We are forever talking about shoes, what the latest styles are, which trend is in this year, how high the heels should be for such and such occasion, and so on. But what about how we should care for them?
Shoes are, after all, an extremely important accessory of women’s apparel, more so that our feet depend on them for comfort and health.
Therefore they should be chosen with this in mind and most of all looked after properly if we want them to last longer.
Each of us should have a decent pair of leather shoes for everyday use, these should also be regularly polished to keep them nurtured and in good condition.
The more you look after your shoes the longer they will last; which is especially important if they are expensive leather shoes, this will certainly be the best way to look after your investment.
The leather of uncared shoes will eventually crack and the shoe will fall apart.
Make sure you buy shoes, which are made from natural materials such as leather, cotton, and suede in order to keep your feet healthy.
There are some shoes, which have been treated with chemicals such as Gore-Tex and Sympatex that allow your feet to breathe.
If you buy natural material shoes you will be able to look after them by conditioning and polishing them.
Before proceeding with polishing your shoes, you should clean them with adapted leather cleaners to remove all dirt and filth.
Once cleaned you may then proceed in conditioning them to avoid the leather to dry out. There are different shoe conditioners for various leathers and suede, choose the one for your kind of shoe.
Once the conditioner is applied it must be left to absorb for a few minutes then wiped off. The polish can then be applied, by choosing the right color for your shoes, as there are many different tones in black, brown, and blues, though you may find neutral polish as well.
You may even slightly change the hue of your shoes by applying a darker color in order to change their look.
You will need two shoe brushes, one for applying the shoe polish and one for polishing. Allow the polish to dry once applied, and then proceed in polishing with the second brush.
The last step for added protection is waterproofing, this will greatly help protect your shoes from the outdoors more so if you are looking after trekking shoes, which have specific products to be applied for enhanced impermeability.
You may choose amongst many types of waterproofing products depending on the use you will be making your shoes. Well looked after shoes will last for years and will spare you unnecessary expense.
