I just came across a pair of baby shoes from the 50's that I would like to refurbish. Overall they are in decent condition except the leather is all dried out. It still intact- no cracks or breaks that I could see but then I don't want to mess with them too much before softening up the leather. Any recommendations on what I can use to restore the leather? Thanks
It depends upon the leather, if its a suede finish, or if they are white or a light colour there isn't anything you can do without damaging the colour or texture of the leather. If they are patent leather, you could try vaseline but that is just a cosmetic fixit and doesn't actually improve the suppleness of the leather. If they are dark leather you can use saddle soap or any one of a number of silicone products that help to soften dried leather. All come with the warning that they may help soften the leather but will either darken the colour of the leather, or leave a waxy surface feeling.
I find that unperfumed Lanolin cream works very well on vintage shoes rubbed in gently with a soft cloth, but please do test a small hidden area before hand.
Thanks for the replies. Here is a photo of one of the shoes. They are smooth leather outer with a flannel lining.
They don't look very dry to me. I would just stuff with them with tissue paper and make sure you don't put them in a dry place. Maybe keep them in the bathroom for a month or two to get the skin humidified. You could put them in a plastic bag with a damp cloth, but you can' have the shoes touch the wet cloth so maybe put them on a cookie rack or something inside the bag with the damp cloth underneath. Just don't get them directly wet in any way or they will stain.
Hi Jonathan - I just want to thank you again for giving me that tip about using humidity to soften up these shoes. I put a fairly damp towel in the bottom of a tote and then I set a steamer basket on top of the towel and placed the shoes on it and closed the lid. As you can see by the attached photo, after just one night, the shoes were revived enough that I could straighten them up and see what they really look like. I can't wait to clean them up and polish them. Do you think these are from the 50's?
I'm glad to hear it worked - I would leave them for at least a couple of weeks to get the best results. Those are really cute - i see they are cowboy boot inspired - I think they would be late 40s - early 60s because of that motif.
OK - I'll leave them in there. I just too them out today and stuffed them with newsprint paper (plain - not inked) so that I can get them to hold their original shape. I was thinking 50's-60's because they are western inspired. I think they are cute, too.
