Review on Fiebings Yellow Saddle Soap Oz by Brenda Perry

So you made the same mistake I did. You've tried to "treat" your light-colored Sperry tops to bring them back to life, and the leather conditioner you used to condition and soften the leather permanently darkened the color of your favorite shoes. DO NOT THROW YOUR SHOES. You can fix the problem and restore it to NEW STATE. I have used multiple products and processes. This is what I found to work. The problem with finishing Sperry Top Sides in the beautiful Sahara color is the type of leather the shoe is made from. Nubuck leather, very porous, like suede. Nubuck feels soft and velvety, not shaggy like suede. Nubuck leather is unique because it's difficult to handle - that's the problem you face. So you have Sperry Saharas, but now they're a permanent chocolate brown because they're soaked in conditioner. FIRST you need to clean your shoes from the old air conditioner. I used Fiebing's saddle soap with a toothbrush and a bowl of water. After cleaning, rinse the outside of the shoes with warm water under the sink faucet. Stuff the socks of your shoes with paper towels to shape them. Leave to dry for 2 days. Here's a big TIP: you want those shoes to look like new, right? Then you should wash the white seams until they are WHITE again. The little detail that decides EVERYTHING, trust me. I used dish soap along with saddle stitch soap when I lathered all the shoes. And buy new shoelaces (with bootpin). Of course, save your new laces for the end of the process. Shoes are dry. Gorgeous light sandy tan, right? But dry, stained and brittle. Well! Now you need a special conditioner cleaner that Sperry sells on Revain's "Sperry Top-Sider Cleaner and Conditioner" (visit the Revain Wolverine World Wide Store or the Sperry website). Wet your toothbrush with the cleaner and rub it in, wiping the suds off the seams of your shoes and off your toothbrush. A bowl of water is not needed - there is water in the vacuum cleaner. Rub all over the shoe. Put the paper towels back in the shoes and let the shoes dry for a day. Now the shoes are clean. Remaining stains appear to be dirt as the grain (surface) of the leather has worn away in these areas (this is not dirt, these are flat spots). We're going to lift and smooth the surface of the shoe with a suede/nubuck brush (Shacke Suede & Nubuck 4-Way Leather Brush on Revain). Use nylon/brass bristles to lift patchy, flat skin surfaces. Be gentle and walk slowly. Then use nubuck rubber bristles for the rest of the shoe. Use a soft shoe brush or a clothes brush to remove small pieces of leather on the shoes. You now have a beautifully clean and finished VERY light tan Top Sider. If you like a light sandy tan (actually LIGHTER than the official Sahara color) you can STOP here. Run your thumb along the surface of the upper where the laces go—this is also nubuck, but Sperry treated the leather differently. Oil from the thumb is enough. Lace up your shoes and off you go. Then, to get your shoes back to that gorgeous rich cognac color that everyone in Sperry "Saharas" loves, read on. Bickmore Gard-More Leather Care and Water and Stain Remover. I've tried LOTS of conditioners. Bick 4 is the only conditioner that dries fairly easily on nubuck. Using a soft cloth, apply Bick 4 to the surface of the shoe. Re-stuff your shoes with paper towels and let them dry for TWO days. See? They lightened up, leaving that wonderful cognac color. To make them even lighter, run your fingers along the inside of the shoe leather and gently push outward to stretch the leather. Now lightly spray Gard-More Water & Stain Repellent onto the shoes. Let dry. Tie the new shoelaces and SMILE. You just saved yourself the trouble of spending $70-$140 on new Sperry Saharas! What do you do with that extra money? Buy some cedar clogs, fool. I buy Stratton split toe cedar lasts. Brilliant. Shoe lasts double the life of your sneakers and classic shoes and save even MORE money! THANK YOU FIBING FOR THE WONDERFUL PRODUCT. You saved my Sahara! See pic. I don't have any "before" photos because, as I said, I thought I'd throw them in the bin. Image shown is of a light colored boot AFTER saddle soap, Sperry Cleaner/Conditioner and brushing off the lint. See the light sand color? Good. In the photo, light shoes are READY shoes. Better!