If you own footwear from this brand name, you will want to know how to clean Dr Martens at home.
Cleaning your boots and shoes gives them a new lease of life. As you clean them, you can check the condition of the shoes to see whether they need repair.
All shoes are not cleaned in the same way. For some, you can use water and for some, you cannot. How to clean leather boots is different from how you can clean canvas shoes and so on.
Since your Doc Martens will cost you a substantial amount of money, knowing how to take good care of them can prolong their life and they will give you great value for your money.
Keep reading to see a few ways for how to clean different types of Dr Martens shoes at home:
How to clean Dr Martens canvas shoes
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Cleaning Dr Martens canvas shoes is not any different from how you would clean any other canvas shoes. After all, canvas is canvas.
You can choose to clean the shoes manually or you can clean them in a washing machine. If you decide to use a washing machine, toss in a couple of towels too.
This will prevent the shoes from being tossed around and damaging your washer.
Before you put them in, remove the shoelaces and the insoles. You can clean them separately.
Before you start cleaning your shoes, you will need warm water, laundry soap/detergent, old toothbrush, clean rags, old newspapers and a bucket.
Try to remove as much of the dry and superficial dirt as possible. If there is any caked mud on the soles or the top of the shoes, remove it. You can scrub the dirt with the old toothbrush.
Fill your bucket with warm water and add a couple of spoons of the liquid detergent. Let it dissolve completely as you stir by hand.
Dip the shoes in the water but only lightly so that they do not absorb too much water. You can then continue scrubbing the dirty spots with the toothbrush until the spot is gone.
You can then rinse the shoes, using warm water preferably and then use the old towel to rub the excess water out.
Stuff the shoes with newspapers to help them retain their shape and air-dry them completely.
How to clean Dr Martens leather boots
Cleaning your Doc Martens leather boots is so easy. You need water, a piece of cloth, an old toothbrush, cleanser and a bucket.
Remove the shoe laces and the insoles if they are removable. After that, remove the outside dirt by dampening your cloth in water and wiping the boots.
You can also use the old toothbrush to clean the area around the yellow stitching of the boots to make it stand out.
You can then dip the boots in water and give them a thorough cleaning. However, instead of immersing the leather boots in water, you can use a clean piece of cloth, water and soap solution to clean the exterior.
Use another piece of cloth dipped in clean water to remove the soapy residues. After that, you will have to use a leather cleaner of your choice. Just apply a little of it on a piece of cloth and rub it on the leather in circular motions.
This leather cleaner is actually soap. So ensure that the entire leather is covered with soap. Take a piece of clean cloth and rub out the soap. You can soak it in clean water.
Air-dry the Doc Martens boots and then you can apply a waterproof conditioner to make them water resistant.
How to clean Dr Martens sandals
Dr Martens sandals are as ergonomic as any other. They might even help with certain foot issues such as plantar fasciitis.
These sandals need cleaning from time to time. Here is how you can clean them:
First, wipe away all the stuck and surface dirt from the sandals. If there is mud stuck on the soles, you might need to use a blunt knife to scrub it away.
Always clean your leather sandals with white vinegar to kill all the germs. To do that, you need to make a water vinegar solution, mostly equal parts of each. You can then dip a piece of clean cloth in the solution and then clean up the sandals.
Scrub the sandals with the damp cloth until it is spotlessly clean. You can then air-dry the sandals for several hours.
There are other ways to clean your Dr Marten sandals. A popular way is to make a baking soda paste with water and then spread it on the leather straps with an old toothbrush. The baking soda is going to break the molecules of the stain.
Once the baking soda paste is dry, remove it by scraping it away. If there are stains remaining, repeat the process.
How to clean Dr Martens inside
Cleaning the inside of the DMs is not any different from that of cleaning any other boots and shoes.
First, you must use vinegar because it will help to kill bacteria and therefore lower the risk of developing foot odor.
You do not have to immerse the boots in water. Just use a cloth, soak it in the water-vinegar solution and then squeeze out the excess water.
Remove the insoles and clean them separately in the solution and remove the shoelaces as well. Use the wet cloth to scrub the inside of the shoes.
When it is clean, let them dry in the air for as long as it takes. However, before you store them, you can sprinkle them with baking soda. It is going to eliminate any traces of foot odor remaining in the shoes.
How to clean Dr Martens yellow stitching
To do this, just use an old toothbrush to clean the yellow stitching and make it outstanding. The brush removes any stuck dirt.
You can follow this with a piece of cloth soaked in soap and water solution and then squeezed out until it is just damp.
Wipe the yellow stitch area going around the shoes completely, until it is clean. After that, use another piece of cloth dipped in clean water to rinse out any soap residues on the shoes.
Does water ruin Doc Martens?
Doc Martens are not fully waterproof, but they are water resistant. This means that you can walk through a puddle without your feet getting wet.
You can also walk with the boots through the rain, without getting your feet wet. However, do not stand with your feet immersed in a puddle for too long because the Martens will let in water.
Final Thoughts on how to clean Dr Martens At Home
How to clean Dr Martens at home is easy and you should make a habit of cleaning your footwear at least once a month.
However, before the cleaning day, you can spot-clean them as soon as they get a stain. That way, the stains will not set because if they do, they will be too hard to clean.
It does not matter whether you have sandals, closed shoes or Dr Martens boots. You have seen how to clean all of them at home.