Prior to wear, spray your shoes with a good quality waterproofing spray.

To help to remove any dirt or possible stains, use a foam shoe cleaner or shoe cleaning wipe. ECCO provides both of these options amongst their range of care products. The foam cleaner provides a deeper clean while the wipes are great for travel or to keep in your everyday bag for use on the run. We recommend using a leather conditioner and then re-waterproofing following the use of either of these cleaners.

Throughout wear, condition the leather with a good quality smooth leather cream. We recommend ECCO Daily Care cream. This will recondition the leather and can help to replenish some scuffs and colour. This cream is available in some colours, however if you are unsure or unable to find a colour match we recommend to go with a transparent option.

If you find the leather needs a hit of colour, we recommend taking the shoe to a boot repairer to see if you can get a colour match.*

*Trying to keep your white sneakers white? ECCO’s Revive cream in white may be the solution you’ve been look for! With a natural beeswax, it is designed to enhance the natural shine and colour of smooth leathers and comes with a high pigment content to help restore colour, while also conditioning the leather. For best results, early and regular use in conjunction with cleaning and protecting your shoes can help.

**Please be careful when using leather products in conjunction with shoes that use Gore-Tex. Make sure leather products are Gore-Tex approved.

Prior to wear, spray your shoes with a good quality waterproofing spray.

To clean off any pesky marks, first use a nubuck/suede brush or block to get rid of any excess dirt, making sure you work gently into the leather. We recommend the ECCO Nubuck/Suede eraser

ECCO foam shoe cleaner is compatible for use on Suede and Nubuck leathers and can be used for a deeper clean.

To help revitalise, try using a nubuck/suede reviver or shampoo. We recommend Ecco Nubuck/Suede Daily Care. Please ensure you read the product instructions prior to using and wear with care.

Following the cleaning and conditioning of nubuck/suede leather you can use the Nubuck/Suede eraser to re-brush up and smooth out the finish.

Once a shoe is cleaned and conditioned, we recommend to re-protect again with a waterproof spray

**Please be careful when using leather products in conjunction with shoes that use Gore-Tex. Make sure leather products are Gore-Tex approved.

Patent leather doesn't require waterproofing, however over time patent leather can dry and crack.
To prevent this we suggest sourcing a high quality leather conditioner specifically designed for patent leathers – Patent needs what’s called a lack polish to help the conditioner to penetrate the patent layer and soak into the leather.
Please ensure you read the product instructions prior to using on your shoes.

To remove marks we find the use of Ecco Leather Wipes, non-scented baby wipes or an eraser can be effective.

Metallic leather creates such a great look for shoes, that can brighten and compliment an outfit. They are perfect for that extra bit of sparkle and we find that they easily match well with most wardrobes. As with other metallic finishes, over time and wear this finishing may be lost.

Metallic Leather is a delicate material, it is created through bonding a metallic foil with the underlying leather. If the foiling is scratched or scuffed it will expose the leather underneath. Most non-metallic smooth leathers these can be rejuvenated with a coloured polish, however there is no process we know of to re-foil a metallic.

Care while wearing is always the best step you can take to maintain the look of your metallic shoes.

We recommend spraying your shoes with a high-quality waterproofing spray. Make sure you follow the instructions on the packaging and never spray with the nozzle up-close to the leather.  Continued use of waterproofing spray will maintain the best result.

For metallic silver shoes, we carry Collonil Colorit scuff cream for worn smooth leather in the silver colour. We have found this to have been the best at rejuvenating silver leather, although it may not fix scuffs where the metallic foil has been completely removed.

 

**Please be careful when using leather products in conjunction with shoes that use Gore-Tex. Make sure leather products are Gore-Tex approved.

Prior to wear, spray your shoes with a good quality waterproofing spray. We recommend the ECCO Repel spray as it is compatible for use with leathers and fabrics.

To help remove any dirt or possible stains, use a foam shoe cleaner. We recommend the ECCO Foam shoe cleaner as it is compatible for use with leathers and fabrics.

Following the use of a cleaner, it is recommended to re-apply the protection of a waterproof spray.

**Please be careful when using leather products in conjunction with shoes that use Gore-Tex. Make sure leather products are Gore-Tex approved.

The term calf hair is used to describe a special type of leather with the hair left on. It’s a delicate material that should not be worn in bad weather. It may also in some cases bald with abrasion. If balding occurs, unfortunately there is no way to reverse this.

Before wearing your calf hair shoes, we recommend applying a high quality protective spray specifically designed for calf hair. Follow the instructions on the packaging for best results.  

