You take off your new shoes after a long day and get an unpleasant surprise in the form of stained feet or socks? Most of us have experienced this problem at least once in our lives. It's a fairly common occurrence and doesn't necessarily indicate poor footwear quality. Fortunately, there are tricks for dying shoes that are easy to apply. What can you do so that your shoes no longer leave dark or coloured stains?
Why do shoes dye?
Various dyes are used in the production of footwear and this applies to both synthetic and natural materials such as leather, nubuck and suede. It happens that in contact with moisture, the paint leaves stains on socks or bare feet. The problem may appear after just a few tens of minutes of wearing shoes and intensifies when you walk in them all day, especially if the temperature is high. It's no wonder - the foot sweats and the dyes release. Although it sometimes surprises us that expensive leather shoes dye socks, but it does not have to be a sign of their poor quality. It is also not a reason to complain. There are ways to deal with discoloured shoes and these can be successfully applied at home.
Home methods for dyeing shoes
If we are dealing with shoes made of fabric, such as sports shoes, trainers or tennis shoes, which dye, and at the same time there is no fear that they will fall apart, we can wash them in the washing machine. This will dissolve the excess dye and no longer leave stains. You can also soak dyed fabric shoes in a bowl of soapy water and wait for the water to change colour. Then the shoes should be rinsed thoroughly. The next step is to immerse them in a solution of about three litres of water, half a glass of vinegar and two tablespoons of salt. This rinse will prevent the shoes from releasing their colour.
Vinegar for staining shoes
These are not all the ways to treat dyeing shoes with the use of vinegar. As it turns out, this ingredient is perfect not only for ecological cleaning of the house. It's great for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, but it also fixes things. So if your new leather shoes dye your socks or sneakers leave colourful stains on your feet, soak a dry cloth in vinegar and wipe the inside of the upper with it a few times. Do this on the balcony or put your shoes outside the window afterwards because the vinegar smell is quite strong. To get rid of it, the shoes can be washed. If that's not possible, as in the case of leather or suede shoes, another way should be used. Put a cloth or a rolled-up newspaper soaked in your favourite essential oil into the shoe and leave it there overnight, for example, to neutralize the vinegar smell.
Hair spray for staining shoes
One of the simplest and easiest methods is to use hairspray. Thanks to its properties, hairspray fixes and protects not only the intricately styled hairstyle. It will also have the same effect on the material used for shoes. Just spray it on dyed shoes and wait about half an hour to create a protective layer, which protects the fabric or leather. As the resulting film is delicate and wipes off quite quickly, the whole procedure will have to be repeated regularly. You can apply it to coloured and black shoes without worrying that the varnish will discolour them.
What else will be effective for staining shoes?
Home remedies for dyeing shoes are very effective, but in some cases they can fail. This happens, for example, when the dye is very intense or the material from which the shoes are made is extremely delicate and we are afraid that the vinegar will damage it. In this situation, it is worth reaching for professional preparations for dyeing shoes. Chemical substances contained in specialised products impregnate the shoes from the inside, and the material stops releasing dye. It is important to choose a preparation designed for a specific material - fabric, leather, suede or nubuck. Anti-colouring products are colourless, so they can be used on shoes of different colours. Sometimes it's enough to replace the insoles themselves, as it may turn out that they are the only cause of stains on feet and socks.
