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How to maintain and care for leather shoes?

 

Why do leather shoes need to be looked after?

If you’re a calceophile (a shoeaholic, in other words), then you’ll no doubt be keen to look after yours properly, in order to lengthen their lifespan. Shoe care is particularly crucial when it comes to leather shoes.

Leather is a natural material that develops an elegant patina over time, as long as it’s cared for properly. However, if you don’t know how to look after it, it can become fragile and suffer irreversible damage. Excellent reasons to learn how to pamper your precious dress shoes.

 

A few basic tips

Regular care guarantees the durability of your shoes. While certain shoe care products and techniques are real must-haves if you want to keep your leather shoes in good condition, the first thing you can do to ensure their durability is adopt a few simple yet effective habits:




Alternate them, trying not to wear the same pair of shoes two days running


Leather is a natural, living textile, and as such it needs to rest between wearings, so that in can dry out properly and not form creases.



Protect & care for leather shoes tips
Leave your shoes on shoe trees to air


Wooden shoe trees are essential for well maintained shoes, as they allow any moisture to be absorbed, thus avoiding the formation of unpleasant odours. They also help your shoes keep their original shape.



Shoe tree



Polishing leather shoes: how to go about it

Polishing leather shoes is much more than just another job to do: it’s a real ritual! Many fans of good shoes find it relaxing, meditative even, not to mention the satisfaction of having shoes that are clean and shiny as a new pin again.

To shine your leather shoes, you’ll need various shoe care products and accessories:


Before you start, put your leather shoes on the shoe trees and tie the laces, so that the shoes keep their shape while you polish them.

1. Cleaning

Start by removing any dust from your shoes with a clean, dry cloth. A soft, microfibre cloth is best, as it will clean the surface of the leather very gently.

2. Polishing

Use the dauber brush to apply a generous amount of polish in small, regular circles all over the shoe, not forgetting the welt strip (the edge of the outsole) for a better result. You might want to use a cloth for this bit. Note that your shoe polish should be one shade lighter than your shoes. As the different colours can be mixed together, the more creative amongst you might want to invent their own unique shade for their shoes.

3. Brushing

Once the polish has been applied evenly to the whole of the shoe, remove any excess, by brushing the upper vigorously all over, until it's really shiny. For the best possible result, we recommend leaving the polish on all night before brushing the next morning: this will enable the cream to be fully absorbed by the leather, thus deeply nourishing it.

4. Shining

Two days after you’ve put the cream on, polish your shoes with a polishing mitt, to hide any scratches that may have occurred with use, and make them nice and shiny.

5. How often should you polish your shoes?

Whether it's to make them last longer or to ensure they always look impeccable, we recommend polishing any shoes you wear regularly about once a week.

For particularly smart pairs that are worn less often, remember to polish them each time you’ve worn them. Then a quick shine just before putting them on will make them nice and shiny again.

 





Equip yourself to care for your shoes

Shoe trees

Shoe trees


Discover shoe trees
Shoecare accessories

Shoecare accessories


Discover Shoecare accessories