How to clean esparto sandals, a summer favorite

Materials needed to clean your espadrilles

To put these cleaning tricks into practice, you'll need to have on hand: neutral natural soap, a clean cloth, a soft-bristled brush, and baking soda (to eliminate any traces of unpleasant odors). Additionally, if your sneakers are made of white fabric, we recommend our Oxygen Booster No. 4 to make them look like new again. Before putting them away in the closet, spray them with our Anti-Odor Perfume No. 230.

How to clean different types of espadrilles

Now, depending on the type of espadrille, its construction, and its material, you'll need to clean it differently. For example, something you should never do is wash your esparto espadrilles in the washing machine, as jute doesn't tolerate moisture very well and can become deformed and damaged.

How to clean jute or esparto espadrilles

• Step 1: Brush the espadrille The first thing you should do is clean the entire espadrille with a soft-bristled brush. Always brush in the same direction to avoid pulling or tearing the fabric fibers or unraveling the jute.
• Step 2: Rub the espadrille with a semi-damp cloth . Then, using a semi-damp cloth, rub the entire shoe, taking care to remove excess moisture. We recommend starting with the fabric side and finishing with the heel or sole (the jute).
• Step 3: Remove stains from espadrilles with neutral natural soap. Dilute a little of any of our Home Healthy Home natural soaps . It's important to place gauze or a paper towel inside the shoe during cleaning to absorb excess moisture. If your shoe is white canvas, you can make a paste with a little warm water and our Oxygen Booster No. 4. Spread it on the white canvas and let it sit for at least an hour. Remove any remaining product with a damp cloth and a few drops of natural soap.
• Step 4: Remove excess moisture with a clean cloth . While cleaning, always make sure the espadrilles do not become too wet. Therefore, after brushing, remove any excess moisture with a clean, dry cloth. Then, give the espadrilles a final brushing (the brush should be dry).
• Step 5: Air dry the espadrilles. Finally, dry them outdoors out of direct sunlight and only collect them when they're completely dry. You can leave them in the sun for a couple of hours, but not for too long, as the sun eats away the colors and the color of your espadrilles could be affected.

Tips to prevent espadrilles from getting damaged

To keep your espadrilles looking new, avoid excess moisture, use corrosive detergents, bleach, and avoid using the washing machine or dryer.

Be very careful with excess humidity

As we mentioned before, moisture is the number one enemy of esparto espadrilles. Therefore, we advise you to avoid soaking, washing them completely, or putting them in the washing machine.

Do not use corrosive detergents

When cleaning shoes, it's not advisable to use whitening products like bleach. This is because they can "eat" the color out of the shoes. Therefore, we recommend not using these products to clean your espadrilles.

Do not use the washing machine

Do not use the washing machine to clean jute or esparto espadrilles. This will prevent the material from breaking down and the jute strands from unraveling.

Clean your espadrilles with baking soda to eliminate bad odors.

If the bad odor problem is due to humidity, use baking soda to eliminate the bad odor.

How to do it? After cleaning your espadrilles, place a teaspoon of baking soda inside them, especially on the toe.

You should leave the baking soda for 24 hours and, after this time, remove it with a semi-damp or dry cloth.

Before storing them, you can spray your shoes with our anti-odor perfume No. 230 to eliminate the smell of wet esparto grass.

Finally, do your espadrilles slip?

You can apply hairspray to the soles of your shoes to prevent this from happening. It's a magical trick to keep your shoes from slipping when you walk.

By the way, we almost forgot. If you're in or passing through Madrid, you can't miss Casa Herranz . They've been Spain's leading boutique since 1845. They make the natural esparto cord for our Stain Remover Stick.