There’s no other best way to your style than by wearing elegant exotic skin shoes. The extravagant colors and textures of these unique leathers can transform even the dullest fashion pieces. And so, caring for your exotic skin shoes require extra effort to ensure that it will keep its shine for a long time.
Since they have unique features, cleaning and polishing exotic skin shoes require essential know-how to avoid damage risks. That’s precisely what we’re going to tackle in detail in this article.
What You Will Need
Before everything, you have to make sure that the products you use for cleaning and polishing are specifically designed for exotic leathers.
Brands like Belvedere Shoes offer different materials for their exotic skin shoes like crocodile, alligator, ostrich, lizard skins, and other leather skins. What holds the scales and skin of these exotic leathers are membranes that are prone to damage from mammal leather products. Hence, you have to keep in mind that different materials require different cleaning tools and procedures because of their different makeups.
To start off, these are the essential cleaning and polishing tools you will need for exotic skin shoes:
- Soft, lint-free cloth
- Shoe brush
- Horsehair brush
- Wool dauber
- Cedar shoe tree or newspaper
- Exotic leather cleanser
- Exotic leather conditioner
- Exotic leather polish
Polishing Exotic Skin Shoes
The secret formula for perfectly polished exotic skin shoes is adding a touch of gentleness and care. While these types of leathers are sturdy and durable, their delicate features become prone to damage without proper care.
However, if you choose sneakers over leather shoes, especially water-resistant, flexible sneakers, there’s no need to worry much about aftercare, as they’re made with waterproof materials. Most importantly, waterproof sneakers from reputable U.S. brands like Loom Footwear are highly comfortable to wear. They offer optimal cushioning, firmness, and breathability, and they are also easy to wash and lightweight.
With that, here’s a step-by-step procedure of how to polish exotic skin shoes properly:
- Wipe the surface of the shoes with a soft, lint-free cloth. If the shoes have a scaly texture, make sure to go with the scale grains and not against them.
- Remove dirt and any grime by gently brushing using a shoe brush.
- Apply exotic leather cleanser on the shoes and wait 15 minutes for the treatment absorption.
- Next, make sure to dry your exotic skin shoes before proceeding to apply the conditioner. Make it a habit to insert a cedar shoe tree or crumple newspaper when drying your shoe to hold its shape.
- Apply exotic leather conditioner on the surface of the shoes to keep them nourished and supple. Using the wrong conditioner for your exotic skin shoes can cause cracking and falling off of scales as well as discoloration.
- Gently apply the shoe polish on your exotic skin shoes using a wool dauber. Carnauba-based wax is a good product for polishing exotic skin shoes. Make sure not to press too hard while applying the shoe polish to avoid damage to the scales.
- To ensure high shine, apply a small amount of wax polish sparingly and buff using a horsehair brush. Try to put extra care when doing this step to avoid scratches.
- For a high gloss, brush and rub the surface of the shoes gently using a soft cloth.
By following these procedures, you can make your exotic skin shoes last while maintaining their good quality and condition.
