Hi, I have a pair of beautiful black patent leather Mary Jane's, that unfortunately, now have noticeable white scuff marks on then. Anyone have any tips on how to get rid of these, without ruining the shine of the shoes? Can I even get rid of the white scuff marks?
Ingrid from Bergen
NAIL POLISH REMOVER! I borrowed my mom's brand new black and white pumps for a black and white party! (she didn't know) I was crushed when I was dancing, and someone stepped on them to leave a huge black scuff on the white part. I came to this website and followed you guy's advice. A little nail polish remover and it was GONE! I slipped in back in my mom's closet and she never knew I took them! (02/24/2008)
By RaeChelle
I used the advice on this website for removing black scuff marks from my yellow patent leather shoes with nail polish remover, and it worked instantly.
(03/22/2008)
By Shundra
HI Everybody! I bought a pair of RED PATENT LEATHER WEDGES from Macy's and was very happy with the product, however was not very happy when I got a HUGE BLACK SCUFF on them! I was so mad!! Then I went online to this site and tried Petroleum Jelly and Acetone like you guys said...the Jelly took it out a very tiny, tiny bit. The Acetone worked awesome though!
I took a little kitchen towel and dabbed one of the corners with the acetone and dabbed the area so that I would not take away the shine of the shoes to much. But beware! You will take away the shine if you scrub the area too hard, so be careful! But other than that warning, the acetone AKA nail polish remover worked great! The mark came out just like that! (03/28/2008)
By Victoria
THANKS for the advice, worked Great.:D (04/02/2008)
By Mina
Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving the nail polish remover advice. I didn't use acetone, however, but it still worked quite well. I went to a speech meet and came back with scuffs all over my pink patent leather pumps! Now I can actually wear them again! (04/15/2008)
By Carolyn
Use this stuff in a yellow aluminum tin. It is called "goof off". It worked for those black marks on my pink pumps. (04/19/2008)
Nail polish remover works best, yes sea breeze works but if you don't get it off fast enough eats starts to eat through. (04/20/2008)
By Serena
The nail polish remover advice was the best I've come across. I'm about to go to work, and dug out a pair of my pink heels to wear, forgetting they had scuffs all over them. A quick search in google brought me to this page, and the nail polish remover was the first thing I tried to rid of all the black scuff marks on my shoes. It was super quick and easy, and I've still got plenty of time to spare before work =) amazing tip. (05/01/2008)
By Erica
I have a great pair of Prada leather shoes with a white patent leather strap that has a mark that has transferred onto it. like a purple color or something. Does anyone know how to get rid of that? It's like not a scuff, more like a black transfer into the patent part. WHAT SHOULD I DO? HELP (05/01/2008)
By L.H. Miami, Florida
I just got a brand new pair of Jessica Simpson white patent leather shoes. Of course, I got a scuff mark on them immediately after i bought them. I tried NAIL POLISH REMOVER and it did NOT work. It definitely did not take the scuff out but took the finish off instead and left rough patches. DONT USE NAIL POLISH REMOVER! it only made my shoes worse. (05/08/2008)
By k
I just used an acetone nail polish remover on white patent leather shoes based on the advice from the this forum, and the scuff marks came off immediately! I used just a corner of a kitchen towel, and after the marks were gone, I wiped off the shoes with another corner of a towel soaked in water. Works for sure! (05/18/2008)
By Renee
I tried acetone nail polish remover as I had done on previous scuffs, however, it did not work on my brand new off-white sandals! I tried rubbing alcohol and that didn't work either. I knew I could overdo it with the nail polish remover as I have had bad experience with dulling the finish. I used MR CLEAN MAGIC ERASER, and it worked! It didn't work immediately, it took a couple of minutes of rubbing, but eventually it came all the way off with NO DULLING THE FINISH! (05/21/2008)
By Jennifer Hicke
Just tried on my new white platform 70's patent boots and got a black heel scuff immediately. Thank goodness for this site as I carefully used some nail varnish remover on a cotton bud and the scuff has gone. Be warned not to rub too hard for too long or the shine will go but if your careful this is a fantastic solution. Thanks. :o) (05/22/2008)
By nova
The acetone worked on my red patent leather shoes, like a charm. whew! Thanks guys! (05/25/2008)
By blue angel
Thanks. Acetone worked great. (06/01/2008)
By Shelisa
Thanks so much. I borrowed my friends white patent leather boots for a dress up and i was panicking like crazy. Thanks so much I never though nail polish remover would do the trick. =] (06/14/2008)
By Dress Up
This really does work! It saved a pair of gray patent leather shoes that I only wore about 5 times! I thought they were ready 4 the garbage with the big scuff marks they had. However, they came off completely with some nail polish remover and a soft amount of scrubbing!
