Shoe Care Guide - How To Properly Care For Your Leather Shoes

A handmade pair of English shoes is not just a simple item of clothing but is more like a bespoke car, or an artwork. From full-grain to split-suede, these tanned hides and skins are reliable, stylish and hard-wearing. But, despite being tough natural materials, they still require a certain level of care.

Caring for your nice handmade leather shoes can be a time-consuming process but very rewarding and is paramount in maximising the longevity of your mens shoes especially if you’re interested in English Goodyear welted construction.

The first and foremost step is finding out the type of leather your shoe is made of. Each type of leather will require a slightly different set of tools.

Different Type Of Leather Shoes

There are about 6 common types of leathers that your dress shoes could be made from.

·         Vegetable Tanned Leather

·         Pull Up Leather

·         Suede Leather

·         Pebbled Leather

·         Calfskin Leather

·         Patent Leather

Caring For New Leather Shoes

New shoes should initially be worn for no more than two or three hours at a time. Only when the shoes and the feet have become accustomed to each other should they be worn for a whole day.

Try to wear your shoes in dry conditions for the first few occasions. Avoid getting your shoes extremely wet, should this occur allow your shoes to dry naturally on shoe trees and lay the shoes on their sides rather than on their soles. Never use direct heat.

Factors Affecting Life Of Your Leather Shoes

Gravity, humidity and aridity are all factors that can affect the lifetime of your leather shoes, therefore is important to keep your soles in a dry space to avoid any possibility of dampness.

If your boots or shoes get soaked, air-dry in a spot with good airflow. While drying them over a vent works, never use heat to dry leather shoes. Always air dry at room temperature. If shoes are very damp then stuffing with newspaper will aid in the drying process them and help them keep their shape.

Shoe Cleaning:

The first, and arguably most important step in caring for your shoes is simple: keep them clean. But, depending on the type of leather your shoes are crafted from, the method changes.

·         Brush off dirt and debris using a horsehair brush or damp cloth.

·         If the leather has a finish, use a mild soap and a damp cloth to clean the surface of the shoe. Avoid using a sponge, as many contain chemicals that can seep out and detrimentally affect the leather.

·         If the leather is unfinished, use saddle soap. Gently create a lather and rub softly onto your shoes, making sure to wipe off any excess. Allow drying naturally as saddle soap contains a wax that will help seal and protect unfinished leather.

·         If your shoes are water or salt-stained, take a mixture of two parts water to one white vinegar, and apply to the affected areas, wiping until the stains disappear.

·         If your laces require cleaning, remove from shoes and hand wash in a small container using laundry detergent and warm water. Laces should be completely dry before lacing up the shoes again.

Cleaning Suede Shoes:

Notorious for being a really fussy leather, men's suede shoes need to be treated before you even consider taking out for a spin. With good care, suede doesn’t need to look bleached and aged after a few years of wear.

·        f dirt has built upon the shoe then use a suede cleaner with a soft rubber suede brush, this will allow you to rub the suede while not damaging its structure.

·        Greasy stains can also be the end of suede — so try to avoid wearing your napped finish shoes anywhere they may get marked. However, if the worst does happen, blot with a paper towel, tip a little baking powder or talcum powder onto the stain and then brush lightly the morning after.

·        It should be noted, that over-cleaning suede tends to ruin the nap of it and that’s precisely what causes the bleached out look. It’s best to keep your suede shoes on rotation as constant wear is a definite path to its self-destruction.

Shoe Conditioning:

Condition your shoes at least every 25 wears. If you live in a place with harsh weather, such as a place with icy winters and salty sidewalks or a very dry climate, you should condition your shoes after you wear them 5 to 10 times. Conditioning helps moisturize the leather. As it dries out, it can crack, leading to damaged shoes.

·         Using a horsehair brush or soft cloth, apply a leather conditioner such as Barker Shoe Cream to the shoe's uppers.

·         A neutral conditioning cream is convenient and can be used on all of your leather shoes, but a colour-matched cream will help cover small scratches, scrapes and scuffs.

·         To prolong the life of leather soles (and assist with water resistance), apply Mink Oil to soles once or twice a year.

·         Allow air drying.

·         Buff using a clean cloth or paper towel.

Polishing Your Leather Shoes:

Leather uppers require regular treating with a good-quality wax polish to protect the leather and give a high shine finish. When it comes to polishing there are several techniques as the skill of shoe shining is taken very seriously, there’s even a World Shoe Shining Championships that is held annually to showcase the best shoe shiners around the globe.

·        Ensure your shoes are dry before application and try to avoid using unsuitable liquid polish applicators as these can potentially damage the surface of high-quality leathers and often create a lacquer which is hard to remove.

·        Using light pressure, use circles to add small amounts of polish to the shoe. A soft cloth or horsehair brush is good for this task. Keep applying the polish until you've covered the shoe. Wipe any excess off.

·        For a spit shine, tightly stretch a cloth over your fingers. Add a little bit of water. Rub it over one area on your shoe, which will begin to harden the wax already on it. Keep rubbing until the area shines, and continue with the rest of the shoe.

Keep your shoes safe by storing them correctly

Storing your shoes correctly also plays a prominent part in how long they last. If they get wet, stuff them with newspaper overnight and let them dry naturally — but also invest in some gear to keep them looking new.

Leather shoes should also be kept in shoe bags – which help shade the shoes from potentially damaging dust and sunlight. Suede shoes should be stored in the open air, but away from sunlight.

Store your shoes in breathable fabric. Leather needs air to help rid itself of moisture. If you place it in a plastic bag, the bag seals that moisture in. Instead, choose something breathable, such as a fabric bag.

Shoe Care Accessories:

Here's a couple essential shoe care accessories that are indispensable to the fastidious shoe-owner and maybe a wise investment for the less-fastidious among us as well.

·         Shoe Trees: Shoe trees are designed to maintain the shape of your favourite shoes and (depending on the material) to mask odour and absorb excess moisture. The rule of thumb in the world of shoe trees is that the nicer the shoe, the nicer the shoe tree ought to be.

·         Shoe Horns:  The shoehorn helps hold the shape of the shoe and in this case, protects the counter or heel of the shoe from being crushed after repeatedly stamping one’s foot on it.

·         Shoe Conditioners: Shoe conditioners are the most complicated of the shoe care accessories, simply because of the sheer variety of conditioners available. Different conditioners work differently and are made from different sources, but all serve the same purpose, to extend the life of your shoes.

·         Shoe Brushes: There is one last crucial category of shoe care accessory, and that is the brush! Horse Hair Brushes are crucial for getting the dust and grime out of hard-to-reach places and in so doing, further extending your shoe’s life.

Follow these rules and your shoes will stay looking fresh for longer. Trust us, the long term benefits of investing in a good care kit outweighs any agony you might experience in putting one together at first. Good shoe care, harkening back to days gone by, is a great way to extend the life of your shoes. After all, you’ve spent good money on them, allow them the chance to serve you for a really long time.