Damned salt!!! What the hell happened to my shoes???

[REguy]

^ I went 1-to-1 vinegar to water, but I didn't care if it ruined the shoes. As far as I can tell, it left no lasting effects. I also rinsed the shoes quickly under running water after the vinegar bath then dried them off.

 

[Sixers_610]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lee

Bummer, but unlike many of the typical wise-ass, non-responsive replies this site is famous for and you got, let me offer an answer: the standard treatment for salt is a rubdown with a vinegar/water mix, although depending on the damage, it is not a 100% cure. I live in a city that uses more salt than anywhere and while I take extra precautions, my wife, with her 20 pairs of $229 "fashion boots" does not. I have used the salt solution with more success than anything else, but the ridge deal is a *****. You may have to strip the polish with saddle soap (sorry to take you backwards) so you can get to the goddamn salt. You should see what it does to cars here! Finally AE's are perfectly acceptable shoes, notwithstanding the snotty EG devotees on this site. You could put a pair of Lobbs through the same abuse and they wouldn't hold up any better. So, don't feel bad about that.

+1.

I once had a pair of Church's that went through hell. I got them fixed up by a cobbler. (I can't remember what he did. But they had bumps all over the side and they came out great)

For just stains, +1 on the vinegar/water mix. google it for details.

 

[chatty]

Do people recommend the same treatment for shell cordovan as well? Vinegar thing also work or is it best to try do something different?

 

[olualbert]

Originally Posted by jrd617

My two recommendations:

1). Read this article

2). Get these:

Thank you for your valuable advice...is good to know this remedy when I move back to the states.

 

[olualbert]

Originally Posted by chatty

Do people recommend the same treatment for shell cordovan as well? Vinegar thing also work or is it best to try do something different?

I would not take a chance to use vinegar and water on my shell cordovan.....sound a bit too risky for me.

 

[pdial]

Originally Posted by olualbert

I would not take a chance to use vinegar and water on my shell cordovan.....sound a bit too risky for me.

Dude, they're shell. They'll be fine. That's what they are made for.

 

[Mr. Lee]

Originally Posted by Cayne-Abel

Thank you for a response that's actually responsive.

And as for the snotty reply, mr Monty, consider the possibility that not everyone feels the need or has the means to spend $400+ on a pair of shoes. I used to think that only the spoiled Louis Vuitton-clad white girls at the mall had that attitude.

My pleasure; they seem to be in short supply on this site. For this very reason, I stopped asking questions after receiving a "why don't you grow a set and decide for yourself?" response to a perfectly decent question. And THEN when I said many guys use this site to say **** they wouldn't dare say to one's face, some other a-hole said, "what makes you think I wouldn't call you a jackass to your face?" Nice, huh? Guy doesn't even know me, much less what I am capable of (see my signature; it's there for a reason.) I brought the jerky posts to the attention of one of the moderators, but to no avail. I guess ballbusting is part of the deal we have signed up for, so I'm just rolling with it. But if I ever get one of these F***ers face-to-face (I realize it's just a fantasy), it would be sublime.

 

[Xenon]

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

I had a pair of AEs get salt stained and I just soaked the pair in a big water bath for a few hours and massaged the leather. I then let them air dry for 2 days, ......, and not something I would do to a more expensive pair of shoes, but it worked. No more salt ridges.

excellent advice and something I have done several times and which I have done to expensive shoes.

In fact I use distilled water for the final rinse. First warm running tap water is an excellent and safe solvent for salt (any salt) and will disolve and rinse away even salt crystals forming within the leather. Use a bit of mild soap to remove grease or any other dirt as well. Don't be afraid to use a tooth brush to work around the crevices and welt area. Once the shoes are dry if the are still whites stains then you haven't rinsed enough.

I have a pair leather boots (rubber sole) that is use in winter and have no issues stepping in salty puddles and snow. I initially treated the boots with an entire spray can of liquid silicon waterproofer. This is not some useless protector or sarface treatment but literally a waterproofer. I allowed the spray to totally drench the leather. Once dried there is no surface coating and the leather looks untreated but the pores become totally blocked by silicon. This reduces the ability somewhat of the leather to breath but the advantage is leather that is totally immune to water, salt and snow. Dried salt literally flakes off the boots once indoors. I think this is similar to oiled leathers (not sure).

