Shoe care tips?

[NMW1982]

Hello Everyone!

Could all of you shoe lovers offer some advice on proper shoe care? Should I wax new shoes before the first wearing? Should I use shoe cream? What kind of shoe cream and what kind of wax? Should I apply multiple coatings?
I've also noticed that applying shoe cream actually makes the leather more dry after the cream has soaked in the leather. Is this supposed to be the case? Anything else about shoe care that I should be aware of? Thanks for the help fellas.

 

[sho'nuff]

acrylic based shoe creams should not be left dried on the shoe for more than 20 minutes as it will be like a layer of dried paint on the leather. than only thing you can do is to acetone the layer off.

most cases, you can apply several consecutive layers of cream buffed out in between, but once you apply wax polish on to the leather, any successive applications should be of wax polish. strip after the layers of wax polish loses its gloss and becomes a haze even after a buff down or wipe with a simple cloth. this is after several months.

there are lots of threads here you can search that can give you a whole catalog of shoe care instructions and opinions but i hope others can add to this thread.

 

[Arethusa]

What about a new pair of shoes? Are you supposed to apply cream and wax before wear?

 

[sho'nuff]

it is up to your preference. i usually dont care about doing that before i wear a new pair of shoe, unless i want to impart a mirror shine on the toe and heel.
these days the manufacture and preparation of quality leathers by quality makes like santoni, c&j, AE, Lobb, etc. are so good, the need to polish before wear and upon every wearing thereafter is hardly necessary.

 

[whoopee]

A good polish is important for new shoes, because it protects them from damage.

 

[nerdykarim]

you can also check the SF Shoe Care Wiki, found here.
http://styleforum.pbwiki.com/MirrorShine