Knowing basic water damage restoration procedures can save you a lot of money. While there are some possessions that are just too sensitive to water, and hence require a water damage restoration professional to salvage them, there are those that can be restored by the average person if the right procedures are followed.



Leather shoes were industrially manufactured at the end of the 19th century. Until today, they remain a precious commodity.

One of the enemies of leather is water. Water damaged leather shoes can best be remedied by the following old fashioned methods which are somehow still very effective.

Get a dry sponge and swab the shoes to remove as much moisture as you can. If there is mud, don't rub the sponge. Instead, just dab it around the shoes.

Then crumple some old newspaper and stuff it in. Leave it to dry naturally away from direct heat to prevent white marks forming.

When the leather shoes are dry, remove the mud by brushing it off with a soft brush. If there is a stain which is hard to remove, brush the surface mud, then rub the stain with strained water in which potatoes have been boiled.

If the stain still remains, try a weak ammonia solution with one fourth teaspoon of borax. One water damage restoration tip for stained leather shoes is rubbing them with a half onion.

After which, polish them with a soft cloth. Sometimes, after leather shoes get soaked in the water they may become hard. With this problem, just get one lemon, squeeze it and rub the juice on your shoes, using a lint-free cloth. When the surface is dry, rub the leather with a soft rug and polish as usual.

Water damage restoration would not be complete if your shoes lack the shiny look. To restore the shine and beauty of your water damaged leather shoes, try this natural and old but effective water damage restoration method. Mix 1 tsp. beeswax granules, 5heaped tsp. lanolin and 2 tbsp. soya beans oil. Gently heat all the ingredients in a bowl placed in a pan of simmering water until the wax melts. Cream mixture with a hand blender set at a low speed, then transfer to tin. Get a little of the cream and mix with raw linseed oil. Dip a soft cloth into the mixture and rub into the leather until it shines. If the shoes become scuffed, rub the leather with the inside of a banana skin and dry it with a soft tissue.

The finishing touches of the water damage restoration procedure are made easier with modern day cleaning and polishing methods. Several commercial brands are found in the market. Kiwi, a leading brand in shoe care offers a lot of products to help clean, condition, polish, and preserve. There is an instant shoe wax, express shoe creams, shoe sponge and shoe gloss. Restoring water damaged shoes into its almost-original look, can be done faster and with ease with these new products. Of course, any respectable shoe repair shop is expected to be knowledgeable on water damage restoration.

As the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is better than cure". Apply this to your shoes too! Whether you spend a lot on your shoes, or don't have much to spend, taking care of your leather shoes still makes better sense.