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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