Habits that double a shoe's life
Leather absorbs a day's sweat and needs about 24 hours to dry, so a pair worn daily rots from the inside while two pairs worn alternately outlast three. Unfinished cedar shoe trees, at about twenty dollars a pair, draw out moisture and flatten the creases across the toe. Untie your laces and use a shoehorn, because forcing your heel in crushes the stiffener at the back. Never dry wet shoes against a radiator or with a hair dryer, since heat cracks leather and melts glue. Stuff them with newspaper and leave them at room temperature for a day or two.
Leather, step by step
- Take out the laces, put in the shoe trees and brush off the dirt with a horsehair brush, then wipe the shoe with a damp cloth.
- Rub in a small amount of leather conditioner with a soft cloth and let it soak in for fifteen minutes.
- Work a cream polish of the matching color into the leather in small circles, which restores the color and covers scuffs.
- Wait five to ten minutes, then brush briskly until the shine comes up.
- Add a thin layer of wax polish to the toe and heel for more gloss and some resistance to water.
White salt lines in winter come off with a cloth dipped in equal parts white vinegar and water. Follow with conditioner.
Suede and nubuck
Suede takes neither water nor polish. Spray a new pair with suede protector before the first wear and again each season. Brush in one direction with a suede brush, rub marks out with a suede eraser, and lift a grease spot by covering it with cornstarch overnight.
Sneakers
Remove the laces and the insoles. Scrub the uppers with a soft brush and a little dish soap in warm water, clean white midsoles with a melamine sponge, and let the shoes air-dry stuffed with paper. Canvas survives a cold, gentle machine cycle inside a mesh bag, but no shoe survives the dryer, which warps soles and loosens glue.
The cobbler
New heel caps cost fifteen to thirty dollars and should be fitted before the wear reaches the heel block itself. A full resole runs 80 to 150 dollars, and it makes sense on stitched shoes with sound uppers that cost more than that to replace. A cobbler can also stretch a tight spot or add a thin rubber sole to slippery leather.
Tip Look at the heels of your shoes once a month, because uneven wear caught early is a small repair.
