You take a pair of shoes out of the shoe cabinet for the first time in a while and find a faint whitish film. You assume it’s dust—but it’s mold. It happens more often than you might think. Once mold appears, the only option is to remove it. Mold often takes root in leather, so wiping alone is not enough; you need to eliminate the fungus itself with an alcohol disinfectant or similar product. Patiently wipe the mold away using the disinfectant.
Dealing with mold is not just a matter of removing it from the shoes. The real problem is the environment that allows it to grow: unless you improve the storage conditions—high humidity, poor ventilation—the mold will return. As you clean the shoes, also find ways to improve airflow in the shoe cabinet and entryway.
Remove surface dust, dirt and loose mold by wiping with a damp cloth or wet tissue. This alone takes off a good deal of the surface mold.
Mold often grows inside the shoe as well, so wipe the interior thoroughly with a damp cloth. To reach all the way into the toe, remove the laces before you begin.
Spray alcohol disinfectant onto a cloth and wipe the surface. Spraying directly onto the shoe can leave stains, so apply it to the cloth first and test on an inconspicuous spot.
Mold also grows in corners, such as along the edge of the sole and in the stitching. Because these spots are hard to clean, wipe them carefully with the alcohol disinfectant. It is fine to scrub firmly until the mold comes off.
Once the disinfectant has removed the mold, let the shoes dry. When they are dry, apply emulsified cream. You can apply it with a cloth, but a brush works better for working the cream into fine areas.
After applying the cream, follow your usual maintenance routine: brush, wipe off, and finish with a final brushing. Old laces can become a source of mold again, so throw them away and replace them with new ones.
The mold is gone, and with cream and brushing the shoes have regained their original deep black shine—you would never guess they had been moldy. With new laces, too, they feel completely refreshed!
At Brass, when a moldy pair comes in for maintenance, the sole is removed and the entire shoe is washed. Mold often grows between the sole and the bottom of the shoe, and this is said to be the best way to eradicate it. For deep-rooted mold, it is best to entrust the job to a professional.
