How to take care of your shoes?

With the different seasons, perspiration, clumsy stains and dust, our shoes have to deal with many enemies that can quickly damage them.

What if this new confinement allowed us to take the time to look after them?

Many accessories or products exist to give life back to shoes damaged by its use and we will see here and essential products to have for a good maintenance.

First : Cleaning

Before doing anything to your shoes, it is important to clean them and remove the dust. The 100% cotton chamois is perfect for a complete maintenance of the leather of your shoes. Its soft texture allows to dust the leather and even to apply your cleaning products and to shine your shoes.

Maintaining the shape of shoes with shoe trees

The shoe tree has several positive interests to keep a shoe in good condition. Firstly, it allows you to stretch the leather of any model (Derbys, Richelieus...) when you are not wearing them. It will fill the shoe as well as possible and prevent it from deforming. As mentioned above, the shoe tree will also absorb moisture thanks to its wood. Moisture is not a good friend of leather because when leather is wet and not taut, it sags and creates marks that will evolve over time.

Do not wear the shoes for two days in a row

This is not a matter of taking care of your shoes, but rather of paying attention to them in order to ensure their longevity and ageing: a pair of shoes should never be worn for two days in a row!

Leather is a natural material that needs rest! Ideally, it is recommended that you alternate between 4 or 5 pairs of shoes, allowing you to wear each pair a maximum of 2 times a week. In this way, you will considerably optimise your comfort and the longevity of your shoes. It also becomes very economical because you will reduce your shoe budget!

Nourish your leather

Apply a little cream in a circular motion with a vigorous gesture to make the product penetrate. Apply it everywhere (sole, tongue, and heel). Also insist on ironing out wear creases to reduce them.

Shoe polish to care for leather

As leather is a living material, it is essential to moisturise it regularly in order to optimise its suppleness but also its waterproofing and longevity.

The correct frequency is to wax your shoes every 4 to 5 ports. If you follow the rules of alternation, this means waxing your shoes 2 to 3 times a month on average, or every week if you only have two or three pairs.

It is important to use a quality beeswax-based shoe polish in a metal can. Any form of shoe polish with an applicator or sponge, or liquid products or sprays should be avoided! Never use waterproofing sprays! These are reserved exclusively for suede calf leather. It is clear that good quality cleaning products are rarely available in the retail sector. We strongly recommend that you use Finsbury products, whose formulas have been specially developed for our leathers, or that you buy them from a traditional shoe repair shop.

Finally, be careful not to over-wax your shoes. The amount of wax used for each polish should be small. A succession of too many applications of shoe polish could generate white marks on your leather, preventing the pores of the leather from breathing. We strongly recommend that you clean your shoes with a Finsbury cleansing milk to remove all impurities, rain marks and accumulated layers of shoe polish from the leather surface. This will restore your shoes to their original shine.

A good shoe polish is applied with a soft cloth or with the help of the Finsbury shoe polish pads. Gently apply the shoe polish in a circular motion, always in small quantities, so that the wax penetrates to the leather fibre. Leave to dry for a minimum of 15 minutes before polishing your shoes with a Finsbury horsehair brush (in practice, we recommend that you polish your shoes in the evening and the next morning).

Also remember to cream your shoes every fortnight to nourish the shoe leather.

Maintenance of soles

The upper of your shoe requires regular maintenance.

Our solution for a long life is to put a rubber pad (Topy) under your sole. Several advantages are put forward by the followers of this technique: seamless protection of the sole, maximum longevity of your soles by simplifying the maintenance, reduction of the risk of slipping and more waterproof during the rainy season.