Shoe Care
Shoes are like any other item you may have and proper care will insure a long lasting life. However, the reverse is true if you do not give your shoes the care and maintenance they need. Mens Shoes can be very expensive so why not invest your time and effort in taking care of them. You'll find some very easy steps and excellent resources here, to enable you to keep your shoes looking good and last for years.
Mens Dress Shoes
Care for Mens Dress Shoes with smooth leather uppers and a leather sole is important due to the fact that leather reacts to every kind of climate condition and the sweat coming off your feet. Let's break it down so you have an easy roadmap to follow.
Cleaning Shoes
Keeping your shoes clean, conditioned, and polished makes sense. Experts recommend this be done every two weeks, but depending on the amount of usage, you may want to clean your shoes more often. Only you can decide, and remember that cleaning, conditioning, and polishing leather will extend its life and keep it looking like new. Shoe Cleaning Products
Also, when we say cleaning, we mean the whole shoe and sole. Go get yourself proper brushes and do the job right.
The Allen-Edmonds Leather Shoe Care Kit For Men is an excellent choice and we highly recommend it for all your leather shoe care needs.
Shoe Trees
One of the most important things you can do for your Dress Shoes is to use Shoe Trees.
Shoe Trees are available in various sizes and are made of different woods and plastics. We recommend you use Cedar Shoe Trees and stay away from the Plastic Types.
Shoe Trees help absorb the moisture that is present in your shoes after use. This is one of the main reasons to use Shoe Trees. So plastic is useless in this regard. However, the other main reason for the use of Shoe Trees is to help the shoe keep its shape. If you've never used Shoe Trees before, you'll be amazed what they can do. After constant use, they'll rejuvenate those older pair of shoes that you love but thought were on they way out.
Do not wear the same pair of Dress Shoes two days in a row.
You really need to alternate shoes which means you need at least 2 pair. Leather Shoes need to breathe because they absorb from 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of moisture from your feet during a typical day of use. When you wear the same shoes every day, the leather uppers, insole, and sock-liner will be overwhelmed by the prespiration from you feet. Acids, salts, and water are in prespiration which will damage your footwear unless you give the moisture a chance to evaporate.Get a Shoe Horn
Do you tread on the back of your shoes when you squeese your feet into them? This is a no no.
Get a good Shoe Horn and use it. The back of your shoes will keep their shape and stay snug providing a comfortable fit for much longer. By not crunching the leather in the back of your shoes, you'll stop the creasing that will cause deterioration.
Protect Shoes from Heat
Shoe leather and heat can be a disaster, especially for Mens Dress Shoes. Heat drys out leather and removes the essential oils causing the leather to age and crack very quickly. If your shoes get wet do not expose them to direct heat. This will break down any glues as well. Let them breathe in a well ventilated area and stuff them with newspaper and change it out til the moisture is almost gone.
These are just a few strategies to keep your dress shoes in good shape and the care you take will be different from the care you take with hiking shoes. Take care of your Mens Dress Shoes and they will take care of you. They'll and protect your feet and you'll feel better because you know your shoes look fabulous