How do you remove older shoe polish stains?

Make a paste using some baking soda and white vinegar. Spread the paste over the shoe polish stain and leave it for 10 minutes before wiping it away with a damp cloth.

WikiLaundry > Stains > Shoe polish > Shoes

Get Rid of Those Shoe Polish Stains For Good with These Simple Tips and Tricks

Q: How do you remove fresh shoe polish stains?

Get a soft cloth or a sponge and dip it in a bowl of lukewarm water. Gently wipe away the shoe polish stain on your shoe. After you’ve wiped it away, use another cloth or a paper towel lightly dipped in the bowl of water and wipe down the area one more time.

Shoe polish can be messy, and shoe polish stains can be even trickier to remove from your favorite pair of shoes. But don’t worry--there are a few time-tested ways to remove your inadvertent shoe polish stains with some common household items you already have lying around.

Updated 23 Jun 2023

By Nishat Asif

Removing Fresh Shoe Polish Stains

If you catch the stain quickly enough, you can actually remove it without too much effort. Grab a soft cloth or a sponge and dip it in a bowl of lukewarm water. Gently wipe away the shoe polish stain on your shoe. After you’ve wiped it away, use another cloth or a paper towel lightly dipped in the bowl of water and wipe down the area one more time. This should take care of any residual shoe polish.

Removing Older Stains

If the shoe polish stain has had some time to settle in, you’re going to want to go to slightly more extreme measures. Make a paste using some baking soda and white vinegar. Spread paste over the shoe polish stain and leave it for 10 minutes before wiping it away with a damp cloth. You’ll want to take about the same approach as with the fresh stain--wipe away the paste first, then use the damp cloth to wipe away any residue.

Using Alcohol and Rubbing Compound

Sometimes the above methods just won’t cut it, and that’s when you should turn to some stronger cleaning agents. Grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover and carefully dab the solution onto the shoe polish stain. Use a cloth to gently rub solution into the stain, then wipe away the excess. Again, you should follow the same protocol--dab, rub, wipe away--with a damp cloth on the affected area.

Finally, if you’re still finding shoe polish to be stubborn, you might want to try rubbing compound. The process is the same--carefully dab the compound onto the shoe polish stain and rub it in with a cloth, then use a damp cloth to wipe away both the compound and the shoe polish stain.

Schedule Some Hard Work

Stains can be a nuisance, but with a bit of elbow grease and some of these tried-and-true methods, you’ll be able to remove those pesky shoe polish stains in no time. When it comes to shoe polish stains, there’s no need to panic. As long as you’re willing to put in some effort, you can have your shoes looking good as new!

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