How to clean cork sandals and leather

In summer, your feet are happy in open footwear.But if you use sandals for a long time, at some point arises the question of how to clean the leather templates that have been fatty and the clamping tapes that have been dirty.

Template cleaning

The cork template of traditional sandals are lined with a thin suede layer, while vegan models are covered with microfiber.

Both tissues can be cleaned in the same way with a sodium bicarbonate paste, which absorbs fat, dirt and smells.To make this pasta you need:

Ingredients:

After cleaning the sandals you need the following to keep the material flexible:

Ingredients:

To clean the template:

1. Prepara la pasta de limpieza mezclando los ingredientes en un tazón.
2. Extienda la pasta en la plantilla y con un cepillo de dientes viejo humedecido cepilla toda la superficie durante varios minutos. Si la pasta se seca demasiado, humedece el cepillo de dientes.
3. Deja actuar la pasta de limpieza hasta que esté seca. Una vez que se haya secado, frota la superficie de la plantilla con un paño húmedo. Puedes ir aclarando el paño con agua. Finalmente trata de absorber la mayor cantidad de humedad posible con una toalla de cocina vieja.
4. Para el cuidado posterior del material, diluye vinagre de manzana con agua y vuelve a fregar la plantilla limpia con el cepillo de dientes. Esto devuelve el valor de pH al ambiente ácido, de modo que la grasa y los taninos ligados al cuero se retienen y el material permanece flexible. Por otro lado, las fibras de la gamuza se vuelven a enderezar, ya que se aplanaron durante la limpieza. Las sandalias veganas tienen una plantilla de pelo de microfibra y no necesitan este cuidado.
5. Deja secar las sandalias al aire libre en un lugar cálido, pero no directamente bajo el sol del mediodía porque existe el riesgo de que el material se vuelva quebradizo, se agriete o incluso se rompa. Para acelerar un poco el proceso, mete papel de periódico arrugado en las sandalias.
6. Después de que la plantilla se haya secado, vuelve a cepillar el material con un cepillo para gamuza o un papel de lija fino, que eliminará las últimas adherencias rebeldes y dejará un tacto suave.

Clean the upper part of the sandals

The upper material of this type of sandals is made of leather or a synthetic substitute for leather.Depending on the type of leather, cleaning and care are different.First, open all buckles to make it easier to reach all parts.

Clean smooth leather

Sandals made of smooth leather are very easy to care for.A few drops of tibia water vinegar are enough.Moisten a cloth with the mixture and remove the dirt of the material.

After drying, fatty care is recommended so that the leather remains flexible.To do this you can apply olive oil on the material with a cotton cloth without fluff.

Keep Nobuck leather

Due to the accumulation of dust, cork sandals made of Nobuck leather become opaque over time.In this case, it is useful to brush dust and dirt.

The Nubuck can also be cleaned with a mixture of vinegar and water that washes and keeps it acid.It proceeds as described in the paragraph on smooth leather and brush the leather again after it is dry.

For rebel areas on Nubuck leather straps, dissolve a little soft detergent and repeat cleaning with the toothbrush.Leather fibers can be carefully scraped again with fine grain sandpaper.

If you have spots on the body you can wear corn starch.Sprinkle La Mancha with starch, let it act for a few minutes and then brush softly to remove starch remains.

Clean patent leather

Patent leather straps are made of lacquered or laminated leather that, thanks to its smooth surface as a mirror, is barely susceptible to dirt and can be easily cleaned with a wet cotton cloth with circular movements.

Vegan leather

Artificial leather is similar to patent leather and have different care requirements to those of real leather.They can be easily cleaned with a humid microfiber cloth.If this is not enough, a little dishwasher can be applied.

Sole care

The soles of these sandals are made of plastic (polyurethane) or rubber and, therefore, as artificial leather, they can be cleaned very easily with a damp cloth.

If the soles have a deep profile or are white, prove the same method you used to clean the template: use water, sodium bicarbonate, liquid detergent and an old toothbrush to end the spots.