In a city full of slug, dirt and unpredictable weather, your shoes will inevitably be stained or become worn out quickly.
While some people may apply a coat of shoe polish when their shoes start to look shabby, polish can also add to the damage if not done correctly.
To really protect your leather shoes and keep them looking their best, proper conditioning and care is needed to prevent leather from drying out and eventually cracking or falling apart.
Save your shoes and save your money using the 4 Step Shoe Preservation Process. For minutes per month and for pennies per use, you can 1) clean, 2) condition 3) polish and 4) winterize your shoes on your own.
STEP 1: Clean
Remove surface dirt and excess polish build-up with a multi-functional cleaner
For suede shoes, use a suede brush to restore the nap and remove additional surface dirt
Use a de-salter to remove salt stain
STEP 2: Condition
Apply a conditioner to soften, lubricate and renew dry out leather or suede/nuback -- make sure you use the right type of conditioner
STEP 3: Polish
Apply polish to renew colour and cover scuffs -- polishes contains dyes and come in three categories: liquid, cream, and paste. Liquids are the easiest to apply, followed by cream an paste. Pastes last the longest followed by creams then liquids
Use a brush when applying shoe cream polishes to brush any excess cream
Check that the polish is appropriate for the material of your shoes
Avoid over polishing your shoes -- this can cause streaking, flaking and blotchiness to the leather
STEP 4: Winterize and Shine
Apply a waterproofer to seal the topcoat of the shoe against shoe damaging elements (i.e. rain, mud, snow, oil and salt)
Shine your shoes only when needed with an instant shine sponge - which puts just the right amount of shine to make your shoes sparkle