Cleaning white nubuck.

[DapperDuck]

I recently bought a pair of tan and white nubuck spectators. When they arrived, I found the box stuffed with newspapers. Surely the seller didn't wrap the shoes themselves in newspaper, I thought. But after I dug down farther, I found that he had. The nubuck was smeared in black newspaper ink.

Using a soft vinyl eraser, I was able to remove almost all of the newspaper smudges in fifteen minutes. There was one smudge that would not go away simply with an eraser. So I very lightly dipped the end of the eraser with baking soda and rubbed away the smear.

This was my first attempt at cleaning nubuck, and I am happy to say the shoes look new again.

Tips

• Some erasers have oils in them. I would avoid using those. Press your eraser hard on a colored piece of paper to see if it leaves a residue.
  
• Make sure your eraser does not have pumice. You will probably damage the leather if you use one that does.
  
• Make sure the eraser is white and clean. This should be obvious.
  
• Use circular motions when rubbing the eraser.
  
• Brush off the eraser dust often.

I hope you find this useful.

 

[cookie]

worthlesswithoutpics

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

worthlesswithoutpics

Oh, phooey - it is not. Cookie, you shoe fettishist, you. lol

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Thanks for posting the explanation, Dap'. I bought a little kit in the shoe dept. of a store. It has a white eraser and a rough sponge for brushing. Works pretty well. But the baking soda trick is new on me. I'll remember that one.

 

[Tomasso]

Don't forget the Buck Bag.

 

[DapperDuck]

Before and after shoe p**n for Cookie.

Before:

After:

But seriously, I was anxious to clean them as soon as I got them. I didn't even think about taking pictures before cleaning them. Because of my rush, I had to improvise. There aren't any stores that carry nubuck cleaning products around these parts. I used the baking soda as an abrasive. I don't think it has any other cleaning properties despite what Arm and Hammer might say.

As for the Buck Bag. It looks like it covers up, instead of cleaning, stains and discoloration. How does it work?

 

[Hamilton_Honey]

lol lol good one with the pen

I'd like to thank you for this post as well - I have some camel colored nubuck shoes that need a bit of help. If I can't clean them up I plan to ask about having them dyed a different color - but I'll try your tips first.