Care of leather shoes

⦁ New leather shoes should be treated and impregnated before first use. Suitable are natural balms intended for skin containing beeswax, lanolin and natural oils, which impregnate the skin but also nourish the skin.

⦁ Do not dry wet leather shoes directly on the heat source (radiator, fireplace, stove, open oven, sun, etc.) after soaking, as too much heat can irreparably damage the material (skin cracking) and slacken glued shoes. The shoes should therefore be dried slowly, slowly – preferably in a well-ventilated place.

⦁ For this reason, it is necessary to rotate the shoes, not to wear one pair a day, since such shoes do not have sufficient time for thorough drying and bacteria can reproduce. Let your shoes relax from time to time.

⦁ If you do not wear your shoes for a while, it is advisable to clean them, treat them with balsam, stuff them with newsprint or tissue paper, or use cedar pins to ensure that your shoes keep their shape

⦁ Do not store shoes in closed plastic bags or boxes – retained moisture damages the skin

⦁ Use a bootjack for footwear

⦁ Avoid poor shoe care products such as silicone waxes, inexpensive creams and conditioners.

Smooth leather shoes:

⦁ Clean the shoes thoroughly with a slightly damp cloth or sponge and remove any dirt. For less soiling, a brush is sufficient. For very heavy soiling use special soap intended for shoe cleaning if necessary. Allow the shoes to dry properly.

⦁ After thoroughly cleaning the shoes followed by their nutrition – using a conditioner, followed by the use of cream or wax – the ideal combination of both.

⦁ Quality shoe polish contains nourishing substances based on beeswax and turpentine. It is used for deep skin nourishment and the pigment contained in the cream masks fine defects and abraded skin. Applying the cream is easy – apply, rub thoroughly into each part of the shoe, including any folds, leave for 5 to 10 minutes and then polish with either a polishing brush or a soft cloth.

⦁ Finally, impregnation follows – ideally with natural balsam containing bee, carnauba wax.

Suede shoes:

⦁ Suede leather shoes should be cleaned thoroughly before treatment. Coarse dirt can be removed using suede rubber. The use is similar to that of a school gum – simply rub the polluted area. It works well on dry dirt like mud and dust, but if you get heavily soiled you won’t be able to do without water.

⦁ Suede shoes tend to fade a little over time and become “tired”. Applying a spray conditioner on suede shoes will give them the necessary nutrients while restoring their original color. E.g. Saphir renovateur suede shoes also repels water in addition to skin nourishment, so the suede does not get wet and no dirt from the street gets to them.

⦁ Then you need to impregnate the suede – I do not recommend cheap silicone sprays