It is essential to properly take care of your shoes to prolong their life span and keep them looking great all year. Consider the daily wear and tear your shoes go through as they travel through dirt, mud, and muck. Although most shoes today are made of synthetic materials, leather shoes were traditionally made from animal hides. Leather shoes are susceptible to discoloration, molding, and scuffing as well as many other shoe-related problems. You need to take care of leather shoes like any other shoe. Here are some tips for caring for your leather shoes.
Shining Leather Shoe
Ask your dealer for a tub or leather shine when buying leather shoes. The first will preserve your leather shoes, but it will leave them with a matte finish. The latter will shine the leather and can be used for accentuating key areas such as the toe. Even if you aren’t wearing your shoes, it is worth feeding and shining leather shoes once per week.
Salt is Leather’s Enemy
Even if your shoes aren’t near the ocean, salt can build up in leather shoes. It would help if you treated salt stains as soon as possible. You can do it by using a mixture of 1/3 water and 1/3 vinegar, along with a non abrasive cloth. Use a damp cloth to wipe the mixture off, and dry your shoes with a towel. Salt stains are tiny white spots that appear on the leather’s surface.
Leather Shoes Waterproof
You might consider applying mink oil or wax-based shoe polish to protect your leather shoes from the elements. Mold, which is similar to salt, can cause leather damage. It forms small white spots on leather uppers that spread like a virus. You can also fill your leather shoes with moisturizing newspaper balls and leave them alone overnight if they get wet.
Avoid leather shoes drying out.
You don’t want leather shoes to dry out. To prevent the leather from drying out, you can apply a few drops of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to the leather uppers every few months. Leather shoes that are not kept well hydrated and fed will eventually crack and become dry.
Remove scratches from leather shoes.
Here’s a tip to help you care for leather shoes. It is almost inevitable that your leather shoes will get scuff marks. Use a non-gel toothpaste and a nonabrasivenonabrasive cleaning wipe to remove them. Rub in small circular movements. Let it sit for a while, then use a damp cloth to clean the area.
Replace your leather shoe soles
You can use the leather shoe care tips above to keep your shoes looking great, but there are no other ways to protect their soles. The soles of your shoes will eventually become damaged where they touch the ground. You can take them to your local shoe cobbler and replace the soles. Most leather shoes have leather soles that wear quickly. A cobbler can replace them with rubber soles that last longer.
If you love leather shoes and would like to add them to your formal shoes collection, take a look at these Florsheim Florida leather proper shoes with incredible toe detail. Contact Men’s Shoes Centre for all information.
