Leather shoes are common among both women and men, in and out of workplaces. There are shoes that are made of various types of leather in the market. However, maintaining leather shoes take a little bit of effort. They need to be polished at the right time in the right way, used with care and store correctly. Keep reading below to know more about how to take care of your leather shoes.
Wear Shoes Alternatively
It is always better to have at least two pair of shoes at hand. When the interior of the shoes gets wet weather by rain water or by perspiration, it takes at least a day to completelydry them out. Alternating your pairs of shoes will allow each pair to dry in between wears. Owning at least one black pair and one brown or tan pair will make it easier to match the shoes with the outfit.
Using shoe Trees
Although shoes trees are not a must own item in shoe care, you can use them if you want to take your shoe maintenance to the next level. Shoe trees are wooded foot shaped device that is inserted into the shoe to maintain its shape. They have several uses. They absorb the interior moisture from the shoes and preserve the shape of the shoes and prevent the leather from creasing.
Polishing
Taking care of the exterior appearance Leather shoes will look old and worn out if you do not polish them. You need to use a good quality wax polish. You will also need to polish regularly in order to maintain the good looks every day. However, before polishing make sure the shoe is clean. Wipe away any dust and dirt that has gathered on the surface.
Use the Right Polishing Techniques
Just polishing is not enough, especially if you are to ensure that the shoe last longer. This means you will have to polish them the right way using the right tools, not just the right products. Use soft brushes to brush the shoes before you start polishing. If your shoe has laces remove them so you can get an even layer of polish on the surface.
When You Cannot Use Wax
When it comes to greased leather care or caring for waxed shoes, you cannot use polish on them. In order to clean these shoes, you can use a specialised shoe cream. A shoe cream or a waxed leather cream can help to condition, soften and protect the leather.
Store Them Correctly
Finally, make sure to store your shoes with care. Don’t just stuff them all on one shelf. Make sure they are stored without stacking them on top of each other. This will prevent the leather from tearing too soon.
If you are storing boots, you can stuff them with old rolled-up newspapers so the boot leg will keep vertical without bending or creasing. You can also try store your shoes in the box they come in. Especially if you are worried about discolouring lighter shades such as white, you can protect them from dust by storing them inside boxes.
Once you follow these steps, your shoes will look better and last longer.