Would you like to know how to fix scraped leather boots?
Your boots can sustain scrapes for a myriad of reasons. One of them is exposure to the weather elements.
Pet scratches also cause scrapes on shoes. Running or walking can also cause the shoes to crease and sustain scratches where your foot usually folds as you walk.
Leather sustains scratches easily. If you do not give it the attention that it deserves, your shoes can be quite unappealing.
But all is not lost. Scrapes and scratches on leather are easy to fix.
Whether they are on the surface or they are deep, they can be easy to fix. It will just take some time and a few items. If you wear your work boots daily, you need a regular maintenance routine, say, twice a month or once a week.
That way, you keep the shoes in top shape.
How to remove light and deep scrapes from leather
Table of Contents
You need to understand the anatomy of a scrape. It can cut through the outer layer of polish, go through the wax and even get to the leather if it is too deep. If is shallow, it can touch the outer layer of polish and perhaps the wax while leaving the leather intact.
Things that you will need
Apart from the polish, the wax and conditioner, the items that you need to do this job are already available at home. You need a couple of clean rags, saddle soap, water, a brush and leather conditioner.
You will also need a lint cloth, shoe polish of the same color as the shoes that you are fixing. Get a soft plastic brush. That is just about everything that you need.
Have some lanolin cream on standby too.
To treat a light scrape
Start by cleaning the pair of shoes thoroughly. You need to remove the visible dirt. You also need to remove any mud on the surface. Cleaning will enable you to see the area that you need to treat properly. It can even expose other dents if there are any.
DO not dip the shoes in water. Just wet a rag and use it to wipe them clean. That way, you do not have to wait too long for the leather to dry up.
Since you can now see the scrapes clearly, it is time to take care of them. If they are shallow, you can use your leather oil to condition it back to shape. Just dip your finger in the conditioner and apply it on the affected place. That will make the scratch or scrape go away immediately. You can then polish the boots, ready to wear the following day.
How to fix medium scrapes
Medium scrapes means they are a bit deeper than surface scratches but at the same time, they are not too deep yet. If you brush the shoes with polish and you find that the scratches still show. They are medium.
For these ones, you will just need to use lanolin cream. This cream sits deep in the scratches and seals them completely. You just need to swab some cream on the scrapes and then buff away any extra. Let the shoes sit for a while before brushing them with their polish. That should take care of the scrapes.
How to fix a deep scrape
Start with cleaning the shoes. You can do this by brushing them so that all the dirt stuck on the surface falls off. You cannot repair a dirty pair of shoes. Cleaning them shows you the extent of the scrape. It could have penetrated through to the leather.
Take a pin or a toothpick and try the scrape for size, to see how deep it goes. If it has not penetrated to the leather, your work will be easy.
Dip another piece of rag in water and squeeze the excess water out. Rub the saddle soap on the damp cloth until it is covered with the soap.
In circular motions, rub the soap onto the area with the scrape. Make sure the scraped area is covered in saddle soap. You can then wipe out the soap with a dry piece of cloth.
Removing shoe polish
Every time that you brush your shoes with polish, you create a layer on them. Therefore, you need to remove this layer when you are fixing deep scratches.
To do this, you need to apply mineral oil on a piece of cloth or on a cotton swab. Actually, the latter is better. You can the rub the area that you want to fix with the swab. It will remove the polish.
Do you remember the area that you applied the saddle soap? Take some leather lotion and apply it on the affected part. You can use a small piece of lint cloth to apply the conditioning cream on the area that you applied the saddle soap.
Now, let the shoes stay put overnight. They need enough time to soak in perfectly. If it is during the day, you can let the shoes sit for about 8 hours. That is going to be enough for the cream to soak in.
After that, take a cotton swab and the right shoe polish. Apply the polish on the part that you have just fixed. That should completely cover the scrape and it will not show.
Wrapping Up
If you are wondering how to fix scraped leather boots, you can always take them to a cobbler. However, you can save yourself that money by doing the job at home. Just do it on the weekend so that you can let the boots sit for some hours after repairing them.