Here’s how to clean road salt off all your shoes and boots.

Winter is messy! Especially so, if you live in a walkable place where road salt is liberally used to prevent icy roads and sidewalks. Road salt mixes with slushy snow and melted ice and can stain leather, suede, canvas, and other fabrics.

In New York City where I live, the Department of Sanitation maintains 59 salt sheds and sends out 400 salt spreaders across the five boroughs to salt the 6,000 miles of city streets. This year (2022) they are also testing out small vehicles that can clear snow and apply salt to the city’s bike lanes. These vehicles spray a liquid brine to prevent ice buildup which is a useful – but extremely messy – thing.

If you venture outside in the winter months, you’re going to end up with road salt stains on your boots and shoes. The good news is that these stains can be removed with ordinary household products. Here’s how to clean road salt off all your shoes and boots.

White vinegar is a great cleaning agent. Diluted with water, you can use it to clean and/or descale most things and surfaces including irons, toilets, and sinks. In the costume world of film and television, we use a vinegar-water solution to remove stubborn creases and stains from hemlines. Vinegar is also the perfect thing to remove salt from leather.

After they are dry, you can protect them from future staining with coconut or olive oil.

If no dye appears on your cloth, go ahead and use it to remove the salt stains. Don’t rub suede, though, as doing so can muck up the nap. Instead gently dab at the stain – first with soapy water, then with water only. Air dry them away from heat and light.

After they’re dry (and hopefully) clean, lightly buff them with a cloth or a suede brush. Applying a suede protector once a year will help prevent stains from showing up in the first place.

Most fabric or canvas shoes can be thrown in the washer to remove salt stains. If they have leather accents, though, or if you don’t happen to have a washer in your home or apartment and the guy at your neighborhood laundry isn’t too keen on washing your shoes (this may be a New York City-specific problem), here’s how to get rid of those salt stains.

To try to prevent future salt stains, you can spray your canvas or fabric shoes with Scotchguard.

Winter is messy but with a little effort your boots and shoes can make it through with minimal stains and blemishes. Which kind of sums up my aspirations and goal for most situations.