How to Protect Your Leather Shoes

People love their leather shoes for many reasons; they look great, and of course they can last forever, that is if you take care of them. Here are some great tips on how to clean your leather shoes to make sure they look as great as they did when you first bought them.

Don't Get Wet

One of the worst things for leather shoes is water, I would recommended applying a water repellent to your shoes before you ever wear them. There is no way to avoid getting your shoes wet, but if your shoes have been treated you are less likely to have major damage that can be caused from water. Spending an extra $10 on your shoes is a better value than having to buy another pair of shoes.

When you apply the water repellent make sure to go over your shoes with a clean damp cloth first to make sure your shoes are clean. There are two purposes for cleaning your shoes. One reason is to remove all dirt from your shoes and the second reason is that the heat opens the pores in the leather to allow the repellent to penetrate into your shoes allowing the treatment to last longer.

Sooner or later your shoes will get wet and when that happens don't freak out, take your shoes off and put them somewhere away from direct heat and let them dry naturally. To help keep the shape of your shoes stuff paper towels or old newspaper inside. You can also use a cedar shoe tree to help keep your shoes shape and also to help reduce the odor from daily use.

Leather's Number One Enemy

The best way to keep your shoes looking new is to clean them each time you are finished wearing them. Dirt is one of the biggest enemies of leather because dirt can actually scratch and rip the surface of your shoes. Using a clean soft cloth daily will help prevent this from happening.

If you have stubborn stains on your shoes a simple way to remove stains is to mix water and white vinegar together and apply the solution to the spots, just gently rub to remove the stains. This solution is great for stains from liquids or sticky substances.

Did you accidentally get ink on your leather shoes? Don't worry just spray your leather shoes with hair spray and wipe off, the ink will disappear before your eyes.

Are your leather shoes made from a lighter shade of leather? That's okay too, get out your eraser and start erasing away those stains.

Moisturize Your Leather

That's right, just like our skin we need to moisturize our leather shoes to help keep them looking new. Remember to occasionally use a leather conditioner on your shoes. If you live in an area that is dry you will want to this on a more regular basis. Leather doesn't need to conditioned every day so make sure not to over do it. You don't want your shoes to look oily, just a nice light shine is all.

Polish Away

Using a cream based polish on your shoes will make a world difference in how your shoes look. Make sure to purchase the same color polish as your leather shoes. Shoe polish is an important step in leather shoe care, it helps to keep your shoes soft and also extend the shoe's life because of the added moisturizers. Remember, buy shoe polish when you purchase your shoes to make sure that the polish is the same color as the leather.

Follow these steps to keep your leather shoes clean and you should be able to keep them looking as new as the day you first bought them.