How to: Leather care for Shoes

I’m a bit of a whore for leather, most of my shoes are leather and my accessories are mostly leather too. I know that with love and care these items are worth every cent as they’ll last a lifetime provided that they get regular maintenance. I realize that many people don’t even polish their shoes (which shocks me to be honest ‘cause I’ve always been told that the best judge of a person’s character is the state of their shoes) so I thought I’d give a basic run down of leather care for the shoes that are the leather items that probably get the most abuse.

Suede

What?

The most important thing when you get suede shoes is to seal them from water. I use Diana Ferrari’s “Water and Stain Protector” (available at Diana Ferrari stores and factory outlets), however all stores that sell leather shoes will stock a similar product, three to four sprays over the shoe with an hour between coats is usually more than enough. Make sure that you redo this every so often to keep up the protective layer.

Why?

Suede shoes are easily stained and water darkens the leather permanently. They need to be sealed incase there is a spill or it rains when you are wearing them.

Normal Leather

What?

Normal leather shoes are fine to wear straight away, unlike their suede counterparts, however they do need regular upkeep to keep the leather in top condition.

1. Leather treatments can be bought from all places that sell leather goods; I use Tana’s “Zanolin Quality Conditioner and Cleaner”. To use this, squeeze a small amount onto a soft cloth and rub it over the leather.
2. Leather polish is available at some leather retailers and most supermarkets, I use Kiwi’s “Kids Scuff self shining polish” in black (available at Coles and Woolworths supermarkets). Make sure you’re only using the black on black leather and the brown on brown leather, etc. If you’re using a self-shining polish like I do, just rub the applicator over the leather, for those that are not, rub the polish onto the leather using a soft cloth, then with another clean soft cloth buff the leather for shine.

Why?

Over time leather can dry out, using the leather condition it moisturizes the leather while water proofing it, so that it isn’t able to dry and have the surface crack. Polishing is important. Polishing leather is especially important with items that take a lot of wear, such as shoes and handbags, it evens the surface of the leather, restores water resistance where the leather is scratched and covers and discoloration due to wear.

Patent Leather

What and why?

These shoes are already waterproof due to the finish of the leather, a regular polish will keep the shoes shiny and in top condition.

So there you go, hopefully that was helpful!