Care: Troubleshooting 4
Troubleshooting 4：Help! There’s mold on my shoes!
You took your shoes out of the shoe box for the first time in a while, and there’s something on it ... Is it dust? No! It’s mold! It’s happened to us all. If mold grows, there is no choice but to remove it. Mold often grows roots on leather, and it is not enough to just wipe it off. It is necessary to remove the fungus itself with an alcohol disinfectant. Use a disinfectant to patiently wipe off the mold.
Also, anti-mold measures cannot be done simply by removing mold from the shoes. The environment where mold grows is a problem, and if the environment where you store your shoes is bad, such as having high humidity and poor ventilation, the mold will grow again. At the same time as removing mold from your shoes, try to improve the ventilation of your shoe closet.
Leather shoes with a slight white mold on the surface. At first glance, it looks like dust, but since the mold has roots in the leather, it cannot be removed by just rubbing the surface.
Step 1. Wipe off with water
Remove dust, dirt, and mold on the surface. Wipe with water using a rag or wet tissue. This alone will remove mold on the surface.
Step 2. Wipe the inside thoroughly with water
Mold often grows inside of the shoes, so wipe the inside thoroughly with water. It's a good idea to remove the laces before you start working so that you can wipe the inside of the tip of the shoes.
Step 3. Wipe with alcohol disinfectant
Apply alcohol disinfectant spray onto a waste cloth and wipe the surface. If you apply the spray directly to your shoes, it may cause stains, so apply it to a cloth and try it in an inconspicuous place.
Step 4. Wipe thoroughly to every corner
Mold grows on the sole and in the corners such as the seams. As it is difficult to remove, wipe it off with an alcohol disinfectant. You can wipe it off until it comes off.
Step 5. Revive the leather with cream
Once the mold has been removed with a disinfectant, dry it. When it dries, apply emulsifying cream. You can apply the cream with a cloth, but a brush is better for getting the cream in the details.
Step 6. Replacement of shoe laces is essential
After applying the cream, do the usual care, brush, wipe, and the final brushing. Old shoe laces can be a source of mold, so throw them away and replace them with new ones.
Step 7. Finished!
The mold has been removed, and the cream and brushing revived the original dark, deep luster. The shoe laces have also been replaced, and the shoes look good as new!
Products to help get rid of mold
1. Commercially available alcohol disinfectant spray to remove mold.
2. An emulsifying cream that nourishes leather. TAPIR Balsam colorless (¥ 1,575).
3. A waste cloth for polishing. A soft cloth such as a worn-out T-shirt is good.
4. A special brush that is compact and can be used to apply cream to even the smallest details. Hakuba hair Edoya cream brush (¥ 1,890).
5. Use white horse wool to remove dirt, and goat wool to polish. Edoya Hakuba wool oval type (¥ 4,725), Edoya goat hair oval type (¥ 4,725).
6. Shoe tree (¥ 12,600)
Mold is also lurking between the sole and the bottom.
If you want to eradicate it, remove the sole and wash it completely.
At Brass, when they receive requests to clean moldy shoes, they remove the entire sole and wash it completely. This is because mold often grows between the sole and the bottom, and this is the best way to eradicate mold. If you have deep-rooted mold, ask an expert.
