How to remove water stains on shell cordovan leather is the question very few meet and ask, but when it happens, apparently there is quite few place to seek solution. This article serves this purpose.
Shell cordovan leather is expensive and very sought after which no matter any leather works made of. They are appreciated for its high sheen and superb durability. The sheen comes from two aspects, one is the leather is hugely contracted and becomes very dense, the other is there is a layer of Acrylic on top of it.
Both are shell cordovan, and the left one may be the one people recognize as shell cordovan. But the right one is also genuine shell cordovan only without the top acrylic layer.
As most shoes are made of coated shell cordovan, the care is always easy. Brushing should be very sufficient.
Shell cordovan shoes suffer from scratches like any other shoes, but here shell cordovan’s advantage highly manifests. The scratches can be easily smoothen out by deer bone or stainless steel spoon.
But another damage is not so easily tackled if happened to shell cordovan, that is water stain.
The mechanism behind water stains on shell cordovan is unknown and it seems a random incident as some don’t have them even after shower walking, while unlucky guys have it even on drop of water falling on his shoes.
Firstly, let us talk about prevention, it is more important and effective than later fix.
Some one says anti water spray is the best. Function wise, it is true and water stain risk is fully eliminated, but the problem is the sheen is also damaged and the leather becomes very dull.
The solution I recommend is wax. The wax makes shoes more appealing and can prevent most water from enter the leather.
If water stains are present, how to remove them?
Firstly, use damp cloth rub the surface very quickly, for very new water stains, this works.
If that don’t work, using shoe cream such as Venetian Imperial, also rub intensively. This step both clean and condition the leather.
If still in vein, we have to use strong cleaner such as RenoMat. I tried myself and it did remove all the water stains, but the grease in the leather was also absorbed and the shoes were very dull. Later I conditioned and waxed the shoes for many many times to bring back the sheen!
All in all, please wax shell cordovan shoes, beautiful and safe.