5 Tips To Properly Take Care of Your Shoes

In cooperation with pre-owned shoe platform Abbot's Shoes we provide you 5 tips on how to properly take care of your shoes.

Tip 1: Use Wooden Shoe Trees

Most shoe enthusiasts will already use shoe trees, but using wooden shoe trees instead of plastic can greatly extend the life of shoes, as they can aid in moister and odour absorption. Shoe trees can help maintain a shoes original shape, which is particularly helpful with used shoes; a well-fitting pair of shoe trees can help limit creasing across the shoe's vamps and reduce excessive toe spring. We would advise using a pair of shoe trees after each wear to keep them in good shape.

Tip 2: Apply Steam To Suede

Steam is a great tool for quickly reviving tired looking suede shoes, as the steam can remove creases that have appeared from regular wear. First place a pair of shoe trees in your suede shoes, then using either a steam cleaner, kettle or iron apply hot steam to the whole of the shoes upper, holding the shoes approximately 30cm away from the heat source. Once your shoes have dried completely from the steaming, use a suede brush across the whole shoe paying particular attention to any scuffs. Steaming a shoe helps to restore the colour and lift off marks as well as restore the shape.

Tip 3: Apply Shoe Cream To Sole Edges

Leather sole edges can accumulate scuffs and lose their lustre after consistent wear. To clear them up, first sand down any imperfections on the leather sole edge with a fine grit sandpaper. Once you have smoothed down any scuffs, with a polishing cloth, liberally apply a high quality pigmented shoe cream like Saphir that matches the colour of your sole edge. Leave to dry, then buff with a horsehair shoe brush. To increase the shine of the sole edge you can repeat the process with a wax polish instead of a shoe cream. This should bring back a consistent colour and shine to the edge of the soles and greatly improve the appearance of your shoes.

Tip 4: Leave Shoes To Dry On Their Side

If caught in a shower and your shoes become wet, we advise leaving your shoes to dry on their side, rather than leaving them standing on their soles. Drying shoes on their side allows them to air fully and drain away all excess water, while leaving them standing on their soles can lead to water marks and even mould developing on the soles. An important note, never dry your shoes on or next to a radiator as this will dry out the leather and reduce a shoe's life.

Tip 5: Do Not Apply Excessive Wax To Vamps

Applying excessive amounts of polishing wax to areas of the shoe that flex, like the vamps, can do more damage than good. We recommend only applying polishing wax to the toe cap and heel counter of leather shoes, because the parts of a shoe that flex often require the most moisture, and applying excessive amounts of wax polish to these areas can dry them out. This can eventually lead to cracking of the leather and increases the appearance of creasing across a shoes vamp. We would recommend applying a moisturising shoe cream to this area instead.