CLEANING YOUR SHOES CORRECTLY

This is especially true for the high-quality natural products that Sioux produces, which respond excellently to good care and maintenance. Just as you would regularly use hand cream to protect your own skin, you should treat your “second skin”, i.e. your shoes, just as well. That way, you will be able to maintain the original condition of yours shoes, extend their lifespan and enjoy them for as long as possible. We often get feedback from proud customers, who have taken good care of their shoes, reporting that they are still enjoying wearing them after twenty or thirty years. A Sioux shoe truly is a friend for life, and we are so proud of this.

Depending on the weather and how often you wear the shoes, you should carry out this cleaning process every three to six weeks. Taking care of your shoes does not have to be a chore in our opinion – it can even be fun.

How do I take care of leather shoes made of smooth leather?

As leather is a natural product, it requires certain oils, which are initially extracted during the tanning process and reapplied to the material afterwards. The shoes gradually lose these oils through everyday wear and other influences. If the leather does not have these particular oils and fats, it loses its elasticity and shine.

The primary purpose of shoe cleaning is therefore to prevent the leather from drying out and replace the moisture which the leather has lost, therefore maintaining its shine and suppleness.

To get rid of any dust and dirt, you should firstly clean the shoe with a brush. After this step, please regularly apply a colourless (or matching) shoe polish and rub this all over the shoe, letting the polish penetrate the leather. Finally, repolish the shoe with a soft cloth.

The shoe should be regularly impregnated on rainy days or in autumn and winter time. Significant strain is put on the leather if the shoe becomes soaked.

How do I care for shoes made from suede leather?

Small particles of dirt can be removed from suede leather very easily by using a brush. If you have cleaned the shoe whilst wet or with a special cleaning foam to remove stubborn dirt, then you should roughen the shoe afterwards using a brush.

Can I also clean the leather soles?

Shoes with leather soles should be cleaned at least once every season and every three months in autumn and winter using a special oil for leather soles. Spread the oil evenly across the sole using a brush.

How do I care for textile surfaces?

Here we recommend first trying to clean them using a damp cloth (without detergent). If you are dealing with stubborn dirt, then use a liquid hand soap to help with this process. You should always start with the gentlest cleaning method, only changing method if this is unsuccessful. If you would like to use other cleaning agents (at your own risk), then you should always test these on a discreet part of the shoe. Hard cleaning chemicals or abrasive cleaners should not be used on the shoe or outer material under any circumstances. A Sioux shoe should also never be put in the washing machine. This is due to the fact that we also use leather inner linings for our textile shoes, making it a complete no go. Even using low temperature and hand wash settings can cause irreversible damage the leather structure.

How do I keep white soles clean (e.g. those featured on Grashoppers)?

In recent years, white rubber soles have become exceedingly popular in the shoe fashion world. It goes without saying that this kind of sole is very sensitive to dirt. If you wish to clean a white sole, then we recommend simply using a spare kitchen sponge, moistening it and starting by using water alone to remove the dirt. If you are dealing with stubborn dirt, use a liquid hand soap to help with this process. You should always start with the gentlest cleaning method, only changing method if this is unsuccessful. Hard cleaning chemicals or abrasive cleaners should not be used on the shoe under any circumstances.

After cleaning

After cleaning, insert shoe trees into the shoes so that they retain their shape. If you do not own shoe trees, then you can improvise easily using old newspapers. Before wearing the shoe for the first time, we recommend that you impregnate them, in order to protect them from moisture and dirt.