is hand-selected by our editors because we think you'll Weve chosen our favorite leather pairs here. Once youve worked the conditioner in, let it sit for about an hour. Rebecca has been writing about style, beauty, and lifestyle topics since 2011. She holds a degree in English Literature and History from the University of Toronto. Some mix suede and snakeskin pieces for an appealing patchwork appearance, and all contain Madewell's Cloudlift insoles for "extreme cushioning and support.". I dont conditioner my purse that often. In most lights you cant even see that there was a spot on the leather and to people who never knew it was there, they would have no idea Im sure. I spray the leather cleaner on the terry cloth and work it in, moving in circular motions. Dampen a small part of your rag and gather a good bit of saddle soap onto it. The next day I repeated my saddle soap process about 3 separate times, for about 5-10 minutes each. The Court Sneaker comes in five different color schemes basic white, Desert Olive, Ivory Multi, Coastal Orange Multi, Sheer Pink. or promote through one of our. I was wrong I made it worse because Im not a professional like I said before- haha! While that first step is crucial to making sure your leather shoes last, theres little escaping the inevitability of acquiring scuff marks, nicks, and general dirt through multiple wears over time. You can tell that it soaks in nicely, and the leather has a gorgeous sheen to it now! I cannot be held responsible for your personal safety or outcome of projects. I use a product called mink oil for most of my leather goods it works really good for boots that get exposed to salt and snow in the winter. I will share before/after pictures of my shoes at a later date, but for today Ill be showing how I care for my leather purse. Okay, so were all guilty of doing this. Not too bad, right? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I flipped the bag around a few times a day while it was drying. Duplication of text from this site is prohibited. It is nice to have these products on hand at any moment, in case I get a stain or a scuff that needs to be treated. Its always good to try it on a small spot (like the handle) first just to be sure since each brand and kind could be different. I have a vintage leather Coach bag and it has a few stains on the outside and was going to send it away to get it cleaned but I think it might be enough to try the DIY version first! Working it in circles insures you cover the surface evenly. In the washer before I gave up totally. The sculptural heel gives this such a sleek silhouette. It is clear, so you dont have to worry about it coloring your hands. Ive treated them twice so far with the Leather Nova Conditioner+Cleaner, and I am SO happy with how they look. For my purse, I used the cleaner and conditioner. (LogOut/ They need to be treated a few more times before Im happy with the color and sheen. Lately, Ive been using Leather Nova leather care products to restore the vibrancy of my purse. I couldnt remember Madewells stance on using leather protectants, so I reached out to them to confirm. I have scuffed them up so badly, I had pretty much resigned them to only wearing them in the yard. We're having a hard time choosing between the black and the brown. In a circular motion lather the saddle soap onto the leather. Follow up by wiping them with a damp cloth again to remove any leftover soap. In fact, polished leather is different and the dye could be affected differently, so be careful. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. OH! The spot was virtually gone and so I thought. The lining is made from recycled cotton, reclaimed from old garments, and the shoelaces are made with cotton grown according to standards set by the Better Cotton Initiative, which trains farmers to use more ecologically-responsible agricultural practices for a reduced impact. All opinions are my own. I bought this very expensive Madewell bag, USED (on Poshmark) with a big ol spot on it. She enjoys gardening, reporting on environmental topics, and spending her time outside snowboarding or foraging. The stain is about 2 years old. These cookies do not store any personal information. The Court Sneaker definitely appears to meet those criteria, which makes it a good option for anyone needing some new footwear. You can see how used and abused my purse is! I have no idea why I thought this, but I did! If you buy something through our link, we may earn a Leather Nova sent me three different products, the Leather Cleaner, the Leather Conditioner, and the Leather Condtioner+Cleaner. Before I had started using this, I imagined leather conditioner to be brown. 2 different brands of saddle soap- I did not particularly have a preference. Brush gently along the seam and sole of your shoes careful not to scratch the leather accidentally. During this hour I also used saddle soap on the rest of the bag to clean it and protect it. I was sent these Leather Nova products for review, via Brandbacker. Alterre Makes Beautiful Shoes With Interchangeable Straps, The Best Sustainable Plus Size and Extended Size Clothing Brands, The 6 Best Sustainable Winter Boots of 2022, Your Next Pair of Hiking Boots Could Contain Leather Scraps from Car Seats, What Is Suede, and Is It a Sustainable Fabric? I started with the bottom of the bag because I wanted to make sure that the saddle soap was not going to have a bad reaction with the leather. Traveling or on the go and need to quickly clean off a stain? So, two Friday nights ago, I filled my wash tub with luke-warm water and a teaspoon of regular Dawn dishsoap. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. After wearing it frequently for several years, the inside seemed dirty. Using my photos even with credit is prohibited. I rung out the inside and stuffed a towel in there to try and speed up in the inside drying process. So here I am documenting what did and didnt work in attempting to get this stain out at home. It is real, vegtable tanned leather. Wow! That is why Madewell's latest line of sustainable shoes, the Court Sneaker, is bound to do well, especially when readers find out about its impressive eco-friendly credentials. For regular maintenance, I re-apply mink oil every 6 months or if I notice the leather looking dry in certain spots like the bottom corners. I wish I had read your blog or thought to try this on a pair of expensive leather sandals I ditched that had stubborn stains. Up next, this is how to clean suede shoes. I have also been using these products on my Lucky Emmie flats. Tutorials are my suggestion and not a promise or guarantee of an outcome. I purchased a red Coach bag 10 years ago. Some of the dye did come out but there was fair warning in the article so I didnt worry about it. SO. Katherine Martinko is an expert in sustainable living. I just put the gross side on the inside when I used it.