How To Clean A Shoe Shine Brush

How to Clean Leather and Suede Shoes

Photo: Nick Unruh

Your leather and suede shoes can last for years with just a little TLC every now and then. Here's how to keep yours clean.

What you need

A pair of well-polished black leather shoes neatly arranged and surrounded by shoe cleaning and polishing supplies — Photo: Nick Unruh

For leather shoes

Horsehair brush: The bigger the brush, the better, as a larger brush is easier to generate more friction with as you're buffing the shoe. Pros may recommend having two brushes, one for dusting and one for polishing; you can get away with one as long as you brush off the shoe with a towel before you get to polishing.

Spray bottle with cold water: A small travel-size spray bottle helps you evenly apply a light layer of water in the first step of the cleaning process.

Shoe cream polish: Shoe cream recolors your shoe by adding pigment and filling in small scratches. This cream applies a thin, temporary tint rather than a permanent recoloring of the shoe, so your cream polish doesn't have to exactly match the shoe color. You can use a lighter shade to maintain your current color or a darker one to add some patina—and like a bad haircut, eventually it'll go away. If things are truly dire, you can strip it off by gently wiping it with a cloth and isopropyl alcohol.

Shoe trees or newspaper: These pieces keep your shoe holding its shape while you clean it. Wooden shoe trees, if you can get a pair, are great and will help keep your shoes fresh between wears.

For suede shoes

Suede brush: A stiff-bristled brush allows you to lift the nap (the fibers on the suede) to remove debris and to re-fluff the nap afterward.

Suede/nubuck eraser (or literally any eraser from the back of a drawer): An eraser can rub small scuffs and light stains off suede, as well as help to restore its original texture.

Suede shampoo, water, and a small bowl: You can use a dedicated suede cleaner or a small mix of soap and water.

Shoe brush or toothbrush: A gentler brush can help while you're applying the suede cleaner.

Newspaper: Stuffing your shoes with paper helps them keep their natural shape and provide light resistance while you're cleaning more stubborn stains.

Waterproofing spray: Applied after cleaning, this spray helps to keep the leather dry and clean.

How long will this take to clean?

A closeup of a jar of white Saphir cream — Photo: Nick Unruh

Plan for 20 minutes for a quick clean of your shoes and 45 minutes for a more thorough clean.

How to clean leather shoes

A shoe tree inserted in a black leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

If this is the first time you've cleaned your leather shoes in a while, remove the shoelaces and give them a clean with saddle soap (follow the directions on the tin). But most of the time you don't need to do either—just insert shoe trees or stuff your shoes with newspaper so they hold their shape.

A person using a horsehair brush to clear dust from a black leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Vigorously brush your shoes with a horsehair brush to clean any dust, dirt, and debris; don't forget to brush the welt, the crevice where the shoe meets the sole. Then, wipe your shoes with a slightly damp cloth or use a spray bottle to apply a light mist to the shoe, and wipe that off with a dry cloth.

A person applying shoe conditioner to a black leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Let the shoe dry for about five minutes, and then apply a thin layer of shoe conditioner by massaging little dabs into the leather in small, circular motions, using light to moderate pressure across the entire shoe. You can do this with either a cloth wrapped around your index and middle fingers, a dauber, or your bare index and middle fingers. Whichever method you go with, be sure to get the tongue of the shoe, as well. Wait around five minutes for the conditioner to dry and for the leather to absorb its nutrients.

Two fingers on the shined surface of a black leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Give each shoe a quick buff with your horsehair brush, using moderate pressure. The friction from the brush heats up the conditioner's ingredients and brings out a nice shine.

A brush gently applied to a shiny leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Apply a small amount of shoe cream polish and massage it over the whole shoe in circular motions using your fingers. Less is more here: Apply a layer thin enough that it covers the entire surface of the shoe but not so much that it globs up.

A close up of two fingertips with black shoe cream — Photo: Nick Unruh

Give the cream five to 10 minutes to dry, and then brush with the horsehair brush using firm pressure. This step blends the cream, removes excess polish, and brings the temperature of the polish up to a high shine. You can repeat the process and apply another coat of shoe cream polish if you want to cover your bases.

A white cloth with light black marks from excess shoe cream — Photo: Nick Unruh

Use a cloth to lightly wipe the shoe down again; this takes off any excess cream that the leather didn't absorb.

A pair of polished black leather shoes — Photo: Nick Unruh

This basic care routine for leather shoes is all the average person needs. Your leather shoes are now cleaned, rehydrated, and freshly repigmented. Stick some shoe trees in there, give your shoes 24 hours in between wears, and you've already significantly extended the life of your leather shoes.

How to clean suede shoes

A pair of suede leather shoes surrounded by shoe cleaning supplies — Photo: Nick Unruh

You can spot-treat most stains on suede with a suede brush and eraser. But more serious stains require a good suede shampoo or a mix of soap and water to really penetrate the soiled areas.

A closeup of a suede shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

To take off any debris, lightly brush the suede, with the grain, using a suede brush, an old toothbrush, or a terry-cloth towel.

A brush applied to a suede leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Add some suede shampoo to a small bowl of water (about a 2:1 ratio of water to shampoo) and mix with a shoe brush or an old toothbrush. Work the shampoo all over the shoe with the brush using circular motions and firm pressure. The suede will turn darker as it saturates, which is perfectly okay and normal.

A horsehair brush applied to soapy shampoo on a suede leather shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Rinse all the shampoo off with clean water, and brush over the shoe again until there are no more suds. Then shake the shoe to remove excess water.

A person holding a suede shoe under running water — Photo: Nick Unruh

With a clean towel, blot away at the shoes to absorb as much moisture as possible.

A person rubbing a suede shoe with a towel — Photo: Nick Unruh

Stuff the suede shoes with paper and let them dry for at least 24 hours.

A person stuffing a suede shoe with paper — Photo: Nick Unruh

Brush over each shoe with a suede brush—back and forth over the grain—to re-fluff the suede.

A person brushing a suede shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

Last, apply a layer of waterproofing spray over your suede shoes and give them an hour to dry.

A person applying a layer of waterproofing spray to a suede shoe — Photo: Nick Unruh

A pair of clean suede shoes — Photo: Nick Unruh

Other shoe-maintenance tips

Don't wear the same pair of leather shoes two days in a row, and try to alternate between them evenly if you can. Leather shoes need time to dry out from the moisture they absorb. Giving them just a day to breathe, with a pair of shoe trees inserted, will significantly help to extend the life of your shoes.

It's a good practice to give your shoes a light, quick brush-off with the horsehair shoe brush after wearing them. When it comes to the frequency of cleaning them with a conditioner, it really depends on how often you wear them and the conditions you put them through. A safe rule of thumb is once a month.

About your guide

Caleb Chin

Caleb Chin is an audience development strategist at Wirecutter. He previously managed social strategy at several media publishers. Before that, in his senior year of undergrad, he made a parody Twitter account of his university's chancellor. Eventually, the university's social media team told him to take it down. In exchange, they offered him a job.