Published on Wednesday, 05 September 2012

The power of shoes should not be underestimated, they leave great impression and a person can be defined according to them by many.  Not many people know that shoes should not only be cleaned before leaving home, but also after returning from outside with lubricated cream at night and polished in the morning.

Because of bad weather, mud, snow, chemicals that have a detrimental effect on leather shoes, they starts to get wet, become hard, crack and bend. To serve longer shoes need to be properly taken care of.

Rule 1. Prepare for tomorrow's returning on the street. First, wipe your shoes from the dirt with a damp cloth. Dry them, put thick layer of protective cream and turn more attention to the places that are wearing out most quickly. To do this it is best to use cotton because it can absorb very well, then polish the surface with a brush (instead of brush a wool cloth can be used). It is best to put shoe-cream in the evening, and polish shoes in the morning before you leave home. It is recommended to use cream at least twice a week.

Manufacturers produce two classes of care products for leather shoes: organic softener and emulsion, in which part of the organic softener is replaced with water. The emulsion creams act on the softer surface, forming a porous film over it, through which the sweat and moisture can better evaporate. Therefore, they are more suited for the warm season. Creams with organic softeners show excellent protection for shoes in bad weather. You should use both types equally. There are also self-shining compositions - they give a glossy film on the shoe surface immediately after drying and do not require polishing. If the skin forms white spots - streaks of salt, wipe them with vinegar.

Rule 2. New shoes need preparation before first going out. Before you start wearing a new leather shoes it is recommended to lubricate them well with shoe-cream and leave them to dry thoroughly, then polish the shoes with a brush. For a more saturated glossy surface you can rub shoes with a slice of lemon, and then polish them.

Rule 3. It is not necessary to dry wet shoes at a heating. If boots are very wet, they should be washed with cold water, rubbed well and filled with dry newspaper. A few hours later the paper will absorb moisture and can be removed (or replaced by a dry and left for some time. A more advanced version is the electric dryer for shoes.

White shoes will retain their color, if they are wiped once a week with a white cloth dipped in milk. The mixture consisting of 0.5 cups warm milk with beaten egg whites will return the original shoe shine.

Rule 4. Patent leather shoes are not suited for winter. Unfortunately, at low temperatures this type of leather begins to split and covers with a net of fine lines. It is useful to lubricate patent leather with glycerin, lanolin cream or wipe them with a cloth dipped in milk. Cracked shoes and those who have lost their gloss can be lightly greased with petroleum jelly, then gaired and rubbed to a shine.

Rule 5. To care for suede and nubuck shoes use special tools. There are special sponges for suede and nubuck, which simultaneously clean and raise the pile. Before the first wearing such shoes be sure to treat them with water-repellent spray (spray with dyes are versatile and colorless).

With good looking and well maintained shoes you can boldly and confidently step out.