Salt Stains on Leather Goods – How to Remove Them
Winter usually brings salt stains on your beautiful leather shoes. These are caused by road salt used by snow removal crews. If the shoes have been properly waterproofed beforehand, the salt water will simply roll off. Sometimes, however, even your favorite leather bag isn’t spared.
When cleaning, you need to distinguish between smooth leather, suede, and synthetic leather.
Salt stains on smooth leather
Soak a cotton cloth in milk and rub the cloth over the salt stains until they disappear. Rub dry with a clean, dry cotton cloth, then condition or waterproof the leather.
What to do about salt stains on synthetic leather
Simply wipe the soiled area clean with a cloth and lukewarm water.
Removing salt stains from suede/velour leather
Using a leather eraser (available at specialty stores), gently rub the dirt away from the inside out. Then waterproof with leather spray and use a suede brush to restore the nap of the suede leather.
Additional sources (accessed March 11, 2019):
- gute-haushaltstipps(dot)de/flecken/salzflecken-entfernen(dot)php
