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CLEARANCE

Shoe Care Instructions

It is very important to care properly for your shoes and boots, not only to make them look their very best, but also to prevent the leather from deteriorating. Constant use of leather footwear in the elements removes moisture from the leather and this can produce dry patches and unsightly cracking.

Following a good shoe care maintenance routine using Saphir products will ensure your shoes last you a very, very long time.
For proper shoe cleaning you will need the following equipment: a small sponge, rubber gloves, a smooth cloth and a selection of shoe brushes. It is best to work on a low stool and to cover your lap with an old towel.

CARING FOR LEATHER

saddle soap

CLEANING

- Brush all dust off the leather with a Saphir Medaille D’Or Polishing Brush

- (Every 3-4 years) If the leather requires complete ‘stripping’ back to remove many layers of built up polish and residue use Saphir Saddle Soap. In order to do this, insert shoetrees into the shoe, use the moistened sponge to take some saddle soap from the tub, squeeze the sponge a number of times until lather appears and then rub the shoe vigorously including the edge of the sole and the sole itself. Now, without removing the lather, let the shoe dry for about 15 minutes and brush away the remains of the lather.

NOURISHING

- (Every 6 months) Saddle soap alone is often not enough in order to remove the old, thick layers of wax. For this purpose use Renovator. Saphir Médaille d'Or Renovateur is the company's best-known and most-popular product. It is exceptional for cleaning, conditioning, smoothing, removing loose pigment, and polishing. The active conditioning ingredient of the MDO Renovator is mink oil and a little goes a long way.

- Apply the renovator using a soft cloth, using small circular motions to rub the moisture deep into the leather all over. Leave this to dry for a minimum of 3 minutes then buff off with a soft polishing cloth or brush.

POLISHING

- We recommend first to apply Saphir Medaille D'Or Pommadier Cream, a soft wax (in glass containers). This cream oil based and it also contains a soft beeswax so that it can be applied quickly and easily. Apply the cream in a thin layer all over the shoes. For the joint (welt) between the sole and the upper use a small brush such as the Saphir Pommadier Brush which can be dipped into the jars. This cream should be applied one or two times, and left to dry in between coats for ten minutes.

- Now you are ready to start to shine your shoes. For your first experiment it is best to use a pair of old shoes made of smooth, black leather. New shoes are the most difficult to polish and can take about one hour per pair for the first polish. This effort will lessen to about 15 minutes, as the shoes get older. Once you have worked up a perfect shine it will be enough to polish it up with an old soft cloth for some considerable time.

- Take a soft rag or cloth and stretch it over your index and middle finger. Twist the loose ends of cloth until the material is taut over the fingers. Hold the twisted ends as a ball between the thumb and forefinger of the same hand.

- Put a little water into the lid of the shoe polish tin (e.g. Saphir Medaille D’Or Pate de Luxe) and dip your rag-covered fingers into it. The cloth should be moist, not dripping. Put a little shoe polish on the rag and rub onto the leather using circular movements without using a lot of pressure. The area should not be larger than a diameter of about 5cm. Rub on the same spot until you feel a change, a hardening of the wax. Now a greasy shine should begin to appear. If this is not the case after about 15 seconds of regular circular rubbing, take a little more wax, dip your fingers in enough water so that two small drops stay on the fingers and repeat the procedure.

- If the wax still remains soft and you still cannot feel any change, then wait for 30 seconds, take a little more cleaning water and re-work the same spot. When a shine has finally appeared in one spot, begin with the next. When you have covered the whole shoe in this manner, then lay the next layer over it using more water, less wax and even less pressure. In order to remove the last fine smears the shoe is lightly rubbed with a damp cloth. Almost all smooth leathers can be polished to a high gloss shine using this method.

- Waxy leathers can be both cleaned and polished by using Smooth Leather Lotion. Simply apply with a cloth and buff off to feed and protect the leather.

PROTECTING

- A regular application of Super Invulner Saphir Médaille d'Or to protect shoes against the effects of bad weather is recommended. This product is simple to spray on and provides perfect waterproofing and anti-stain protection.

- Walking or outdoors footwear can be protected using Saphir Dubbin Grease/ Graisse. Superb at keeping wet weather at bay.

CARING FOR DELICATE LEATHERS

Caring for delicate Nappa leather or Cordovan is much the same in principle as described above. However the nature of these finer leathers means that even greater care should be taken and specialist products are available to help you.
Nappa leather can be cleaned and nourished with Nappa Renovator – a lighter version of the Renovator described above. The application method is the same as explained for standard leather.
Saphir Cordovan Cream polish is available instead of the Pommadier Cream described above. This is applied in thin layers, left to dry then polished as above using standard Saphir Medaille D’Or Pate de Luxe.

Reptan Beauty Milk is the perfect product for caring for your reptile skin footwear. Perfect for crocodile/ snake/ lizard and also shark skins. Nourishes, cleans and protects.

CARING FOR SUEDE

Suede leather is a very fragile material and sensitive to bad crepebrush weather conditions.

CLEANING & PROTECTING

- Regular care for suede leather shoes includes a brushing and protection.

- Brush with the Saphir Crepe Brush or a soft Sponge if the leather is thin and fragile. For protection, waterproof with the Suede Renovator SAPHIR MEDAILLE D'OR Spray, which can be applied in neutral or in the same colour as the shoes. A darker spray can also be used to slightly darken the leather if required.

- From time to time, a serious in-depth cleaning of suede is recommended, it's frequency depending on the use of the shoes. Use the Multicleaner SAPHIR MEDAILLE D'OR, a product specially formulated for suede leather maintenance, to clean in-depth while respecting the characteristics of suede.

- For removing non-greasy stains on suede, use Multicleaner and/or the Super Gommadin MEDAILLE D'Or to gentle rub away the marks.

- For waterproofing action only, use the Super Invulner Saphir Médaille d'Or to protect the suede against the elements.