Maintaining a Good Pair of Shoes – Tips on Prolonging the Life of your Shoes

With everyday use, any pair of shoes can wear down quickly. That is why it is important to take good care of your shoes. To help prolong the life of your shoe, you should remember a few tips that will help you get maximum wear out of your shoes. Some basic cleaning and repair tips can be performed at home, and other tips may require a shoe repair professional.

Even the small steps you can take to maintain your shoes will help preserve the high quality. Shoes can be expensive and you can protect your investment by proper maintenance. One step you can take at home is to clean the dirt off your shoe with a soft cloth or brush. If your shoes are wet, you can dry them with a cloth, and insert dry, crumpled newspaper inside the shoe. Place your wet shoes in a cool, dry place until the shoes are no longer moist or wet. The newspaper will help the shoe keep the shape while drying.

If your pair of shoes is made of leather, you can use a cream to help polish them. When you are done, wipe the excess polish off the shoe with a soft cloth. This makes your finest dress or casual street shoes look new again. The use of certain types of toothpaste can also help you remove tough black marks called “scuffs” from the upper surfaces of your shoe. The toothpaste treatment usually works best on shoes made from leather, but you can also try it on canvas and vinyl. Before putting the paste over the entire shoe, test a small area first. After you have removed the scuffmarks, wipe the area clean with a damp or dry cloth, and polish the shoe for best results. These money saving tips can increase the life of your shoe dramatically.

Other forms of proper shoe maintenance involve a little more work. If you do not want to maintain or repair your own shoes they can be easily repaired for a small fee. Most of the time a professional can repair the shoe for less than the initial that you paid for the shoes. One example of a repair that can be done by a professional is replacing the plastic heel caps that most shoes come with. You can have rubber caps put on the heels instead, and these are more slip resistant. Rubber caps prevent breakage and are often more comfortable to wear. This can be especially helpful high heel shoe design. For extra safety and support consider replacing your plastic heel caps with rubber ones.

Another method of shoe maintenance that can be applied to your favorite pair of shoes is to replace the leather sole with a rubber one. Although the leather does allow room for the foot to breathe, it is less warm and more slippery. This can be a concern during the winter month especially in snowy and icy conditions. The rubber sole would provide more traction for your foot and prevent slipping and falling.

Weatherproofing products can also be applied to your shoe to make them more resistant to the elements. However, make sure you use these with caution. These products sometimes change the shade of your shoes. Also, adding weatherproofing does not mean the shoes can be left outside in the weather all the time. This treatment is meant for short term walks outside in the elements. Weatherproofing can help save your shoes and help protect your feet.

If you think that sending a shoe off to be repaired will take too much time, consider locating a repair shop close to your home. Most repairs only take a couple of days and can prolong the life of your shoes. In order to find a good shoe repair shop, listen to recommendations of your friends, family, or neighbors. Visit the shop and see if the shop is clean and efficient. It may be wise to ask questions about what machinery they use and methods they use to repair shoes. Most shoe repair shops are more than happy to give you a free estimate on the cost of repairs.

You will benefit from using basic maintenance and repair methods to prolong the life of your shoes. For more tips on how to maintain your expensive shoes, try searching the Internet with the search words “shoe maintenance” or similar phrase on a search engine. It will be worth it to you in the long run.