🤓 Choosing the microfibre we use in our shoes was no easy task. Can you imagine? Thousands of little ones wear it on their feet every day!
👩🔬 Material trials, ⚗️ lab tests… with us and our own little ones as guinea pigs 🐰, and several seasons of testing, until we found one that met all our needs. When we found it, we fell in love 💍🥰.
Today we want to tell you all about it! Its strengths and weaknesses, to help you take better care of your Feroces.
🤩 It won us over because it reproduces the characteristics of natural leather but stands up much better to the wear and tear our little ones put it through 🤸🏿. It looks very much like leather, with a soft, pleasant feel; it is lightweight and breathable. It is also very hard-wearing, easy to clean and dries very quickly. And what makes it almost perfect: it is vegan, eco-friendly and free from substances harmful to health.
How to clean your microfibre Feroces
Like every superhero 🦸♂️, microfibre has its kryptonite 🪨. Before we get to it, let’s go over the cleaning tips (and why shortcuts don’t work). You can see how to do it in this video.
Clean them by hand. Shoes are complex objects: lots of different materials that have to fit the foot 📐. A washing machine puts them through a battering that can damage parts, seams and materials, and affect the fit. That is why we don’t recommend washing them in the washing machine.
Lukewarm water, neutral soap and a brush. This is the crux of it: the potion you prepare will either give your shoes a long life… or quickly weaken them.
The water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees: any hotter and the materials can become unstable and the fit can change.
Microfibre is very strong and mechanically resistant 🏋️♀️, but very sensitive to chemicals 🧪. So when we say “neutral or natural soap”, we mean soap with no fragrance, no colourings and no chemicals (for example, Marseille soap, a plain white soap bar or natural soap from Beltrán).
On social media we constantly see hacks recommending household products that seem harmless 👼 but can be a bomb 💣 for microfibre. Alcohols, acetones and stain removers literally break down its surface. And even if you think you don’t use any of these, check your wipes, hand sanitisers, multi-purpose cleaners or degreasers: almost all of them contain alcohol-based fragrances and corrosive ingredients.
We did a test: we put a drop of alcohol on the shoe and, when we wiped it off with a paper towel, it took the colour off the surface.
Products you should NOT use
- Alcohol and alcohol-based products (scented or antibacterial wipes, hand gels).
- Acetones and nail varnish removers.
- Bleach.
- Magic erasers.
- Degreasers.
- Stain removers such as Biobel.
To a lesser degree, with repeated use, the effect is similar. Look after the microfibre well and your Feroces will last much longer.
Here’s the video and a bit more information about caring for your shoes.
Long live the Feroces!