(06/19/2008)
By Shauny
Ya'll are going to think I'm crazy...when I was a little girl my Pop "grandfather" used to sit me up on the counter and get the scuff marks off of my white patent shoes with my grandma's homemade biscuits. LOL....I guess it's the "lard" or "grease" or whatever grandmas use. (07/02/2008)
By Angie
I got brown scuff marks on my inexpensive white patent leather shoes. I had to rub them a long time with acetone-containing nail polish remover to clean them up, and it left a smeared yellow stain. I found an 8-oz bottle of pure acetone (used for removing sculptured nails) for $2.50 at a local beauty supply store, and this removed the stain instantly without having to rub. I applied some vaseline afterwards, buffed it off, and the shoes look like new! (07/04/2008)
Nail polish remover really works. I got a huge black scuff on my airmax 97's and the acetone in the np remover took it straight out. It also took a little bit of rubbing but hey, when did a little bit of elbow grease hurt? =D (07/10/2008)
By bobby
AMAZING! I used Vaseline and it worked a treat on my brand new black mary janes. Thanks so much for the great advice!
(07/11/2008)
By Claire
Thank you so much! You saved my new boots. Nail polish remover works just fine =] (07/17/2008)
By Natalie
I bought some used Air Jordan X1s and there was a white scuff on the toe. Fingernail polish remover did the trick. I was really gentle with the rubbing and the scuff came right off! thx! (07/18/2008)
By jentastic
I had several white scuff marks on the black patent leather part of an expensive handbag. I tried mineral oil. It didn't work. I was reluctant to try the polish remover based on several posts on here, but I was determined to remove those darn white scuffs! I used some acetone polish remover on a q-tip and gently rubbed the scuffs, and they all disappeared with very little effort. It didn't remove the patent shine either. (07/23/2008)
By Stacey
I just tried this and it seems to be pretty successful (so far) on my white patent leather mary-janes. First: hot water with a little vinegar to clean the shoe to begin using a soft bristled tooth brush to get absolutely all the dirt
Second: a little nail polish remover on a swab for the scuffs
Third: I had cracks in the leather of my shoes, so I improvised and used a little French manicure pen to fill in the cracks. Fourth: a buff shine with jelly. They pretty much look as good as new now!
(08/12/2008)
By Georgina.
Thanks for the great suggestions to clean white scuff marks off black patent leather. I used non-acetone nail and it worked fantastic! My purse looks like new. Now for my shoes! (08/23/2008)
By Barbara
After finding and reading this page, I tentatively used a cotton tip dipped in nail varnish remover (acetone) to remove a few white scuff marks on one of my black patent boots, IT WORKS! :) It's all black 'n' shiny again. Buffed it after with a piece of damp kitchen roll, completely perfect. Very pleased indeed. (09/13/2008)
By Bell.
Thanks ladies! The nail polish remover worked - I used non acetone on a black on black scuff sustained in a curb fall trying to catch my mother in law who was falling! Shoes were the only injury and thankfully they look brand new again. (09/20/2008)
By Lori
I'm a believer! The nail polish remover worked like a charm. (10/15/2008)
By babydoll
I bought a pair of bright red patent leather pumps. I wore them one night for my best friend's birthday. I got so hammered I scuffed the hell out of my new shoes. Now it is over a year later and they go perfect with my Halloween Costume. I can't find the pair at the store. So I googled this site. It worked like a charm. Every single scuff is history with nail polish remover. (10/20/2008)
By chonis
Nail polish remover works! I was even able to pull out pairs of shoes from ages ago and it STILL WORKS! I almost started to cry. I was so happy! Thanks! (10/26/2008)
By Amandaissoohappy
I just successfully removed numerous dark grey scuff marks on hot pink patten leather boots (retailed for $33), black marks on silver patten leather boots (original retail $70 from Nordstroms), and black/grey marks on white patten leather boots (original retail $160 from Nordstroms) using GooGone Spray Gel (contains Petroleum distillates according to the bottle) and a paper towel. Some spots required a little more elbrow grease and others came off with one swipe - all came out just fine and there was no color rub off or loss of shine whatsoever. (11/01/2008)
By Kris
I wore my white patent peep toes out for Halloween and I ended up with brown scuff marks on them, I tried nail polish remover and it mostly worked. Now I just have what looks like slightly brown stains where the scuffs used to be. Does anyone know if its possible to remove the stains? Thanks :) (11/05/2008)
By Layla
WOOO HOOO. I just used this on a pair of Christian Louboutins. It worked Great! I would put a little nail polish remover on a q-tip and rub on shoe. Then quickly wipe off with damp towel. So I busted out my Manolo Blahnik Black Mary Janes and that little white spot is GONE GONE! My babies are all better now! (11/13/2008)
By Halie B.
OMG! I love you all! I have a ton of heels that I was about to drop off at goodwill but I thought I would just take a look online to see if there was something I could do to save them and I now love nail polish remover! lol! I used the non acetone and it worked GREAT!
Ash! (11/19/2008)
By Ashley
Well, trust your mother. Mom says "Just use Patent Leather cleaner" - available at the cobbler (Aka: Shoe repair store). We didn't have any but we had some water proofer - she said that it looks like the same contents, just use a dab on a cotton swab, and then wipe clean with a warm cloth...and Sure as heck, it works perfectly!
