How to Properly Care for Your Leather Shoes
Leather shoes require special care because leather can dry out and begin to crack over time. Obviously, shoes that are cracked and falling apart are not going to be something you want to be seen wearing, if they are even able to be worn in such a condition. Thankfully, taking care of your leather shoes does not require a lot of time or energy. If you follow these five easy steps, your leather shoes will last a long time and you will get many years of wear out of them.
The first step in taking care of your leather shoes is to prepare your cleaning area. You should have newspaper to work on so you do not get any of the cleaning or polishing agents on your floor or carpeting. You should have the following cleaning and polishing supplies: clean, soft rags or other cleaning cloths, a soft shoe brush, smooth leather shoe cleaner, leather conditioner, shoe polish, and an optional leather protectant. Make sure you are working in an area that has plenty of ventilation because some of the chemicals used in shoe cleaners and shoe polishes can be toxic and should not be inhaled for extended periods of time. You may also wish to wear a pair of disposable gloves to protect the skin on your hands from these toxic chemicals as well.
The next step in taking care of your leather shoes is clean the shoes. You should take dry brush to any large dirt particles and clean the remainder of the dirt off of the shoes with a leather cleaner such as saddle soap. Take care not to get the shoes overly wet as you do not want to the leather to absorb a lot of water. Once you have removed the dirt, wipe and dry the shoes with a soft, dry, cotton cloth.
The next step in caring for your leather shoes is to condition the leather. There are many leather conditioning products available on the market, so make sure you choose a conditioner that will work for your specific type of shoe and follow the directions on your chosen conditioner. Conditioning the leather will keep it soft and supple and less likely to dry out and crack.
The next step in taking care of your leather shoes is to polish your shoes. You should take care to choose a polish that is not only the proper formulation for your type of shoes, but also one that matches the color of the leather as closely as possible. If you can not find a good color match, you can purchase a clear polish. Once you have applied and buffed off the polish, you may wish to apply a coat of leather protectant.
If you have neglected your shoes and feel they are no longer able to be worn, do not fret. There are various companies that may refurbish and renew your shoes. You simply drop off or mail your shoes to the company, and your shoes will be returned looking almost brand new.