How to maintain vegan shoes
Posted by Floris on Aug 04, 2008 · Member since Aug 2008 · 1 posts
I'm about to buy vegan shoes (notably these: http://www.veganline.com/bouncing-shoe.htm), but I can't find any tips as how to maintain them. I suppose ordinary shoeshine is out of the question. Furthermore, I want my shoes to shine. How are my chances with this pair?
I don't buy shiny shoes, but I assume they'd be made of some sort of plastic material, so wiping them off should work for a while. What's car wax made out of? (I don't wax my car.) That'd probably help keep them shiny if you already have it on hand.
eta: Another idea would be to wipe them with a light coat of cooking oil or window cleaner. I wonder how that would work on them.
I don't buy shiny shoes, but I assume they'd be made of some sort of plastic material, so wiping them off should work for a while. What's car wax made out of? (I don't wax my car.) That'd probably help keep them shiny if you already have it on hand.
eta: Another idea would be to wipe them with a light coat of cooking oil or window cleaner. I wonder how that would work on them.
i've heard of using a dab of olive (or another veggie) oil. you rub it in and then sorta buff it off so that it isn't sticky. never tried it, though.
i got tired of getting cheap gym shoes that were vegan but fell apart quickly. i finally invested in a pair of shoes off of a vegan online store... i think it was veganshoes.com or something like that? or maybe even a branch off of veganessentials.com. i purchased those back in... 2004 or 2005. they were not cheap... about seventy dollars before tax & shipping (i'm used to buying shoes and getting change back from a ten!) but the ones i found weren't really sky rocket priced, either. i mean, i've seen high heels that go for thousands of dollars... and how sustainable could those possibly be?!! anyways, i finally gave in and bought them. they are probably the BEST shoes i've ever purchased! they still look brand new and they have all sorts of cool features. the sides are made so that the foot is completely vented, so when i wear them without socks it feels like the sides of my feet are completely exposed (in a workout, that's a good thing), however it doesn't look see-through. the tongue is made so that it cannot fall in or slide around. and the insides are specially made so that you don't have to wear socks & it will never rub a blister on your foot. it's quite amazing. i hate going sockless, but these are the only shoes i feel comfortable sockless in! oh, and the soles, i think, are made of some sort of material that prevents bacterial growth and stinkiness. ooooh, and extra-awesomeness: the bottoms are "self-cleaning"... don't know how it works, but it does!
my point? i haven't done anything special to take care of them and i've had them for about three or four years. they aren't shiney, but they are another type of texture that is usually just as hard to maintain... they are fake suede. i've even gotten caught in the rain in them and there are absolutely no water marks!
i hope you just love yours as much as i love mine and congratulations on your new purchase!
:)>>>
oh my, you'll love me!
on http://veganessentials.com i found vegan shoe polish and water proofer!
https://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/products.asp?CS=vegane&CategoryID=85&Refresh=True
if you cannot get to it directly by going there, here's the path.
home page/ footwear/ shoe polish & water proofer (scroll to bottom of page)
8-) ;)b
I'm about to buy vegan shoes (notably these: http://www.veganline.com/bouncing-shoe.htm), but I can't find any tips as how to maintain them. I suppose ordinary shoeshine is out of the question. Furthermore, I want my shoes to shine. How are my chances with this pair?
My Bouncing Boots from Veganline.com polish just like leather. They've tried using two types of material for uppers and one - tried briefly - polishes better but is a bit stiff, specially in the shoe, and prone to squeaks. The material they've gone back to using is softer and might scuff at the toe but is still OK to polish.
In the UK there's a list of vegan products at http://www.animalfreeshopper.com but you do have to pay to use it. It lists Hold Lloyd's "Carr Day & Martin" brand of shoe polish as definitely vegan and Veganline.com sell it under their own brand on the site. Another database http://www.isitvegan.info/ is free to use but doesn't have any info on polish.
Other UK brands - Cherry Blossom & Kiwi - are less clear about being vegan because their wax is made in so many different places around the world that they're not sure. Kiwi has said this; Cherry Blossom doesn't answer letters asking for information, which probably means the same thing.
If you're not in the UK it's probably not worth getting a put of wax posted round the world but you could use candle wax if you want something cheap.
If you're buying something from Veganline anyway, the polish is on this page
http://www.veganline.com/insoles.htm