No matter how expensive your shoes may be, without the proper care, it will wear out and you will find yourself buying a new pair. Proper shoe care is especially necessary for footwear crafted with delicate and fine materials, like full grain leather and suede.
But in addition to alternating between different shoes, to give your favourite pairs their “day off” and lengthen their life, you need to invest in a few specific products. The right products can help your shoes maintain their quality.
Try these products for your shoe care collection:
· Leather Shoe Cleaner – leather shoe cleaners are needed for beeswaxed and oiled leathers. So it’s formulated for these specific types of leather. Make sure you remove the dirt and dust before applying this cleaner, which you can get at many sporting goods store.
· Conditioner – some shoe cleaners will already contain conditioner. A conditioner will moisturise your leather footwear so it does not crack or dry out.
· Leather Protector – this product can waterproof your leather footwear so you prevent water damage. This may only be used for beeswaxed and oiled leathers.
· Cream Polish – polishing is just another step in maintaining your leather footwear. Cream works find for full grain leather. Shoe polishers also come in paste or liquid form but paste can get messy and liquid dries out quickly.
· Non-silicone Spray – this product allows your footwear to be water resistant so the surface does not get marred. This sort of spray also works well for weatherproofing your shoes. A good alternative to the non-silicone spray is beeswax, which provides a good barrier against water. However, it does alter the appearance of your shoes.
There are other natural products you can use to give your shoes a good cleaning and thorough polishing. For instance, white vinegar is pretty effective for clearing stains from suede shoes; olive oil will shine your leather boots and get rid of other nasty stuff on it, and a rolled up ball of cheap white bread can act as suede eraser for spots and such.
If you want to get rid of the stink, swab the insides of your shoes with alcohol or an antifungal agent like tea tree oil. A couple teaspoons of baking soda shaken about the inside of shoes will work to counteract the odour.
Other essential shoe care products to have are:
· Shoe Trees – to retain the shape of your shoes; if you don’t have one or are on a tight budget, try old newspapers.
· Horse Hair Brush – for when you are polishing your leather footwear. This brush can also remove excess dirt.
And finally, make sure you allow your shoes to dry before you stick them in the shoe rack. If you can muster up the energy after a tiring day, clean out the dirt and dust and grime before these affect the quality of your shoes. The sooner you clean it the lesser scrubbing and polishing you have to do down the line.