Cleaning boots that may or may not be nubuck

October 21, 2012 3:47 PM

I bought these leather nubuck/suede boots (in brown) last year and wore them throughout the fall and winter. Due to my ineffective attempt at waterproofing them and lackluster cleaning, they have some lighter spots and dark stains. Some of this is just wear on the leather, I know, but is there a way to get the rest of that off?

I tried the Kiwi suede and nubuck cleaner, but the attached plastic brush thing leaves little scratches in the surface of the leather, and I was afraid to brush too much for fear of permanently scratching the entire boot.
I used a soft cloth with the spray, hoping that would do the trick, but it failed to remove most of the marks.

Is there some other cleaning method I should be trying? The leather is thin and soft, and has that "velvety" feeling I would associate with nubuck, but I don't know for sure if it's that or suede. Googling has so far turned up only the brushing method. Is there some other type of brush that would work better?

posted by lockstitch to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (2 answers total)

If you can't clean off the stains, you could always cover them up with something like this.
posted by Kololo at 8:01 PM on October 21, 2012

Have you tried a suede cleaning block? It's a cake of yellowish crumbly stuff which you rub over the surface, and then brush off with a rubber suede brush. I use this thing on my suede boots all the time, and they come up like new. Don't forget to squirt with waterproofing spray afterwards.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 3:49 AM on October 22, 2012