How to care for your new shoes or boots.

With a little care your new shoes or boots should last for quite some time. We have put together a mini how to care for your new shoes. 

We will first start off with what you do NOT want to do with your new shoes. 

First and foremost do not wash your shoes in the washing machine! It's bad, especially for leather shoes. Some of our canvas shoes can take the beating but we do not recommend it. You also run the risk of unbalancing your washing machine so, please don't wash your shoes in the washing machine. 

Don't dry your shoes in the dryer or by an open fire if they get wet. The high heat will cause them to dry out and crack. 

Don't use high powered solvents not made for shoes. Shoes are died and high power solvents will not only remove die but can harm the shoe.

Now that we have told you what not to do lets go into how to properly care for those new shinny shoes. 

Caring for Leather shoes or boots:

        Without proper care leather shoes and boots can dry out and crack. No one wants a ratty pair of leather boots. With a little care you can dramatically extend the life of your boots. There are three steps in caring for leather shoes which should be done every few months or so. 

First step is to clean your leather shoes. Using mild soap and warm water take a clean cloth and blot your shoes. You don't want to get them too wet just enough to get the grime off them. If you have a spot that just wont go away you can use a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol. If you do use rubbing alcohol you must condition your shoes after as the rubbing alcohol will dry the leather. Another technique for cleaning really hard to remove spots is create a paste from cream of tartar and lemon juice. You want the paste at the consistency of runny toothpaste. Lightly apply the paste with a rag and let sit for a while. Wipe off and clean with with warm soapy water.

The next step after getting those nice shinny shoes clean is to condition them. There are many shoe conditioning products out there and they all work fine. You can also use a saddle conditioner, it's all the same. We do however recommend not using a conditioner that has waxes or silicone in them. They do not allow the leather to breath properly and your polish may not take as well.  Using a damp microfiber lint free cloth apply the conditioner to the cloth then gently rub into the leather shoe. Do not apply the conditioner directly to the shoe. We recommend several light coats of conditioner allowing 30 minutes between coats to allow the conditioner to fully penetrate the shoe. 

Now its time to make those boots look like you just bought them yesterday. There are a lot of shoe polishes out there on the market today but we recommend the polish in a can. When your shoes are good and dry apply a small amount of polish on a clean soft cotton cloth. Using a circular motion apply the polish evenly to the shoes. The key here is not to gunk up the shoe with polish. What you want to do is build up several thin layers of polish on the shoe. Now place your shoes in a warm place, out in the sun is preferable but next to heater for a few minutes will do just as well. This will allow the polish to melt and absorb into the shoe. Don't over dry the shoe, a minute or two is just fine. Now with a very slightly damp cloth polish the shoe in a circular motion until nice and shinny. 

Now the most important step of all. Strap on those monstrous boots,  go out and show them off. That's why you bought them in the first place right?

Caring for Suede creepers or shoes

        Suede shoes and creepers are a bit different to care for then most. Fist off find your self a suede brush. Make sure your shoes are dry and gently brush away the dust and dirt. Make sure you brush in the same direction and not back and forth. For stubborn dirt gently use a clean pencil eraser to remove the dirt.  To remove scuff marks vigorously brush the scuffed area. For tough matted areas carefully try scraping with a smooth knife to lift the nap. For water discoloration and unknown stains wet the entire outside of the shoe with warm water and a cloth. Use a dry sponge or cloth to soak up the excess water. Allow to sit overnight. You can now apply suede protector spray to your clean shoes. There are a lot of them out there and all have different applications. Just follow the directions on the bottle and you should be golden. Now go out and enjoy those new blue suede shoes!

Caring for patent shoes

Patent leather boots and shoes are relatively easy to care for. Whether it be real leather or PU. To clean use a warm water with  gentle soap and a clean cloth. Remove all dirt and dust. Apply a layer of  'patent glow' available in our accessories category or the direct link here Patent Glow. That's pretty much it. Shinny new looking boots!

We know not everyone has the time to care for their new shoes. The easiest way to make those shoes last forever is buy two pairs. What?? Why in heck would you do that? Well, by alternating the shoes it give them time to dry and rest prolonging their life.

Hopefully this mini how to will keep your shoes looking new for years to come. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact one of our friendly customer support peoples.