Expert Tips for Maintaining and Cleaning School Shoes for Longevity and Freshness
Your child’s school shoes undergo a lot during the day, whether running through the mud, scuffing them in the playground or being around the arts and crafts play zone. However, keeping your child’s school shoes clean is essential for three reasons: maintaining their smart appearance, hygiene and most importantly extending their life.
You want your child to look their best for school, and having unkempt shoes sets a bad precedent for the future. As children wear their school shoes for long periods and almost every day, they can get smelly due to the growth of bacteria, especially in the summer. You’ll want to keep them free from odours and mould to keep their feet smelling fresh and free from fungus.
Plus, well-cared-for shoes will last longer, and with constantly growing feet demanding new shoes, you’ll want to keep your child’s school shoes in the best condition possible until they outgrow them.
Learn how to keep your child’s shoes clean using our top tips!
Table of contents
How to wash school shoes
Kids coming home with dirty school shoes is inevitable. But to keep their feet comfortable and healthy and to stop them traipsing mud through the house, you need to clean them as soon as possible.
FAQ: Can I wash school shoes in the washing machine?
We never recommend washing school shoes in the washing machine as the materials, especially leather, can get damaged by water, heat and mechanical action.
How to clean the outside of a school shoe
Instead, we recommend wiping them down or hand washing them. If the shoes have surface-level mud and dirt, you can clean them with the following:
- Dry brush
- Wet and dry cloth
- Bowl of soapy water
Once you have these items, wash school shoes using this method.
- Take out insoles and laces if necessary.
- If the dirt or mud is minimal, let it dry and brush away with a dry shoe brush.
- However, if the mud is excessive, wipe it with a paper kitchen towel.
- Then, take a wet cloth and wash the mud away with mild dish soap and warm water.
- Gently scrub without submerging the shoes
- Wipe away excess moisture with a dry cloth and leave to dry naturally.
How to wash the inside of a school shoe
As your child wears their school shoes most of the day and week, they can develop odours or bacteria, especially during the summer or if they are active.
Luckily, most of our school shoes here at The Children’s Shoe Company have removable soles, which you can machine wash to reduce odour and bacteria growth.
To clean the rest of the inside of the shoe, you will need
- Baking soda
- Soft brush or cloth
- Mild soap
- Water
- Dry cloth
Once you have these items, you can
- Remove the insoles and laces and put them in the washing machine or hand wash them.
- Shake out loose dirt and debris.
- Then, use the brush or cloth to brush away any loose dirt.
- If the shoe smells, sprinkle with baking soda to absorb moisture and neutralise the odour. Leave the shoes for a few hours or overnight.
- After the baking soda has done its job, tap the shoe upside down to remove the excess.
- To clean the fabric lining, mix mild soap with water. Then, use a damp cloth to clean the inner fabric lining.
- For leather lining, use a damp cloth and avoid using excess water.
- Allow the insides to air dry before inserting the insoles and laces.
Top tip #1: Invest in odour-control insoles, shoe sprays or anti-microbial linings to keep school shoes smelling fresh.
Top tip #2: Alternate your shoes and rotate between multiple pairs to allow each pair to air out and reduce moisture buildup.
FAQ: Can you put school shoes in the dryer?
After washing your shoes, you need to dry them correctly to avoid damage. We do not recommend putting them in the dryer as the heat and mechanical action damage the leather and adhesive.
Furthermore, the leather will dry out and crack if subject to direct heat, like the radiator or a dryer. It can also deform or shrink school shoes. Furthermore, decorations or detail appliques will not likely survive a turn in the dryer.
Instead, we recommend leaving them to air dry naturally in a warm, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight or a heat source. If still wet inside, use kitchen paper or newspaper to soak any excess moisture. You can also use a wooden shoe tree to absorb a certain amount of moisture and help keep the shoe shape as it dries.
How to clean school shoes
If your shoe has a specific stain, it’s better to spot-clean them instead of the entire shoe, which is often more effective and less risky.
Top Tip #3: Address the stain as quickly as possible to prevent the stain from setting in.
Discover our top tips for eliminating some of the most common shoe stains below.
Removing ink stains
At school, children are always around pens and feltips. So, there is always a risk that ink can get on their shoes and cause a stain.
In this case, there are a few home remedies to eliminate stains at home, for example, the rubbing alcohol method. Dampen a cotton ball or Q-tip with rubbing alcohol and gently dab the ink stain, being careful not to spread the ink. Blot the areas with a clean, dry cloth and repeat until the stain is gone. Hairspray can also work if you don’t have rubbing alcohol.