 Be careful not to get any form of liquid on your calf hair shoes. We recommend not wearing them in wet weather, however if they do get wet, use a dry or damp cloth as soon as possible to wipe the liquid away - ensuring to wipe gently in the direction of the hair. If you find this is ineffective, allow your shoes to dry in a shady spot, and once dry use a plastic bristle brush to comb out any imperfections in the direction of the hair.

A small majority of our shoes are built with knit uppers with mesh lining. We suggest spot cleaning these uppers. This can be done with a damp cloth, multipurpose wipes, or baby wipes. Do NOT put shoes in the washing machine (laces can be removed and washed in machine, but not shoes). Sole unit of the shoes can be wiped with a damp cloth or wipes.

In majority of cases, the visible outsole edge of a shoe can be cleaned using a damp cloth to wipe over the surface. For a deeper clean and to help maintain the look of your shoes, a foam shoe cleaner may help.

For excess dirt underneath on the outsole of a shoe, first brush away excess dirt with a nail brush or similar (unless you have a great door mat!). Then clean further, if needed, with a damp cloth.

Some of our styles have soles made out of Polyurethane. The features of this compound offer lightweight construction with stability and cushioning. To have the benefits of a soft and stable material, the material does come with an expiry date. The sole will show the effects of deterioration over time, whether they are worn often or stored in a cupboard. Though Polyurethane wears well, it doesn't like being shut away in a box. It might sound obvious, but the fact is our shoes are designed to be worn. So wear them and enjoy!  

We recommend washing your Smartwool socks on a gentle cycle in warm or cool water with a mild soap. No bleach or fabric softener (bleach destroys the Merino wool fibres, and fabric softener coats those fibres—reducing their ability to naturally manage moisture and regulate body temperature).

While you can tumble-dry Smartwool socks, we recommend air-drying to reduce your environmental impact and further extend the life of each product.

The footbed of a Birkenstock will mark with wear and you will notice the imprint of your feet. This cannot be removed with a cleaner and is part of the wear of the shoes.

To lining of most Birkenstocks is suede leather and can be brushed up using a Suede eraser, brush or block.

 Birko-Flor is the material upper of many of our Birkenstock range. These can be cleaned using a damp cloth to wipe over the upper.

For leather uppers, please see our care tips above for different leather finishes.

The cork footbed of Birkenstocks has a seal layer covering the exposed cork at the outside edge of the sandals. You can see this as it has a high shine when new. Over time this can dull and wear away. To maintain the seal on a cork footbed, you can apply a cork glue. We recommend Naot’s Cork Glue.

The footbed of a Naot sandal will mark with wear and you will notice the imprint of your feet. This cannot be removed with a cleaner and is part of the wear of the shoes.

To lining of our Naot sandals is suede leather and can be brushed up using a Suede eraser, brush or block.

For the leather uppers, please see our care tips above for different leather finishes.

The cork footbed of Naot sandals has a seal layer covering the exposed cork at the outside edge of the sandals. You can see this as it has a high shine when new. Over time this can dull and wear away. To maintain the seal on a cork footbed, you can apply a cork glue. We recommend Naot’s Cork Glue.

 

Majority of the footbeds, in the shoes and sandals we have at Footgear, are lined with either Micro-Fibre, Suede or Smooth leather. To maintain freshness of a shoe or sandal, you can use the ECCO Shoe refresher spray. This spray is technically formulated to revive the inside of your shoes. It is suitable for all footwear types, with a gentle but efficient water-based formula of high quality, natural ingredients that does not use perfume to mask unwanted scents.

We have found this spray works best with early and regular use. An easy routine to follow, spray the inside of the shoe and footbed at the end of the day, after wearing them. This allows you to let the shoe sit and rest and the formula to dry overnight, before wearing them again.

Footbeds should not be soaked, bleached, or cleaned in a washing machine. In conjunction with a shoe refresher spray, dirt or build-up can be removed in most cases using a clean, damp cloth. For recommendations on specific materials, please see below.

•   Micro-Fibre lined footbeds can be cleaned using a gentle baby-wipe.

•   Suede leather lined footbeds can be cleaned using a suede brush or block. We recommend the ECCO nubuck/suede eraser

•   Smooth leather lined footbeds can be cleaned using a small amount of a foam shoe cleaner. We recommend the ECCO foam shoe cleaner.

•   If the cleaning of a footbed leaves them damp, it is recommended to let them dry in a shaded, cool, and dry place. It is not recommended to apply any heat source or expose them to direct sunlight.

•   Please ensure you always read the product instructions on any care product prior to using and wear with care.