How To Take Care Of Your Shoes And Make Them Last Longer

By Simone Murdock : In order to keep your shoes in good condition, looking pristine and get many wears out of them, you must take proper care of them. Clean them after wearing and apply suitable shoe products to them, if need be.

If you want your favourite pair of high heels, sneakers or ballet flats to last a long time, you must take care of them; here are some tips to caring for your footwear:

• Give shoes a break in between wears: do not wear them for more than two days in a row. Let them get rid of moisture from your feet.
• Replace your shoe soles: if your shoes are still in good condition but the soles are worn out, replace them with non-slip rubber soles.
• Make sure your shoes are the right size: do not buy a pair in the wrong size just because you like them and they don't have your size in stock. Too small shoes make your toes squash against the shoe and can cause injures. Too big shoes will let your feet will slip out and can cause you to sprain your ankle.
• Disinfect your shoes: disinfectant spray can be purchases in store, simply spray the inside to prevent fungal infections on your feet.

How to care for different material shoes

Different material shoes require different care methods. What works on plastic will not work on suede and vice versa:

• Suede: Shoes in this material are difficult to take care of and must be done with care. Never apply wax polish to suede, use special suede cleaner with a soft lightly dampened cloth.
• Leather: These are made from animal skin and need nourishment just like human skin. Clean any dirt off leather footwear after wearing with a soft cloth. Once they are clean, apply leather cleaner with a cloth and allow to dry. Do not wax when they're new, first wear your shoes in and then wax them. Buy leather cleaner in the same color as the leather or the clear cleaner.
• Synthetic material: These shoes are fairly easy to care for. Just wipe a damp cloth gently over the material and allow to dry.
• Patent leather: These shoes are shiny and easy to clean marks off of. All you need is a damp cloth and a little bit of soap or stain remover.

Shoe Storage

Always keep footwear in a dry clean place away from moisture where bacteria grow. Shoe racks are good if you have a lot of shoes or limited space. To make shoes keep their shape, simply stuff them with newspaper, as this also soaks up any moisture.

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How to Take Care of Your Shoes in Bad Weather

By John Brasinger :  When you have to be out in bad weather, your shoes are often the only thing standing between you and total misery. While this is good for you and your feet, it's bad for the longevity and quality of your shoes. If the weather where you live is constantly putting your shoes through a hard time, or if you are simply hoping that they will survive the winter with as little damage as possible, than read on.

An Ounce of Prevention

To start off, I need to emphasize that a little care goes a long way. It doesn't take tons of time or lots of different pieces of equipment to ensure that your shoes stay in good condition. Some people don't want to spend the time on shoe care, but other people simply don't want to spend the money for the supplies they need. Well, at the end of the day it costs a lot more money to continuously have to buy new shoes when your old ones have given way to the elements. While most leather shoes can last a very long time when worn in complimentary weather, the constant damage caused by water and salt will likely shave years, if not decades, off of your shoes if you don't take care of them.

Make Sure They're Waterproof

Waterproofing your shoes is the first thing you can do to take care of them in bad weather. If your shoes aren't already waterproof, than this is a crucial preventative measure. There are a wide range of different waterproofing agents and compounds out there on the market, and the one you select isn't particularly important as long as you select one of them. What is important, however, is that you make sure the compound that you choose isn't going to change how your shoe looks. While this isn't generally a problem with black-colored shoes, it can be a real problem with shoes that feature lighter tones. Test on a small section near the back of your shoe before applying any compound liberally.

Drying and Cleaning

Provided your shoes are now waterproof if they weren't before, there are a few shoe care tips to follow after they've been out braving the elements.
When you come home with wet shoes, the first thing you need to do is shake and wipe off excess water until they are dry. You should then put some newspaper inside your shoes to draw out any water and moisture inside of them. Don't put them under a radiator while they dry, let them dry on their own. After they have dried, you can go on to clean them and treat the leather.

Cleaning shoes is relatively simple, and you don't need any specialty soaps if you don't want to get them. Using a mild solution of warm water and liquid dish soap will work in most cases. Make a weak solution of the two, unlace your shoes and buckles, and then lightly wash off any dirt or salts. You can use a rag or a soft brush, but don't use anything too harsh to apply this solution. Clean each section of the shoe, and make sure your excavate the various nooks, crannies and areas where there is stitching.

Some Care is Better than No Care

After you clean your shoe, it's a good idea to go ahead and apply polish and conditioner. Polishing and conditioning should be done at least once a week, as doing so every night is clearly inconvenient. The more you can do every night the better, though if you are pressed for time than drying and lightly cleaning your shoes every day should be enough to preserve them.

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How to Take Care of Your Shoes

By Kney Aily                We should take care of our shoes. That is one part of our life. Yet the shoes are one of the most neglected parts in people's wardrobe. When we pick up a pair of new shoes, we always know to lubricate the shoes with a nice polish before wearing them. However, this is only one thing we do for protect them. In fact, it is insufficient. Here I have some ways share with you, which I think is very useful.

When you wear your shoes, be sure that the laces and the tongues are straight and smooth. Then the tongues and the laces are likely to stay that way for the life of the shoes, or they will start off crooked.

If you have many pairs of shoes, you can take turns to wear them. The airing between wearings helps to prevent perspiration from rotting the leather.

Sometimes, the shoes need to be cleaned or washed. Wash with a moist cloth, brush or sponge, preferably using leather soap. Do not forget the heel in the cleaning process and the edge of the sole. Then your shoes must be very clean.

Besides, apply a adequate amount of shoe polish and work it well with an applicator. Rub the shoe briskly with a polishing cloth. It works the wax into the leather, hard finish, producing a dry and leaving no excess wax. For that, the luster will last for some time.

According to the scientific research, the shoes you wear have a obvious effect on your health and your enjoyment of life. Therefore, you should take care of your shoes, whatever your new shoes or old shoes.

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