Entretien What should I do about salt stains?

Once snow has fallen or tempe­ratures have dipped below freezing, municipal snow-removal services will spread salt on streets. White salt stains that frequently develop during strolls through town are one unfor­tunate side effect of this practise. Here, too, you can apply a trick or two and solve the problem: For classic boots made of nubuck or smooth leather, all that it normally takes is a mild soap solution. Care products like LOWA Shoe Clean are another excellent way to clean the footwear. Instead of aggres­sively cleaning the leather, they gently remove stains from the footwear. Suede leather is another story entirely, however. Salt stains on it are generally somewhat more stubborn. This is a job for special brushes that can work the salt out of the leather. A brush made of plastic and brass is the best choice. You can use a special eraser as well. The LOWA triangular brush meets all three criteria. But keep this point in mind: You should use the brush and eraser only for suede leather. The bristles can cause scratch marks on smooth leather and perma­nently damage it.