How to Clean and Protect your Leather Shoes
Caring for your leather shoes can be a daunting task. But keeping your premium leather shoes properly cleaned is necessary to increase the longevity of the shoes. Whether your leather shoes are high-ankles, formals, or casual loafers, there are two major concepts of caring; cleaning and drying. Let’s have a look at the few simple steps that help in keeping the durability of the leather footwear for years.
Wear Your Shoes on Alternate Days
Just like your skin, leather also needs to breathe. It is recommended to have at least two pairs of shoes so that you can wear each on alternate days. Since the feet sweat throughout the day which allows the moisture to absorb in your leather shoes. Leather is absorbable and continuous moisture can lead to stretching, scuffing, creasing, and staining issues. This will decrease the durability of the shoes. Thus, wearing your leather shoes on alternate days gives them a sufficient amount of time to get dry, increasing the lifespan of your handmade leather shoes.
Clean the Shoes After Each Wear
On a daily basis, clean your shoes with a soft-bristled brush, preferably a horsehair brush after each wear. This will prevent the toughest dirt or stains from sticking on the leather. This step will save time from cleaning or rubbing your leather shoes that are not being cleaned for a long period.
Use a Shoe Tree to Store your Leather Shoes
A shoe tree is another crucial element for taking care of leather shoes. This step is mostly overlooked as men usually don’t consider buying shoe trees. As said before, leather is porous, so it absorbs moisture, resulting in wear and tear issues. A shoe tree can absorb a high level of moisture and odor while keeping the shoe in its actual shape. You can increase the longevity of your leather footwear instantly by following this useful step.
Avoid Bad Weather
This is the most essential step of taking care of your most expensive leather shoes. You need to strictly avoid wearing your shoes in rainy or snowy weather. Moreover, don’t walk through wet and snow-covered sidewalks. The outsoles made with pure leather can get damage in water even if your shoes are waterproof.
In case of facing the sudden inclement weather, put galoshes every time in your car to protect your leather shoes all around. Still, if your shoes get wet, do not dry them under direct sunlight. Heat and sunlight can crack and damage the leather. Let them dry at room temperature and use a shoe tree for at least two days.
Use a Leather Care Shoe Spray
Just like you don’t want your leather shoes to get too damp, you also don’t need them to dry out because they can crack. The best way to keep a healthy balance is to use leather shoe spray after 5 wears. A good leather cleaning spray helps retain the moisture of the leather while adding a layer of protection to prevent dust and stains. It also restores texture and provides intensive care for smooth leathers.
Store Shoes in A Dust Bag
If you are not wearing your premium leather shoes regularly, keep them in a fabric dust bag to prevent them from staining and degradation while allowing your shoes to breathe.
There are more several ways that can help in protecting and caring for your leather shoes. However, the aforementioned steps will be sufficient in maximizing the longevity of shoes.