Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Dr. Cleaning Martens
• Part 2 of 3: Dr. Brushing Martens
• Part 3 of 3: Removing stubborn stains
• Tips

Dr. Martens, also known as Docs and Doc Martens, is a shoe brand that makes leather shoes with a striking appearance. Today the shoes are known for their yellow stitching, thick, soft soles and durability, but Dr. Martens has been around since World War II when the first pair of shoes was made by a German doctor who was injured during a skiing holiday. Dr. Martens are traditionally made of leather, but there are now also vegan variants for sale. This means that you have to take extra care of the shoes to keep the material beautiful. However, cleaning and polishing your Docs is relatively easy, and if you maintain your shoes or boots regularly, they will last for years.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Dr. Cleaning Martens

1. Clean the soles. Fill a small bucket or bowl with warm water and a few drops of liquid soap or dish soap. Grab a dish brush, shoe brush, or toothbrush and scrub the soles with the soapy water to remove dirt, dust, mud, and anything else you've stepped into.
   • Wipe the soles with a damp cloth when you are done.
2. Remove the laces. This will make it easier to clean the shoes and you can also clean the laces yourself. Run the laces through a bowl of soapy water and scrub if dirty. Rinse them under the tap, wring them out and hang them to dry.
3. Brush dust and dirt off the shoes. Using a shoe brush or an old nail brush, gently brush any dirt, dust, and dried mud off your Docs. Make sure to also cover any areas that are difficult to reach, such as the areas with stitched seams and the area under the flap.
   • If you don't have a shoe brush or nail brush, you can use a clean, damp, lint-free cloth to remove dirt and dust.
4. Remove black streaks and old shoe polish. If you have black streaks or old shoe polish on your Docs, you can remove both with non-acetone nail polish remover. Put some nail polish remover on a clean rag or lint-free cloth. Gently rub the black streaks and dirty areas until the black streaks disappear and the shoe polish is removed.
   • When you're done, wipe the shoes with a clean, damp cloth and let them air dry.
   • Do not rub too hard with the nail polish remover or you could damage the protective coating on your shoes.
5. Take care of the leather. Since the leather was once the skin of a living animal, it needs to be moisturized and cared for just like the skin of a human to prevent it from drying out, cracking and wearing out faster. Rub your Docs with a cloth or sponge with maintenance compound to massage it into the leather. Make sure you also treat the areas that are difficult to reach. Let your shoes dry for about 20 minutes afterwards. Popular leather care products include:
   • Lemon oil (not olive oil, as it can damage the leather)
   • Mink oil
   • Wonder Balsam, a product made by Dr. Martens and that contains coconut oil, beeswax and lanolin (wool grease). The product helps to protect your shoes against water and salt.
   • It is often recommended to treat leather with saddle soap, but the lye contained in the soap can cause the leather to dry out, crack and wear out faster.

Part 2 of 3: Dr. Brushing Martens

1. Find the right shoe polish. To polish the leather, look for shoe polish in a color that is as close to the color of the leather as possible. Choose neutral shoe polish if you can't find a shoe polish in the color of your Docs, or if your Docs have multiple colors.
   • Dr. Martens recommends that you only use wax and only polish shoes made of smooth leather.
2. Put down newspapers. Choose a place that can get dirty in case accidents happen and protect the surface you are working on with bags, newspapers, or something else.
3. Polish the shoes. Grab a rag or lint-free cloth and run it over the shoe polish in circular motions to warm it up. This will make it easier to apply the shoe polish. Apply the polish to the entire surface of the shoes, applying gentle but firm pressure to massage the polish into the pores of the leather. If necessary, use a cotton swab or soft toothbrush to apply shoe polish to hard-to-reach areas.
   • If your shoes are old and you have never polished them, consider applying a second coat of shoe polish.
   • When you're done, let the polish soak in for 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Polish the leather. Gently polish the entire surface of the leather with a shoe brush. Make sure that the shoe polish soaks into the leather and that you remove any excess shoe polish at the same time. If you want the shoes to shine like a mirror, you will have to do a bit more thorough:
   • Dip your finger in a bowl of clean water and place a few drops on one spot on the leather.
   • Dip a cloth in the shoe polish and rub the area in circular motions. Treat a small area at a time, wetting the shoe and rubbing more shoe polish into the leather with a cloth.
   • It will probably take a few hours to fully treat your boots or shoes, but you should notice that the leather becomes very slippery.
5. Polish the shoes. When you are done brushing or mirroring your Docs, buff the leather with a clean piece of nylon to remove dust and excess shoe polish and make the leather shine.
6. Repeat this every three months. To make your Docs last as long as possible, clean them every three months and treat them with a maintenance product. To make them look as new as possible, brush them afterwards.

Part 3 of 3: Removing stubborn stains

1. Remove gum. Remove as much of the gum as possible with a scraper, spoon, or bank card. Grab a hair dryer and heat the gum residue until it becomes sticky. Then stick a piece of masking tape on the gum and pull it off. Push the tape back on and pull it off a few more times. If necessary, heat the gum again with the hair dryer and repeat the process until the gum is gone.
   • After removing stubborn stains from your shoes, clean them as usual to remove residue and cleaning agents.
2. Remove paint. The best way to remove paint from your Dr. Martens is white spirit. Turpentine is a petroleum-based solvent that works very well for dissolving paint. It is safe to use on leather as it is an oil based product.
   • Take a clean cloth and dip it in a little turpentine. Rub the affected area with the cloth and apply more mineral spirits if necessary. Keep rubbing until the paint dissolves and comes off.
3. Remove glue. You need oil like WD-40 for this home remedy. Apply the oil to the area with glue, as well as to a small area of ​​the leather around the glue. Let it soak in until the glue softens, then scrape the glue off the leather with a butter knife or plastic scraper. Repeat these steps if necessary until the glue is gone. When you have removed the glue, wipe off the excess oil.
4. Remove sticker residue. Use a scraper or a bank card and scrape off as much of the sticky residue from the leather as possible. Grab a clean cloth and dip it in some acetone, nail polish remover, or even peanut butter. After rubbing the product into the shoe, use the scraper again. Repeat the process if necessary.
   • Afterwards, wipe the area with a clean damp cloth and let the shoe dry.

Tips

• If your shoes get wet, let them air dry.
• Treating your new Docs directly with a maintenance product will soften the leather, which will allow you to wear the shoes in faster.
• If your shoes are brand new, you don't have to treat them with balm just yet. Only treat them with an agent that protects them from water, because they are new and there is nothing to polish yet.