Everyday Shoe Care
It is common sense. Take care of the shoes you wear daily and they will take care of you. Well maintained shoes protect your feet more effectively and as a bonus, they look better, too. You know you will reap big rewards if you take a few moments every day to care and care for your shoes, but what exactly does that mean? Here are some tips to make shoe care tasks second nature.
Daily Cleaning
It may seem obvious, but your shoes struggle with dirt and grime every day. Sidewalks, gravel, sand and dirt paths, mud, salt, grease -- the number of potentially destructive materials your shoes walk over and through is endless. Consequently the one thing you must do every day is begin by removing the dirt. An effective tool for smooth leather is the Saphir Oval Shoe Brush, fitting easily into the hand and sweeping away the day’s debris. Saphir also has a wonderful Crepe Brush for napped leather -- suedes and nubucs --which uses rubber to gently clear and rejuvenate the nap.
Daily Conditioning
A good all-purpose product that cleans, conditions and buffs to a soft glow is Saphir Renovateur. Although it can also be used as the first step of a multi-procedure polishing, it can easily stand in for a more intensive regimen, keeping shoes in good shape between bi-weekly or monthly cream polishings. Shoes that are daily pampered remain strong with smooth, undistressed leather, looking good for years and achieving a healthy, burnished patina. Well conditioned shoes feel better on your feet, eliminating any chafing and tightness that may result when leather dries out and cracks.
Daily Deodorizing
It is a delicate subject, but there is no way around it -- footwear can acquire a certain odor after wear. The longer you let it go before attending to it the harder it is to eliminate. Make it a habit to attend to shoe odor a couple of different ways. First, ensure your shoes are stored each night with room to dry out, including considering the use of shoe trees to absorb moisture and keep the shape of the leather true. We have cedar shoe trees that absorb and deodorize -- great investments for the longevity of your shoes. Another option is to use a good quality shoe deodorant like Saphir Menthol Shoe Deodorant which not only gets rid of odor, it also kills the bacteria that can cause the odor. Reducing these bacteria increases the useful life of your shoes, protecting the leather.
Saphir for Shoes
We recommend French made Saphir products for daily care as well as intensive conditioning and polishing. Review the entire range to find products to work with you to clean, condition and restore your footwear. For some stunning examples of the difference using Saphir product can make in the look and feel of your favorite shoes, check out this flickr photostream, the handiwork of shoeshine artisans at ShoeshineUK. The quality of Saphir products is dramatically obvious.
This beginner’s guide covers everything you need to know — from understanding leather types to the three core steps of cleaning, conditioning, and protecting — to keep your leather goods looking great for years.
