Caring for leather shoes

How often do you clean your shoes? I mean, give them some good old TLC to make them shine like their former glory days. In our busy lives it seems our shoes get forgotten. Shoe care is a once in a blue moon thing we tend to do when we have a job interview or wedding to go to. In between that, they might be lucky to have the mud scraped off them.

Don’t worry, we all do it! But what if I was to tell you that it really isn’t as all daunting or time consuming as you may think. It’s as simple as 1,2,3 and you can do it while watching Married At First Sight or the weekend footy match. Here’s how.

Clean

It sounds so obvious, but cleaning your shoes with a damp cloth and mild detergent or soap (if heavily soiled) will do wonders for your shoes. Simply removing surface dirt and imbedded grime will not only make your shoes look a lot better, but prevent them from becoming damaged. Surface dirt and grime can eat away at your shoes, especially leather shoes and deteriorate them much quicker.

Once you’ve cleaned your shoes, dry them with a clean, soft cloth. Don’t place them over the heater as this will dry out the leather.

Condition

Leather is always at its best when it has a bit of conditioning to it. Application of a shoe conditioner will put much needed moisture back into your shoes and have them soft and supple ready for another good stint. You only need to apply a small amount and apply using small circular motions with a soft cloth and simply buff off.

Polish and Preserve

Most of us tend to jump straight to this step. We grab the old Kwik liquid polish out of the cupboard and slap some onto our shoes and head out the door. I’m not going to completely rag on this, as something it better than nothing. But if you want to really get the most out of your leather shoes, a good quality beeswax and cream polish is what you need. Match the colour to your shoes and apply as per the product instructions. Buff it off and you will be left with a pretty tidy looking pair of shoes.

Handy Hints:

Suede or Chamois Leather: If you have chamois or suede shoes, please don’t apply the methods above! We’ll cover all you need to know about caring for your Blue Suede Shoes in our next blog.

Protect: Its really good practice to waterproof your shoes as soon as you get them. A simple waterproof spray or application will help seal the leather and keep your shoes in better condition, not to mention your feet dry!

Patent Leather Shoes: A small dab of petroleum jelly worked into the scuff will smooth it out somewhat.

So what do you think? Caring for leather shoes isn’t as daunting as we all thought. So go ahead and buy those pair of leather shoes knowing they will last you for years to come. Remember these tips are also suitable for your kids leather shoes as well.

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