 

[sho'nuff]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lee

My pleasure; they seem to be in short supply on this site. For this very reason, I stopped asking questions after receiving a "why don't you grow a set and decide for yourself?" response to a perfectly decent question. And THEN when I said many guys use this site to say **** they wouldn't dare say to one's face, some other a-hole said, "what makes you think I wouldn't call you a jackass to your face?" Nice, huh? Guy doesn't even know me, much less what I am capable of (see my signature; it's there for a reason.) I brought the jerky posts to the attention of one of the moderators, but to no avail. I guess ballbusting is part of the deal we have signed up for, so I'm just rolling with it. But if I ever get one of these F***ers face-to-face (I realize it's just a fantasy), it would be sublime.

best thing to do is just leave the site then. read to your astonishment, chuckle, and log off. dont return.
but youre on here 24/7 just burnin to dream of a rooftop sniper situation with one of us.
sure, youll get your chance. your ever life long purpose will be fulfilled.
hmm.

oh and yeah.. i wouldnt say youre a jackass to your face. i'll probably just sort of laugh at you. then ill return to the computer one day and type that youre a jackass. that's how it works. im civil. i dont try to solve everything with violence and rage , but sure as hell have tons of fun taunting easily perturbed fellers like you on the internet though.

 

[academe]

I have had similar problems with some of my shoes, and have used Woly Combi Proper to clean off the salt. I follow this with saddle soap, and then re-polish the shoes afterwards... I have had more success removing salt stains from my C&Js and better quality English shoes. My RM Williams have had more problems, with the surface of the leather becoming rougher and more grainy... I wonder if this is the chrome salts migrating to the surface that DWFII mentioned? In any case, my "cheaper" shoes seem to suffer disproportionately from salt staining. In contrast, with a bit of effort, I've had no problems reconditioning my C&Js, Church, EGs and better-quality AS shoes... I wonder if the poorer-quality AE leather just doesn't hold up as well?

 

[Bellum]

It's because your shoes are AE seconds.

AE firsts have better leather and less chrome salt left from the tanning process.

So I've heard. I don't have any AEs.

 

[KObalto]

Originally Posted by Style.Guru

...

Srsly?

 

[luv2dance]

Originally Posted by Cayne-Abel

So I had the bright idea of not checking the weather report before heading out to court on Tuesday morning (I live in NYC), and I put on my brand new Allen Edmonds and proceeded to put them through absolute hell. Â I stepped in about a half dozen nasty, deep puddles of slush, almost entirely submerging the shoes at one or two points. Â I got back to the office and noticed a salt-like residue, which I quickly wiped off with a wet paper towel. Â

When I got home, I noticed these raised "ridges" or lines on the leather, right where the salt had made its line. Â I put on a generous layer of Lexol conditioner, then polished the affected areas. Â The next day, I took it to a shoe repair place. Â The lady at the counter told me that applying Lexol was a terrible idea. Â She said she'd use saddle soap to get rid of the salt in the leather. Â I asked "doesn't saddle soap dry out the leather?" to which she replied "nah, if anything, it protects it." Â I came back to the shop at the end of the day, and she told me that they washed the leather with saddle soap a bunch of times ("the salt just kept coming out") and finally conditioned and polished them. Â This is how they came out:

The leather looks awfully dry and seems to have lost some of its smoothness. Â There also this strange whitish "haze" to the leather, although it might just be a result of the way the light hits the (now less-smooth) surface of the leather. (The ridges caused by the salt are still there, but not as pronounced.)

Any idea on what happened and what I can do? Â Did those morons use too much saddle soap? Â What should I do now?

Make sure you waterproof your shoes especially in bad weather. The product which I use for all of my leather goods is Collonil. Allen Edmonds actually used to use these products under their own name in the past. I am not sure if they still do. Harry's Shoes in NYC carries this product.

 

[luv2dance]

Originally Posted by Cayne-Abel

Thank you for a response that's actually responsive.

And as for the snotty reply, mr Monty, consider the possibility that not everyone feels the need or has the means to spend $400+ on a pair of shoes. I used to think that only the spoiled Louis Vuitton-clad white girls at the mall had that attitude.

Vinegar and water may work in the short term. However you do risk discoloring the shoe and drying out the leather so if this is a premium shoe I would try leather shampoo. I know Collonil leather care manufactures something like that and if you live in NYC Harry's shoes carries a lot of this product however, I am not sure if they carry this shampoo specifically I have not been there in awhile.

 

[Mr. Lee]

The galoshes recommended by oluablert are, I believe, "Swims" brand, made in Norway if I recall. Good luck finding them. I Googled the **** out of them and everyone was sold out. Also, they are like $100 which is not cheap for galoshes.