Your leather shoes would last longer when you keep them clean and keep them dry. Find below other useful tips:
1. Give your leather shoes a break
Leather needs to breathe, just like your skin. You should always have at least two pairs of shoes in your regular rotation to avoid having to wear the same pair every day. Your feet sweat throughout the day, and the leather absorbs that moisture. Damp leather is more susceptible to stretching, scuffing, creasing, and staining. Wearing them every other day gives them adequate time to dry, increasing the longevity of your footwear.
2. Clean after use
Keep a shoe brush or microfiber cloth handy and give your shoes a quick clean after each wear. This will keep any dirt or grime from being ground into the leather as time goes on, saving you from having to deal with staining later on.
3. Use a shoe tree
A cedar or poplar shoe tree is perhaps THE most important part of shoe care, and it’s usually the most overlooked step. Leather is porous, so it absorbs moisture and odour, eventually causing it to break down. A shoe tree absorbs that moisture and odour while keeping the shoe’s proper shape to prevent creasing. Y
4. Be weather conscious
This should go without saying, but if at all possible, avoid wearing leather shoes in a downpour, and try not to traipse through salt- and snow-covered sidewalks in the winter. Water can stain even waterproofed leather shoes, and leather soles become more vulnerable to abrasive surfaces like concrete when wet. If your shoes do happen to get wet,avoid the urge to dry them near a radiator or window. Heat and sunlight can crack and damage the leather. Just let them air out on their own (with a shoe tree) for a couple of days.
5. Invest in shoe polish
Shoe polish helps moisturize the leather while adding a layer of protection to repel dust and water. It also restores colour and hides scuffs and blemishes. You just have to decide between wax or cream polish. The cream is more moisturizing than wax, and it creates a natural finish. Wax polish offers slightly better protection and a higher level of shine, but it can be more drying. We suggest starting with cream and finishing with wax, but the choice is up to you depending on the finish you want. Apply the polish to clean shoes in a circular motion using a microfiber cloth. If you want to go the extra mile, you can use a pig hairbrush to work it in deeper. Finish off with a polishing glove and/or brush to buff the shoe and bring back the shine.