I am not sure just how good leather shoe uppers would be. Just last week some leather shoe uppers popped up in an area I was working on that must have been buried by the previous owners at some time in the past (we have been here 35 plus years) identifiable enough to know they were shoe uppers but not necessarily who made them, and that was in a bed that has had lots of compost added to it. Maybe shredding them would make a difference.

I LOVE Scrubbing Bubbles and use it for a number of cleaning chores. I especially like to use it to spot clean laundry and the carpet. My DH plays so much tennis (2xday plus high school coach and club instructor) that the shoes wear out before they even have a chance to get dirty, seriously! I've only known him to toss the shoes in the washer/dryer a handful of times and that's because he played on clay. Jodi-

Sorry doinitover, but I guess none of us have any idea about this. Canvas shoes I could help with but just not sure about other types of shoes. Maybe take an old pair of shoes made of a similar material and just experiment. Or contact someplace like Plaid or Delta where they manufacture craft paints and ask for help. Good luck, and I hope you will come back and show us pics of your finished project. Luvs

If you can find a source, saddle soap is the cleaning product to use with leather. Most shoe stores sell it and any retailer who sells leather products should have it. Mine is in a tin similar to a paste shoe polish tin. Moisten a rag with water, mix it into the saddle soap paste and then apply to the leather. Once it dries, rub or buff it off to a nice luster. I seem to think that it comes in a liquid form, as well. The thing to consider with leather is to never use a product that will dry the leather. That's why I, personally, would not use Dawn...or any product with an alcohol base. But you can wipe the leather down with a damp cloth as long as you hand dry it once the moisture has been applied. Don't hang it out to dry...or leave it wet. I, too, would want to get rid of any odor [perhaps a pesticide was used in the store] so I understand your desire to clean it. If you don't want to put the time into using the saddle soap...ask a good dry cleaner in your area whether they are equipped to clean it. Some cleaners aren't...so use caution. Many moons ago I lost a very high end suede pant suit to the ineptitude of my local dry cleaner so I learned from experience not to be so trusting. Good luck....HTH. Anne