Finding a pair of shoes that you love is half the challenge, the other half is maintaining the shoes so they can last. How long the shoe lasts often comes down to its construction, materials, stitching and other factors. But the longevity of the shoes depends on how you care for the shoes. Dress shoes are an investment and can be very expensive so taking care of them properly allows a longer time with a favorite pair of shoes.
Water Damage
The first thing you can do to protect your shoes is waterproofing. Your shoes are more than likely going to get wet at some point despite any efforts. Waterproofing is a preventive action that allows you to be stress-free on a rainy day. Waterproofing comes in a variety of different forms but the most popular and debatably the easiest way is a spray-on waterproofing. It’s good to waterproof your shoes when you buy them and then on occasion, a touch up will help. A tip to know when to waterproof again is when water stops beading up on the surface.
Fabric Care
Next is to protect the fabric of the shoe whether it be leather or suede. For leather shoes, a leather conditioner is essential to not get cracks in your shoes. Once the cracks start there is no looking back so it’s important to have a leather conditioner before it gets to that point. Apply the leather conditioner at least once a month and right when you get them to keep the leather soft and prevent cracks.
Unlike leather, suede does not crack easily; however, suede shoes do stain very easily. That being said when your suede shoes get a stain it’s imperative that you clean that shoe as soon as possible. A tool that you can use to clean a suede shoe is a suede brush with nylon bristles. That brush will help to gently scrape away the dirt and grime from your shoes.
Sole Care
Taking care of the soles of your shoes is a crucial part of shoe maintenance. The best way to take care of your sole besides not walking in tough terrain or challenging weather would be adding taps to them. Taps can be added to your shoes by a local cobbler. The taps are an addition on the sole of your shoe and that acts as another buffer between your foot and the ground. It’s important to maintain the sole because the top of the shoe can and normally does last longer than the sole. With that being said if the soles of your shoes are worn out, there is no need to buy a whole new pair, it is possible to just buy a new pair of soles.
Storage
Finally, the easiest and least expensive way to maintain your shoe is to store them properly. There is a reason why when new shoes come that have all that foam and paper in the shoe to hold its place. A shoe tree can be easily purchased and can help with the little things while taking care of your shoe. The best option is a wooden shoe tree they help perceive the shape of the shoe and
helps dry out the shoe lining by absorbing moisture.
Reviving
Even with a pair of shoes being in perfect condition it is common to want to refresh your look. The best way to refresh a pair of dress shoes is a new pair of laces! Recently colored laces have become extremely popular and a new way for men to show their style. By using new laces it makes the shoe seem cleaner and even new in some cases. It also allows for the shoe to not get old and boring but to change with your style with you.
Shoe maintenance can be an ongoing thing but in the end by waterproofing, conditioning, cleaning and storing the shoes properly will allow you to get more out of your shoes.
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