After your leather shoes have been scratched in any way and you can see scratches on them, there are a few simple steps you can take to bring back their sheen and luster and repair them. These steps are effective regardless of how severe the damage is. You can use items like petroleum jelly, white vinegar, or recoloring balm to heal the leather from scuffs and scratches that are more superficial in nature. Other options include leather conditioner. If your shoe has a deeper scratch, you can fill it in using a leather cream polish that is the same color as your leather shoes. If your shoe is made of leather, the polish should be color-matched. Use a polish that is one shade darker than your shoe if it is leather that you are working with. 
- Remove any dirt or debris from the shoe by brushing it or cleaning it with a damp towel. When cleaning the upper part of the leather shoe, we recommend using a clean towel that has been dipped in water first. Water can cause damage to leather that has not been treated, so if you are unsure as to whether or not your shoes have been treated, remove any dirt or dust with a horsehair brush designed for buffing shoes before you start working on repairing the shoe. If you are unsure as to whether or not your shoes have been treated, remove any dirt or dust with a horsehair brush designed for buffing shoes. If you washed the shoe with a damp towel, you need to wait until it is completely dry before attempting to repair it. If you cleaned the shoe with a dry towel, you can get started right away.
- To quickly fill in any scratches, apply some petroleum jelly to the leather and rub it in circular motions. This will work best. Put some petroleum jelly on a clean cloth, and then gently rub it in a circular motion into the scratch. This should be of some use. Please be patient and wait ten minutes before removing any excess petroleum jelly with a fresh rag. This step should only be performed after you have demonstrated patience.
- a) The light scratch ought to be filled in by the jelly, making it so that it is no longer visible.
- b) It is strongly recommended that you do not use any flavored or colored varieties of petroleum jelly.
- Apply some white vinegar to the area where there is a minor scratch on the leather. This will help conceal the scratch. It is recommended that a cotton ball or a clean cloth be used to absorb the white vinegar. When a small amount of white vinegar is applied to a scratch on leather, it might cause the leather to swell and disguise the scratch, giving the appearance that the damage was never there. If you want the luster of your leather shoes to remain after using vinegar on them, polish them with shoe polish afterward if that is possible.
- If the scratch on the leather is a light hue, you can cover it up with a leather marker or recoloring balm. If the scratch on your leather shoe stands out against the rest of the color of your shoe, look for a leather marker that is the same color as your shoe and use this to fill in the scratch. If the scratch is on your heel, look for a leather marker that is the same color as your heel. As an alternative to utilizing a leather marker, you might try your hand at using recoloring balm instead. This product functions similarly to colored shoe polish and is available in a broad range of hues to choose from.
- a) To avoid the scratch being visible to the naked eye, you should make an effort to match the color of the leather shoe as closely as possible to the color of the leather marker or recoloring balm.
- b) When recoloring the leather, always use a clean rag when applying the recoloring balm to the leather.
- Apply heat to the scratched leather using a hair dryer to perform the swelling approach for scratch repair. After the leather has had a chance to relax and stretch out, the scratch won't be able to be seen anymore. Aim a hair dryer set to medium heat at the scratch, and then wait for the leather to warm up a little bit before massaging the scratched region of the leather with your fingers. First, aim a hair dryer at the scratch, and then set the heat setting on the hair dryer to medium. You need to do this as soon as the scratch has reached the appropriate temperature. If you are using the hair dryer to try to dry your hands, and it is too hot, then the leather will also be harmed by the hair dryer since it is too hot.
- If the scratches on your shoes are very light, you can repair them by rubbing olive oil into the afflicted regions. A spot or two of olive oil applied to the scratched area is sometimes all that is necessary to make the scratch disappear. Olive oil should be dabbed into the scratch using a cotton ball or a paper towel that has been dipped in the olive oil. This should be done as soon as the scrape is discovered. To eliminate any possible residue of excess oil, wipe the area down with a piece of paper towel or a fresh rag.