Another remedy you can try is the white vinegar and bicarbonate soda method, where you mix these two components into a paste and apply it to the ink stain. Let it sit for a few hours, and wipe away with a damp cloth.
If these home remedies don’t work or the school shoes have delicate material, consider using a professional cleaning stain remover for that specific material.
Removing grass stains
If your child is active and enjoys the freedom of playing on the school field or they have done P.E. in their white trainers, it’s inevitable they may acquire grass stains on their shoes.
To remove grass stains from school shoes, brush off any excess grass. Then, apply a pre-treatment. There are a few methods you can try. For example, add a small amount of liquid laundry detergent to the stain.
If that isn’t successful, mix equal amounts of white vinegar and water and dab the mixture onto the stain. You can also try non-gel toothpaste on the stain.
With any of these methods, you can use an old toothbrush, soft brush or a clean cloth and gently brush, rub or dab the stained area.
Removing food stains
Kids can be messy, especially in the lunch hall, where food can get everywhere! If your child comes home with food stains on their shoes, act fast with one of these home remedies to make their shoes as good as new.
Firstly, scrape off any excess food. Take a clean cloth with a mild detergent or dish soap and blot the stain. If that doesn’t lift the stain, you can use a mixture of water and white vinegar. Try not to rub the stain to avoid the stain spreading or damaging the shoe material.
How to polish school shoes
Polishing is a crucial step in your school shoe maintenance regime. As well as helping to keep them clean, shoe polish also rebuilds surface colour and corrects damages due to scuffs and scrapes, maintaining the smart look of the school shoes. It will also provide a protective layer to protect the shoe against water stains.
To polish school shoes, you will need:
- Two shoe brushes or cloths
- Shoe polish that matches the colour of the school shoe
Then, follow these steps:
- First, take your school shoes and brush away any dust or dirt with a clean cloth or brush
- Use the other brush to apply the polish evenly and rub it into the leather to absorb.
- Leave the polish on for a minimum of an hour or overnight to allow the polish to moisturise and nourish the leather.
- Buff away the polish with a clean brush or cloth to bring out the shine.
How to make your school shoes shine
If you want to make your child’s shoes extra shiny, for example, by creating a mirror finish on the toe of an Oxford shoe, you must put in some elbow grease.
You must apply hard wax to create a mirror shine on school shoes. To make the leather turn from matte to shine, apply several base layers of wax to the shoe to fill in the leather grain and allow it to dry and harden. Then, follow with several thin layers of wax to work into a smooth mirror finish.
To create a mirror shine on school shoes, you will need
- Horse hair brush
- Damp rag
- Leather cleaner
- Leather cream or conditioner
- Shoe wax
- Soft cotton rag
Then, follow these simple steps:
- First, clean off any dirt from the shoes with a horsehair brush and damp rag.
- Remove any old polish with a leather cleaner.
- After cleaning, the leather will have lost some essential oils. So rejuvenate it with a leather cream or conditioner.
- Start applying the wax base. Spread it around in circles so the wax is thick and even. Let the wax dry completely for 30 minutes.
- You can then buff with a horsehair buffing brush to get a shine.
- Or, to get the toe cap mirror shine, build up more base coats on the toe until the grain fades.
- To get the mirror shine on your school shoe, use water on a cotton cloth wrapped tightly around your finger and dab the smallest amount of wax on your finger.
- Work the wax on the toe using the lightest touch and circular motions. Soon, friction between your finger and the leather will increase. The leather will also turn cloudy. At this point, add more water to ease the friction. Do this until the shoe reveals a shine.
- Allow the wax to dry and harden for 10-15 minutes, and repeat until you get the desired effect.
School shoe cleaning products at The Children’s Shoe Company
Keeping your child’s school shoes clean and well-maintained will protect their feet, keep them comfortable and make them last longer.
Whether you’re cleaning off muddy school shoes, eliminating a stain or polishing your child’s school shoes to perfection, all our school shoes at The Chirldren’s Shoe company benefit from the Woly Shoe Cream in black or blue.
The Woly shoe cream is suitable for smooth or textured leather and protection for school shoes. As it rebuilds the surface by penetrating deep into the leather, it corrects damage caused by scuffs and scrapes. Woly shoe creams also come with a built-in sponge to avoid mess. So, keep your school shoes clean and maintained with Woly shoe polish from The Children’s Shoe Company today!
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