Note: The Water proofer container actually says "Do Not Use on Patent" right on the side of the can. (11/28/2008)
By SharkyDjD
I don't know if I'm not applying it correctly, but non-acetone nail polish remover didn't fully get rid of the black scuff marks on my red patent leather pumps. I stopped my attempts when I noticed a bit of red on the cotton ball. I also tried baby oil (suggested by my mother) and that didn't work either. What am I doing wrong? (11/30/2008)
By EA
I bought these bangin gold knee-hi boots for a specific event i was going to and wore them around the house to break them in. Then the night before I was going to wear them i noticed a black scuff mark! I quickly ran to the internet, found this website, tried the nail polish remover and saved my 'go get it' boots! thanks so much! (12/05/2008)
By Jess
Thank-you! (12/12/2008)
By Bianca
Yippi Skippi - Just saved a bunch of shoes -Thanks people! (12/29/2008)
By DA
I have a cream patent leather Kate Spade purse. I've used it for 3 weeks and I noticed a long (what looks to be pen) mark on it! Since I noticed this at work and some people warned that nail polish remover might be to harsh and some others swore by rubbing alcohol (and I had none at work) I decided to give hand sanitizer a whirl. It is 62% alcohol. A little elbow grease and hand sanitizer totally did the trick! Barely noticeable-- and it did NOT take off the sheen at all. Thanks everyone! (01/20/2009)
By Candice
Thank you, you saved my pink patent leather {PRADA] shoe. I had a ugly black scuff mark used ACETONE it work. Thanks SO much. (01/21/2009)
By Nadia
I just tried the non acetone on scuffs on a cream color patent leather shoe. It works great, make sure it is wet enough, no shoe damage either. Thanks (01/22/2009)
By janice
Wow! I have never posted feedback on something like this, but I tried nail polish remover and it worked immediately, the scuff just magically disappeared leaving my black patent Helmut Lang boots looking perfect! Thanks! (01/30/2009)
By sb
I used a magic eraser to remove scuffs on the toe of my 9 West Black patent heels. Like the poster below mentioned, it did not work with too much water. But, when I used the dry end of the eraser it came off almost immediately. I would definitely recommend trying a magic eraser before trying nail polish remover. (02/09/2009)
By Meg
They Nail Polish Remover will take care of it, just make sure it hasn't been there too long. (02/26/2009)
By Air Jordan Man
Do not use non-acetone nail polish remover! I just read it on here and tried it. It removed the finish of my shoes. I don't know if I'll even be able to fix this. (02/26/2009)
By Deidre
In the past when I have used non-acetone nail polish remover, it removed shine from the patent. If you leave it on too long, it will do that.
Today I just tried someone's suggestion about hand sanitizer (post below) and it worked great. Removed a couple black marks from red patent sandals using a tiny bit of gel hand sanitizer on a cotton swab. (03/23/2009)
By Melle
This is also a strange one and I only tried it on my red patent leather shoes. I used some Aura Cacia Lavender Essential Oil that I had in my desk at work. I used a few drops on a napkin and it removed the scuff marks with seemingly no ill effects. Shine wasn't removed, shoe was still supple and it didn't take much rubbing to get the scuff marks off! Not sure how this would work on other colors, but it did work on red patent leather for me! (04/17/2009)
By Lisa Fick
I have a gorgeous pair of hot pink Ralph Lauren pumps that I only wore out once and covered in black scuffs. I used a dirty old Mr Clean Magic Eraser DRY and got most of it off - if it hadn't been so used already it probably would have taken it all off. But for the rest, I used acetone nail polish remover and it instantly dissolved the scuff - followed that by immediately wiping down with a wet rag. Scuffs gone, shine remains -cant wait to wear them this weekend! :) (04/21/2009)
By lindsey
This was a life-saver! I happened to have the exact essential oil someone else mentioned (Aura Cacia Lavender Essential Oil), and it got the white scuff off of black patent leather without damaging the shoes at all! I would highly recommend this option - it's not expensive, and doesn't involve any chemicals. On top of that, the scent of lavender is naturally relaxing, so any stress related to having scuff marks can be cured twofold :] (05/26/2009)
I have a pair of tan patent leather Cole Haan's and they had black scuff marks all over 1 side. I dropped some lavender oil onto the shoe and buffed it out with a clean terry cloth towel. It was so easy! These shoes are back in the rotation. Thanks! (07/12/2009)
By Kristi
I actually read this a magazine today, and tried it on my favorite shoes. All I did was use a sheet of paper towel and some hand sanitizer. It actually fixed the finish in the places where it appeared to be scuffed off completely.
The article said the kind of alcohol in most hand sanitizers repairs the finish. It worked perfectly, and I'm so happy! My year old Guess pumps that I've worn about a hundred times look pretty much brand new again! =) (09/06/2009)
By Char
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