Part1Cleaning Dr. Martens
Part1
1Clean the soles. Fill a small bucket or bowl with warm water and a few drops of liquid soap or dishwashing liquid. Take a dishwashing brush, shoe brush, or toothbrush and scrub the soles with the soapy water to remove dirt, grime, mud, and anything else you’ve stepped in.Wipe the soles off with a damp rag when you're finished.
2Remove the laces. This will make the cleaning process easier, and give you a chance to clean the laces.[1] Swirl the laces around in some soapy water, and give them a scrub if they're dirty. Rinse them under clean water, ring them out, and hang them to dry.
3Brush off dust and dirt. With a shoe brush or old nail brush, carefully brush off dirt, dust, and dried mud from your Docs. Be sure to get into all the hard to reach places as well, such as where the stitching is and inside the tongue.[2]If you don’t have a shoe or nail brush, you can use a clean, damp, lint-free cloth to remove dirt and dust.
4Take care of scuffs and old polish. If you have any scuffs or polish build-up on your Docs, you can remove both with an acetone-free nail polish remover. Apply some nail polish remover to a clean rag or lint-free cloth. Gently rub at scuffs and polish build up until the scuffs wear away and the polish comes off.When you're finished, rub the shoes down with a damp, clean cloth and allow them to air dry.[3]
Don’t rub too hard with the nail polish remover, otherwise you may damage the finish.
5Condition the leather. Because leather was the skin from a living animal, it needs to be moisturized and conditioned (just like human skin) to prevent it from drying, cracking, and losing its durability.[4] Rub your Docs with a cloth or sponge to massage a conditioner into the leather, making sure to get the hard to reach places as well. Let them dry for about 20 minutes afterward.[5] Popular leather conditioners include:
