EG cleaning concern

[miyazaki]

Hi everyone. I've been lurking here for a while now, and I've finally reached a point where I need to ask a question enough to create an account!

Yesterday, I bought my first (and second!) pair of EG shoes. You can see the Berkeley on the 888 last in dark oak (and I also got them in black). I also got a horse hair brush and I was given some clear delicate shoe cream by Boot Black (a Japanese company, since I'm in Japan).

When I bought them, there was a label on a small square on the underside of one shoe (per pair). Unfortunately, after I took that off, it was a little sticky, so I tried to clean it with a cloth. I still haven't been able to get it perfect, but the color of the leather on the bottom seems to have faded quite a bit around that area. Did I clean it too vigorously, or is it normal after the fresh out of the shop new-ness has gone?

I'll be wearing them for the first time tomorrow, so I decided to give them a quick wipe down and use the shoe cream, just so they look perfect. However, when I applied the cream (a very small amount), the color looked a lot darker in places. Panicking that they were stained, I quickly wiped off all cream until they looked normal again. Is that just the leather absorbing the moisture, or is it strange to look significantly darker? I've heard that you should leave the cream on for 10-15 minutes. Would you agree with that? Also, when I wiped the shoes, my cloth came away quite brown. Thinking that they've never been worn, is that normal for the first time? I'm wondering whether to switch to brown shoe cream, rather than clear, if they are quickly going to become discolored.

Finally, I got EG shoe trees, but I find it quite difficult to get them into the shoes (even the store clerk seemed to be struggling). Is that just our lack of strength? I'm guessing they're supposed to fit perfectly, therefore not be very easy to insert.

By the way, I got these at a department store indicated as an authorized dealer on the EG website.

I guess all of these are very newbie concerns, but since I've decided to invest in a good pair of shoes, I really want to make sure that I'm doing everything to ensure they have a long life, as best I can. I'd really appreciate any advice from people with much more experience than me!

 

[Roman_empire]

- You shouldn't care that much about your soles. After a few wears that spot will be gone. Or apply a little polish if it bothers you that much.

- It is common that the shoe polish might turn out a bit darker on certain spots. This will go aaway when the leather fully absorbs the polish. Use very thin layers (better to repeat the proces instead of using too much polish at once), otherwise you can create stains. If you use colorless shoe cream too often you will indeed remove the antiquing. Better use Saphir renovateur instead and every now an then a thin layer of shoe polish that is slightly lighter than your actual shoe color.

- Yes the shoe trees should fit snug. Your shoes will become wider over time and your shoe trees will become easier to insert.


Last but not least, stop worrying start wearing. Shoes look much better when they don't look perfect. Enjoy the spez!

 

[miyazaki]

Thank you for the advice. I was panicking so much when I thought I'd ruined them before even wearing them!

 

[ThatGuy]

OMG... just wear them. Wait to you kick something under your desk and scratch them. Or even worse, stepping onto some wet grass and sinking... resulting in a fully submerged lower sole!!

Just wear them.

 

[fritzl]

it's general knowledge that neutral polish darkens leather.