Christi P. writes:
How do you salvage a brand new pair of leather shoes, that your 12 year old daughter wore while exploring and fell in the pond? They smell like mildew, and I know I shouldn’t be attached, but she is only one of the 8 children I buy new shoes for, and I am thinking I might be able to save them? They are still wet after two days …
I’m sure I’ve dealt with this kind of crisis before, but I don’t remember any special odor eliminator. I actually don’t really remember doing much more than stuffing the shoes with newspaper to absorb moisture and then setting them out in the sun to dry and freshen them. But I am sure some other moms out there can offer some shoe-salvaging expertise.
Well, they are already wet, so I say, put ’em through the wash, then I’d sprinkle them with baking soda for good measure and let them dry on a radiator or other warm place- whatever your heat source in the house is. My motto is, “Well, I can’t make them worse, so I’ll try this.”
Good luck.
Maybe Sadle Soap to soften/freshen the leather. We used to use this on tack like bridles and sadles when we’d been careless and let them stay in the rain or get stepped on in the mucky barn yard. It worked wonders. And then some of that nice fabreeze that kills odor causing bacteria?
When I spilled a whole container of (cooled) frying grease all over myself last month I tried throwing the leather shoes in the laundry. The entire insole structure fell apart.
In Little House Ma used corn meak to pull sweat and grease out of leather.
I know! Grab the following disaster restoration materials:
1. Cup of coffee.
2. Telephone.
Apply as needed.
In my former life before pregnancy and lactation, I did a lot of horseback riding, which involved a lot of tack cleaning, which was basically cleaning leather. Let me tell you — horses can make a BIG mess of leather, but you can almost always clean it off.
If they both got wet evenly, that means they’ll probably end up being the same color, which is good. Collect some saddle soap (available at tack shops, if you have one around) *or* some Murphy’s Oil Soap, which is available everywhere, and a soft cloth. Wet the cloth just a bit, so that it’s damp, but not totally wet, and then work some soap into it until you have a good lather. The trick is not to get too much water on the leather, but enough that the soap can lather. Then clean away. At the end, wipe off any lather that might have been left. They should be clean and supple.
The only trick is that I don’t know about the soles of the shoes, which probably aren’t leather, and may be harboring some of the mildewy yuckiness. You may want to try to run them through the wash, which was suggested earlier, and then do the above cleaning. It’s important not to use too harsh a detergent. Even if the shoes come out not smelling mildewy, I would still suggest cleaning with the Murphy’s or saddle soap, since the leather will dry out and crack if you just leave it after sending it through the wash.
Hope that helps!
Don’t put baking soda on til after they are completely dry. We tried that once with carpet that got wet thinking it would pull out the moisture. Big mistake – it left white marks in the carpet forever.
thank you so much for the soap/cleaning ideas. I actually called a friend after sending my question to Danielle. she has several children older than mine, and I was sure she had been through this before. I thought I would share her advice, which I was skeptical about, but you know what, it worked! ok, here it is, let them dry out, sprinkle with baking soda and put in freezer bag and freeze. She said her son had played hockey and this is what took the smell out. I will definitely try the soap for the tops, but in my opinion the pond smell was the worst part. so if anyone finds themselves in this predicament…..thanks again ladies !
God Bless,
Christi
I know the problem has been solved, but I have another idea that works great for us. We’re cranberry growers and deal with lots of wet boots and such. Place the wet shoes on a PEET boot dryer until thoroughly dry. It might take upwards of 48 hours for extreme wet conditions. Then spray with a little Febreeze…problem solved. In my opinion a family can never have too many boot dryers. We have three and they are in constant use throughout the fall, winter and spring.
I had leather boots with many knooks and crannies on the sole.
I stepped in Dog —- and after all kinds of scrubbing, they still smelled. I thought, “What do I have to lose?” I put them in the washing machine with All with “stain lifters.” They came out great. I just polished them and have happily worn them for another season. Throw them in the washer in cold water, delicate, and say a prayer.
I feel relieved and educated. And sure I’ll forget this once I need it. You all are amazing!
If you are concerned about mildew or yicky growing pond scum in the bottom of your shoes, take a steamer to them. Just shove the end into the shoe and send a good shot of steam (10-15 seconds or more if you feel the need is great, but not too long either…). That should kill any beasties that are growing or incubating.
Like someone said, baking soda only AFTER the leather is dry, to help remove the smell. Since we are talking about ponds, I figure you are not likely in a place that still experiences double digit negative temps (in Celcius) at night… The freezer would help then. Just put it in the deep freeze for a few days. Freezing works for big and small things. The big things just have to wait for winter. 😉
Good luck. 😀