6 Care And Maintenance Tips For Your Leather Shoes

Maintaining leather shoes can seem challenging, but they can be incredibly durable with proper care and maintenance. The maintenance of leather shoes depends on two main concepts: keeping them clean and dry. In this post, we’ll review some essential tips to help care for and maintain your leather shoes to improve their longevity. Take a look!  

Stock Up On The Products 

Leather shoes need special care and treatment to maintain their nice, polished look. For this, you’ll need to invest in some products for cleaning and maintaining its condition, including conditioners, quality brushes, shoe creams, poplar shoe trees, and polishes. Every time you invest in quality leather shoes, you should also invest in shoe care kits. These efforts pay off when your shoes remain in good condition for many years.

However, when shopping for these products, select a product based on your leather type. For instance, loafers may need polish, while suede shoes may not. If you’re looking to shop for these products, you may want to check out care kits from Collonil. 

Rotate Your Shoes 

Just like your skin, leather needs time to breathe. You should invest in several pairs of shoes for regular rotation to avoid wearing the same pair daily. Giving your leather shoes time to rest for at least two days helps extend their lifespan. When you wear shoes, your feet sweat, and the leather absorbs the moisture. Moist leather is more prone to scuffing, stretching, creasing, and staining. So, wearing them daily doesn’t give them enough time to dry, making them wear down quickly.

Clean Your Shoes Frequently 

Maintain a good cleaning habit for your leather shoes, preferably a weekly or bi-weekly cleaning routine, with some people preferring to keep a microfiber cloth or a shoe brush handy to give their shoes a quick wipe after each wear. This helps prevent any grime or dirt from staining the leather. Avoid soaking them in water; instead, give them a moist wipe after removing any excess dirt using a shoe brush. Other leather shoe brands have specific cleaners and creams, so asking the shop attendee for tips and recommended products to clean the shoes is advisable.

Keep Your Leather Shoes Away From Water

Irrespective of the type of leather shoe you possess, it can’t be naturally waterproof. Water is like poison to leather and any other premium material. If your shoes get exposed to water, ensure you dry them appropriately to avoid damage. Use a dry towel to wipe dry the shoes and put another towel inside to absorb the water. Avoid drying them by leaving them under direct sunlight or using a harsh heat source such as a hairdryer. Keeping your leather shoes away from any moisture also means avoiding wearing them during nasty weather conditions like rain or snow.

Store Your Shoes Properly

If you’re storing your shoes for the summer season, make sure to clean them thoroughly before you do so. Storing your shoes with dirt or grime stains them and may make it impossible to clean later. Also, it’s a good idea to insert a poplar shoe tree when storing your shoes or whenever you’re not wearing them. This is because leather loses shape when it doesn’t have any support, especially when wet. 

Shoe trees are inserts that are foot-shaped and not only keep your shoes in good shape but also help draw moisture. Remember to store your shoes in breathable fabric—this helps eliminate dampness, as fresh air helps keep leather dry. Storing them in a fabric bag also helps protect them from dirt that could stain or dehydrate the shoes.

Condition And Moisturize 

If you have leather shoes, you’ve probably heard of leather conditioners and creams. These two products are essential in keeping your shoes moisturized. This is because leather can dry and crack if left unmaintained. To avoid this, use shoe polish after every six wears. Shoe polish helps moisturize the shoe while at the same time adding a protection layer to repel water and dust. It also helps hide blemishes and scuffs.

That said, you have to decide whether to use the cream, wax polish, or both. Cream is more moisturizing than wax and creates a natural finish. On the other hand, wax polish provides better protection and shines your shoes better, but it can be more drying. It’s recommended to start with cream polish and finish with wax polish, but this depends on the type of result you want to achieve. Finally, remember to clean your shoes before polishing them.

Conclusion 

There you have it! Take care and maintain your leather shoes by following the above steps, and you’ll be surprised by how long they last. Clean and well-maintained shoes indicate a man who pays attention to small details and who doesn’t love that?