white baby shoes

[Michael Hamm]

Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?

Tia,

Michael Hamm
BA scl Math, PBK, NYU

http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/

[Rosalie B.]

x-no-archive:yes Michael Hamm > wrote:

>Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
>insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
>black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
>cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?
>
>
Gosh - I thought everyone knew this. I guess I'm an old fogie but I
used to have saddle shoes and we'd have to clean them because they got
dirty too. The last child of mine that I can remember that had white
baby shoes is now 35 years old, and I don't remember my grandchildren
wearing such things. So I guess the method has gone out of the group
memory now.

I'm assuming that you are aren't talking about sneakers that can be
thrown in the washer. You get shoe polish and kind of paint it (with
a spongy type applicator which is on the bottom of the lid) on to the
white parts (if the shoe is anything but white - or all over if it is
all white - I usually didn't paint the edges of the soles which were
brown). I can't remember the brand, and maybe they don't have such
things anymore because dirty is fashionable or something.

grandma Rosalie

[Kevin Karplus]

In article l.edu>,
Michael Hamm wrote:
> Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
> insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
> black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
> cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?

All the shoes our son wore when he was 1 were of the type that you
could throw into the washing machine. Stiff leather shoes are not
appropriate for baby feet anyway, so we never ran into the problem.

If you did get leather baby shoes, clean them like any other leather
shoes---sponge them off with a damp cloth, use saddle soap if they are
really filthy, dry slowly, and seal them with a good shoe polish.


--
Kevin Karplus http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/~karplus
life member (LAB, Adventure Cycling, American Youth Hostels)
Effective Cycling Instructor #218-ck (lapsed)
Professor of Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz
Undergraduate and Graduate Director, Bioinformatics
Affiliations for identification only.

[Brandy Kurtz]

Michael Hamm > wrote in message l.edu>...
> Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
> insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
> black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
> cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?
>
> Tia,
>
> Michael Hamm
> BA scl Math, PBK, NYU
>
> http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/

If they are regular throw in the wash shoes, I would recommend the new
stain pen from Clorox. Looks like it would really work, I can't wait
until out local stores start carrying it. White baby shoes are just so
darned irresistable...:) Plus they match everything!

Brandy

[Hillary Israeli]

In >,
Brandy Kurtz > wrote:

*Michael Hamm > wrote in message l.edu>...
*> Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
*> insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
*> black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
*> cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?
*
*If they are regular throw in the wash shoes, I would recommend the new
*stain pen from Clorox. Looks like it would really work, I can't wait
*until out local stores start carrying it. White baby shoes are just so
*darned irresistable...:) Plus they match everything!

My kids wear white leather baby shoes and I don't think they can be thrown
in the wash. You have to clean them like you clean any leather shoe. You
clean them with regular leather cleaner and polish with white shoe polish,
or you just use a liquid polish like this:
http://65.18.207.26/store/product1101.html
which sort of paints over any flaws (but of course you do want to still
clean the shoe first!)

-h.
--
hillary israeli vmd http://www.hillary.net
"uber vaccae in quattuor partes divisum est."
not-so-newly minted veterinarian-at-large :)

[Rosalie B.]

(Hillary Israeli) wrote:

>In >,
>Brandy Kurtz > wrote:
>
>*Michael Hamm > wrote in message l.edu>...
>*> Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
>*> insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
>*> black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
>*> cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?
>*
>*If they are regular throw in the wash shoes, I would recommend the new
>*stain pen from Clorox. Looks like it would really work, I can't wait
>*until out local stores start carrying it. White baby shoes are just so
>*darned irresistable...:) Plus they match everything!
>
>My kids wear white leather baby shoes and I don't think they can be thrown
>in the wash. You have to clean them like you clean any leather shoe. You
>clean them with regular leather cleaner and polish with white shoe polish,
>or you just use a liquid polish like this:
>http://65.18.207.26/store/product1101.html
>which sort of paints over any flaws (but of course you do want to still
>clean the shoe first!)

RIGHT - Kiwi was what I was trying to think of. That's what I always
did with my kid's shoes.

I had those white leather shoes for my kids, because in those days,
sneakers were supposed to be bad for their feet. DD#3, born in May in
Key West FL didn't have any shoes at all until she was about 8 months
when her sister (age 7) was upset that she didn't have shoes and
bought her some for Xmas. I just hadn't seen any need for her to have
them up to that point, but we moved to Philadelphia about then, so she
was going to need them.

I've looked at the old pictures, and actually can't find any that show
their feet where the babies and toddlers and even sometimes the older
ones are not barefooted.

grandma Rosalie

[Robyn Kozierok]

In article >,
Kevin Karplus > wrote:
>In article l.edu>,
> Michael Hamm wrote:
>> Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
>> insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
>> black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
>> cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?
>
>All the shoes our son wore when he was 1 were of the type that you
>could throw into the washing machine. Stiff leather shoes are not
>appropriate for baby feet anyway, so we never ran into the problem.

