Shoe Care: Tips for Longer Lasting Shoes

Discover useful secrets and expertise of our shoemakers for hydrating, protecting and polishing your leather, suede or textile shoes. Since polishing and restoring materials such as leather or suede are never easy, I would like to share with you little secrets for well-kept shoes, that will save you money over time and have your shoes looking their best for years to come.

With proper maintenance, a good pair of shoes can last for years. Decades even.

1. Use different brushes for different materials.

Rough skin brushes can ruin a suede or nubuck. Get a few different shoe brushes from your favorite materials.

Natural bristle brushes are suitable for natural and artificial leather. For shoes of different colors, you can purchase several brushes so as not to wash the same after each cleaning. For polishing with colorless wax, it is also better to have a separate accessory.

Suede brushes are designed for delicate material. They can consist of soft metal or rubber fibers, or artificial fibers.

A suede eraser is a rough, lint-free block that helps remove dirt.

Shoe sponge - a soft sponge impregnated with a color or colorless composition, polishes and adds shine. Used as a finish for leather shoes.

Felt fabric for patent leather shoes: Patent leather cannot be brushed or sponged - they will leave scratches. Wipe such shoes with a piece of felt, flannel or velvet.

2. Get rid of shoe creases. Over time, creases similar to wrinkles appear on leather shoes. In fact, the skin of the shoes is the same as the skin on our body, so it needs to be nourished with a special cream. Apply the cream to the shoes, leave for a couple of hours to soak, and then start polishing. Alternatively, you can use baby cream.

3. Careful drying out. Save your shoes from water damage and dry properly. The best way to dry your wet leather shoes is to stuff them up with newspaper or some other waste paper and dry them outdoors in shade. Keep in mind that you should never dry you leather shoes in direct sun, regardless of the fact that they are soaking wet or just humid. As with most natural materials though, don’t dry shoes close to any artificial heat source, like a radiator, as this will dry them out too quickly.

4. Restoring the leather. Once shoes are dried out, give them a thorough brush: often a big part of the problem is dirt and debris that has got into the shoes folds when they were wet. Then, apply some shoe cream. When leather dries out, the oils in the skin rise to the surface - and their absence in the leather is what causes it to crack.

5. How to remove dirt from bright rag shoes? Sneakers of bright colors are difficult to clean, because once washed, they lose their color and shape. In order not to harm your favorite shoes, use fresh lemon juice. It more delicately removes dirt and does not spoil the color, and maybe even improves. Dilute the lemon juice with water in a ratio of 1: 3 and wipe the shoes with a rag. If the problem is serious, rub the necessary areas with lemon and leave for 20-30 minutes, and then rinse with water.

6. Proper washing of sneakers. Many washing machines have a washing mode for sport shoes, but the shoemakers suggest not to use it, as the materials may be damaged during the washing process. Instead, take care of the sneakers by hand: unlatch them, remove the insoles and gently rub. I usually use an old toothbrush. Inside you can wipe with alcohol to disinfect.

7. Use wax to protect the shoes. Wax is a universal and effective thing that will suit almost any shoe type. Use special shoe wax or simply a wax candle. Even a thin layer will protect the shoes from water and dirt for a long time, and give a beautiful shine.

Do you have any particular shoe care tips, that you love most? Share them in comments! Enjoy your day!