Ronke Adeshina: Shoe Care

Ronke Adeshina: Shoe Care

Some hints and tips on caring for shoes.

The appearance of old scuffed and worn brown leather shoes can be improved by the application of scratch polish sold for use on polished wooden furniture.
To clean suede shoes - instead of using a wire suede brush which takes off the top layer of the leather try using masking tape.
	To clean nubuck leather use a very fine sandpaper - brings it up like new.
To clean patent leather shoes rub in petroleum jelly and leave for a while to soak in. Then buff up with a soft clean cloth.  This will not only keep them shiny but also prevent them from cracking.
	To keep leather soft and supple, apply a little castor oil and leave to dry, then clean in the usual way.
Castor oil is also useful for waterproofing the underneath of leather soles.
	If crepe soles become sticky, put talcum powder on them and this will resolve the problem.
Shoe/Boot zips getting stuck - run a lead pencil down the zip and they will run smoothly.
	If crepe soled shoes become stiff put them in a warm oven (70 to 100 deg) for a minute and they will become flexible again.
To stretch tight shoes, pack with potato peelings and leave for 48hrs.
	If you are unable to tighten shoes laces because your feet are not "deep" enough - pad out under the lace area with a small piece of rubber.
To give an antique look to a light pair of shoes, polish with a much darker polish than the leather colour.
	To create a pair of "flamenco" dance shoes, put carpet tacks in soles at the toes and heels. Be careful the tacks do not go through the inside of the shoe though.
If lace ends fray making them difficult to thread - hold end over a lighted match for a moment, this should fuse the fibres together.
	To freshen up an old pair of shoes buy new laces, perhaps in a contrasting colour.
If laced shoes are uncomfortable over instep, loosen laces from the bottom up then put  the lace ends back through the second from top holes before tying.  This will give more room over foot but will allow the laces to be tightened enough to hold the shoe on.
	To prevent shoe laces untying put polish on laces and leave to dry overnight, then rethread into shoes - should hold O.K. now.
If brightly coloured leather becomes faded in certain areas, use an oil pastel of the same colour over the affected areas then top up with a neutral wax polish.  Buff up and hey presto!
	To stretch shoes, slip a leak-proof plastic bag into the shoe, fill with water, ensuring it fills the shoe completely.  Close securely and freeze.  The water expands and stretches the shoe. I put a shoe that is too tight on and put rubbing alcohol (surgical spirit) on the tight spot and walk around with the shoe on.  It has worked for me for many years. It has never hurt the leather.   Jean Beideck
White salt stains on leather shoes are extremely difficult to remove and the treatment risky. You could try, however, mixing a mild washing-up liquid with an equal amount of white spirit and enough water to make a creamy solution (1:1::4 ratio).  Work this over the entire shoe, giving extra attention to the salt mark, before rinsing and gently drying.  This will remove the polish and, with luck, the salt stain.  Repolish when completely dry.   As any treatment only removes the surface salt line, the stain may well reappear.     (culled from Hints and tips by Bervie McCrea)

Shoe Care

Shoes protect and shield our feet whenever we are on our feet in the outdoors. We wear our shoes when we go out for walks, strolls or running. However, in most cases, we do not take the effort to put in the little effort it takes to care for our shoes. A little effort in doing so can help extend the working life of our shoes a long way. The following are a couple of steps that you can take to care for your shoes.

One sure way of caring for your shoes is to keep them clean. I do this all the time. Once I return from anywhere I go to, I make sure I clean my shoes before I store them. Doing this makes it easier and faster to clean the shoes the next time am going to wear them. Whenever your shoes get dirty (e.g. you get caught in the rain), the dirt will eat into the protective layer of your shoes. This causes coloration and hastens the wear and tear in your shoes. As such, after each use, if your shoes are dirty, give it a good clean before you store it away. Also, in most cases, cleaning it right after use takes much less effort than cleaning a pair of shoes that has already got dirt set on it for a long time.

Besides cleaning your shoes regularly, you can also take preventive maintenance. For example, you can apply a good layer of water resistant protective 'cream' and stain remover before first use. This normally extends the life span of the factory applied protective layer of your shoes. For leather shoes, apply protective material like polish regularly to nourish the leather and keep its shine. This also helps to keep the color consistent. Another method of preventive maintenance is to use foot spray deodorants in your shoes. Foot sprays protect your shoes from bad odour (for those whose foot smells. This is a topic for another day)
You should also wear socks whenever possible while you are wearing your shoes. This is especially so if your feet sweat easily. Socks help to absorb the sweat and prevent sweat salt layers from form in your shoes. However, try not to wear the socks for too longer periods without washing. Ideally you should send your socks to laundry after every use.

The next thing to do is to take notice of the wear at the tips and soles of your shoes. If you actively use your shoes and wear is fast, you should consider applying reinforcements (e.g. changing the bottom layer of the sole) before the wear eats into the main body of sole. Also, if you drive regularly and find that the wear in your shoes are constantly made worse by the friction applied on your shoes while driving, you can consider keeping a cheap 'for driving only' pair of shoes in your car.

Finally, you also need to take steps to protect your shoes when you are not using them while you are at home. As most people have multiple pairs of shoes, most of their shoes are kept in the shoe rack waiting the shoes' next use. These shoes should be kept in boxes to prevent dust collection and prevent them from ending up being chewed your pets. The boxes also protect the shoes from getting crushed if you have limited space at home and keep all of your shoes lumped together in a closet.To know where a particular shoe is, you can take pictures of your shoes and label each boxes with the pictures. To be more creative, you can draw pictures of your shoes, colour them and put them on the boxes to know where a particular shoe is.
Also, before putting your shoes into boxes, you should also use shoe trees to protect the form of you shoes. Shoe trees maintain the original shape of your shoes and prevent them from being crushed. You can easily get this accessory from shoe stores nowadays. In fact, some shoes come with trees right from the factory.

Basic Little Steps To Take To Care For Your Shoes

Polish your leather shoes regularly to preserve moisture and maintain shine.
 
 

If the heels of your shoes are worn down or cracked take them to a cobbler to see if they can be fixed.

 

Waterproof suede and nubuck shoes and use a soft bristled brush to lightly lift away dirt.

 

 Fabric or canvas shoes can often be cleaned by hand or machine washing. Fill them with crumpled newsletter after washing to maintain their shape while drying.

Rotate your shoes by wearing a different pair every other day. This will help your shoes last longer and wear less.

 

Constant rubbing against your skin can cause uneven wear of your shoes. Try changing the thickness of your socks until you find a pair that keeps the shoes from rubbing you the wrong way.

As you can see, the above suggestions are very easy to follow and you may even find that you are already doing so. Remember that a little effort goes a long way in protecting the life span of your shoes.