Stride Rite and other companies now make very flexible leather shoes
for new walkers. They were the only shoes that fit my youngest when he
was learning to walk.

--Robyn

[Robyn Kozierok]

In article >,
Rosalie B. > wrote:
>
>I'm assuming that you are aren't talking about sneakers that can be
>thrown in the washer. You get shoe polish and kind of paint it (with
>a spongy type applicator which is on the bottom of the lid) on to the
>white parts (if the shoe is anything but white - or all over if it is
>all white - I usually didn't paint the edges of the soles which were
>brown). I can't remember the brand, and maybe they don't have such
>things anymore because dirty is fashionable or something.
>

They still sell it. I do have to admit that I don't bother
cleaning/polishing my toddler's shoes though. I wouldn't say dirty is
"fashionable" but certainly not unexpected on a young child's shoes. :)
They have separate (black) dress shoes to wear when dirty sneakers or
dirty white toddler-shoes are not appropriate. I do clean those when
needed; usually just a damp cloth will do the trick.

--Robyn (mommy to Ryan 9/93 and Matthew 6/96 and Evan 3/01)

[Michael Hamm]

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 12:15:59 EDT, Robyn Kozierok
> wrote, in part:
> Stride Rite and other companies now make very flexible leather shoes
> for new walkers.

Right, that's what we bought. Several people mentioned shoe polish (which
I use frequently on my own, black shoes, but, somehow, didn't think would
really clean white ones; I guess I'm wrong), and at least one person said
simply wiping with a damp cloth will get rid of most problems. Thanks
very much to all who responded (and those who will).

Michael Hamm
BA scl Math, PBK, NYU

http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/

[Elizabeth Gardner]

In article >,
(Michael Hamm) wrote:

> On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 12:15:59 EDT, Robyn Kozierok
> > wrote, in part:
> > Stride Rite and other companies now make very flexible leather shoes
> > for new walkers.
>
> Right, that's what we bought. Several people mentioned shoe polish (which
> I use frequently on my own, black shoes, but, somehow, didn't think would
> really clean white ones; I guess I'm wrong), and at least one person said
> simply wiping with a damp cloth will get rid of most problems. Thanks
> very much to all who responded (and those who will).
>


Also, for any individual pair of shoes, you'll find that this is a very
short-lived problem. I remember buying a pair of those white leather
shoes as "baby's first," and since it was winter when she started
walking, they were rarely worn. No shoes inside, and boots for
outside. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have bothered. She outgrew
them in about 30 seconds, and for her second pair, I think I went to
sneakers. And stayed there, except for white sandals in the summer and
"party shoes" for special occasions.

[Scott Lindstrom]

Elizabeth Gardner wrote:

>
> Also, for any individual pair of shoes, you'll find that this is a very
> short-lived problem. I remember buying a pair of those white leather
> shoes as "baby's first," and since it was winter when she started
> walking, they were rarely worn. No shoes inside, and boots for
> outside. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have bothered. She outgrew
> them in about 30 seconds, and for her second pair, I think I went to
> sneakers. And stayed there, except for white sandals in the summer and
> "party shoes" for special occasions.

I don't really recall shoes for DD or DS, either. We
did buy those cloth booties with the elastic tops, but
whenever it was warm, most of the time the kids were
barefoot or in socks (unless they pulled the socks
off :) )

Scott DD 10 and DS 7

[Mary Gordon]

I'm in Toronto, so I don't know what brands you can buy where you
live, but they make liquid white shoe polish that comes with in a
bottle with a sponge top applicator. Works well. Here is the only
picture I could find of a product like this, but here its quite
common, particularly in white. Covers dirty marks quite well.

http://www.allheart.com/nm880224.html

Mary G.

[Cheryl]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 16:47:49 EDT, Michael Hamm >
wrote:

>Perhaps a bit OT, but we just bought our 1-year-old new shoes, and my wife
>insisted on white (over my objections that they'd get much dirtier than
>black). They're already(!) getting dirty. Is there a good way of really
>cleaning white shoes (beyond removing the removable particles)?
>
FWIW my husband is in the navy and wears white shoes. When he's in a
hurry and hasn't got any shoe polish he uses toothpaste on a soft
cloth. That might help you.


--
Cheryl
Mum to DS#1 (11 Mar 99), DS#2 (4 Oct 00)
and DD (30 Jul 02)

[[email protected]]

Have you tried buying soft-soled leather baby shoes? We buy ours from a
site called Cute BabyShoes -- http://www.cutebabyshoes.com
They have 10 brands and usually have 600+ pairs in stock. All of them
are hand or machine washable and they have soft leather uppers and soft
suede soles. My kids have worn them from birth well into the walking
years. The soft soles help them grip the ground and the elastic
closures keep them on (with or without socks) so baby can't pull them
off and lose them. Then once they're dirty we just hand wash them
quickly and let them dry. They always look great. Plus the company is
great to work with and has super fast shipping.

Alexa
mom to 2 boys :)