8 Easy Ways To Take Care Of Your Leather Shoes

Like an Expensive Watch, a Leather Shoe is an investment. It might burn a hole in your pocket at the beginning, but it’s worth it in the long run provided you take care of it. Care of leather shoes is not just about making them look good, which would be a good enough reason to take care of them. It's also about preserving and adding to the life of your leather shoes. So here are a few steps you should follow to protect them:

1. To remove dirt, wipe gently with a dry cloth to remove any dried-on dirt and dust. Then dampen the cloth with warm water and wipe again.
2. Polish your leather shoes on a regular basis. A fresh coat of polish can greatly improve the appearance of old leather shoes.

3. Condition your leather shoes. Conditioning is not the same as polishing. Apply a cream conditioner onto the shoe with a cotton cloth (use different rags for different shoe colors) in circular motions. Post 20 minutes gently brush to remove any excess cream.
4. Water clogged? If your shoes are wet, stuff them with newspaper ASAP and keep them away from direct heat (which can dry the leather too fast, causing it to crack and loosen adhesives).
5. Care should be taken to brush in the same direction. If you brush in different directions, some Suedes will give the appearance of being two different colors.
6. Apply wax polish to leather shoes with a slightly damp cloth. Wax polish adds more color and shine than cream polish.
7. Don't put your shoes away as soon as you take them off. Switch on the ceiling fan and keep the shoes under them for a few hours to air them out. Else your shoes will start smelling.

8. In addition, keep the shoes in a cloth shoe cover before putting them in the box.

image source: Pixabay, shoes.about.com