How the fixer works
There are seven materials and ten problems, so seventy answers, and each is written for that pair. Suede gets a brush and an eraser, never polish; knit gets cool water rather than a hot wash; patent gets a damp cloth and a buff. Six of the seventy have no fix because there is no problem to fix. Patent leather and rubber don’t take water marks, canvas, knit and moulded rubber don’t hold creases the way leather does, and clogs have no laces to come undone. The fixer says so rather than inventing a remedy.
Each step names the maker whose care guide it comes from, among them Red Wing, Dr. Martens, LOWA, Blundstone, Nike, Allbirds and Crocs, so you can check the original. Where makers disagree, the answer says that too. Before you use any cleaner, try it on a hidden spot such as the inside of the heel.
How to fix squeaky shoes
Nike puts squeaks down to three main culprits: water, newness and friction. Where the noise comes from tells you which:
- Under your foot, even on carpet: the insole is rubbing. Lift it out and dust baby powder or talc underneath; Nike and Skechers both suggest it.
- Only on smooth floors: usually new rubber soles. Skechers suggests walking on a dry, rough surface to break them in.
- After rain: moisture trapped inside. Nike’s advice is newspaper inside and about 12 hours somewhere ventilated.
- A click from the heel or arch: parts of the shoe working loose. London shoemakers Carreducker traced one such squeak to a shifting shank, the stiffener under the arch. That is a repair job.
The squeaky shoes page walks you through finding the spot, one question at a time.
How to get salt stains out of boots
The white tide marks are dried de-icing salt. Iowa State University Extension notes that most de-icers sold are chloride salts: sodium, calcium, potassium or magnesium chloride. Makers’ methods depend on the leather:
- Smooth leather: LOWA says water with a light soapy solution is usually enough. For a stubborn line, Tory Burch’s care tip is equal parts white vinegar and water, dabbed on and wiped off with clean water.
- Suede: let it dry, brush, use a suede eraser, and only then, as Blundstone suggests, dab with the corner of a cloth dipped in white vinegar, without soaking the suede.
- Nubuck: an eraser bar, wetted and repeated if the mark persists, then a brush to raise the nap (Red Wing).
We looked for a maker or a laboratory that explains why vinegar shifts the white lines and found none, so we won’t invent a chemistry lesson. What every maker agrees on is the drying: at room temperature, never on a radiator. The salt stains guide has a printable step card for each material and the prevention routine for the rest of the winter.
Why shoes smell
The NHS says smelly feet are often caused by a build-up of sweat and bacteria, and the Royal College of Podiatry notes that feet have about 250,000 sweat glands. The shoes soak it all up. The NHS advice: wash your feet at least once a day, don’t wear the same socks or shoes two days in a row, and let shoes dry out before wearing them again. The smelly shoes planner turns that into a two-week rotation for your own pairs, with wash days for the ones that can be washed.
Three things makers warn against
- Heat. Red Wing says intense heat dries leather out too fast, so it cracks and stiffens; Hanwag adds that heat shrinks leather and can affect the bonding; Crocs says extreme heat can make its shoes shrink or warp. That rules out radiators, hair dryers, fireplaces and the parcel shelf of a hot car.
- The washing machine, for leather. LOWA says you should never machine-wash leather or synthetic shoes, and Hanwag says the same of hiking boots. Nike doesn’t recommend the machine for its shoes either. Allbirds is the exception: most of its shoes can go in on a gentle, cold cycle.
- An iron on creases. Nike warns that a hot iron directly on a shoe can damage it beyond repair. Shoe trees prevent creases; nothing reliably irons them out.
When it’s a job for a shoe repairer
Powder and patience fix a lot, but not everything. A heel that moves, a sole that has started to come away, a click from the arch that won’t go away, or leather shoes that need more stretch than a few evenings in thick socks can give: these need someone with a workbench. A repairer can also tell you whether a pair is worth saving. For fit problems, start with the foot measuring guide and the lacing diagrams; for sizes in EU, UK and US numbers, our sister site Atlas Stitch has a shoe size converter.