Shoe Maintenance

[inogenius]

I have a couple pairs of Clarkes shoes that I freaking love. They're leather. I know with jackets, and so on you can rub some cream on them, but what the heck do you use to maintain leather shoes?

 

[Avyer]

Yay for searching....

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=10830

 

[Dolle Dolf]

Originally Posted by inogenius

...... what the heck do you use to maintain leather shoes?
Lick'em. Every day. Including the soles. Your saliva will condition the leather. Really. I am pretty sure some of the forumites here do that. Looking at the "shoe Appreciation" threats and what not.

If that does not appeal, there is that useful stuff called shoe cream/polish.

 

[binatang]

I have few pairs of Clarks. Nice designs but the leather isn't the best ... probably corrected grain/polished leather. Don' have to go overboard with them due to this. Regular shoe cream & brushing between wears should suffice. Shoe trees or the orginal inserts will do fine as well.

 

[inogenius]

Originally Posted by binatang

I have few pairs of Clarks. Nice designs but the leather isn't the best ... probably corrected grain/polished leather. Don' have to go overboard with them due to this. Regular shoe cream & brushing between wears should suffice. Shoe trees or the orginal inserts will do fine as well.
Thanks. I don't really know what shoe trees are, but I'll walk around Target for about an hour and I should eventually find them, right?

 

[binatang]

Shoe trees are the thingies that go into your shoes to maintain its shape & even out wrinkles. Kinda hard to explain ... just google it & the pics will tell you the story.

Don't go overboard with the shoetrees. The good ones are really expensive & would be overkill for Clarks. I personally use Ikea shoetrees on my beater shoes. They were like a buck a pair & made of plastic.

The issue here is the leather & sole. Good shoetrees on cheap leather isn't going to make a difference & the rubber sole will probably wearout before the leather ever becomes an issue. The original eggcrate inserts that came with your Clarks are actually good enough ... really!

 

[2sweet]

Is it possible to prevent or remove the wrinkles that develop in your leather shoes, if only partially?

Also, I don't see any mention ofshoehorns in proper shoe maintenanec.

 

[hi-val]

Use wooden shoe trees because they absorb moisture. Put them in as soon as you take your shoes off and you'll minimize the creases. You only need to leave them in for a day, so you realistically just need one pair of trees that you rotate into the shoes that you wore that day.

When you don't use a shoehorn, an Italian cobbler cries.

 

[j]

I almost never use shoehorns. It doesn't make a difference unless you step on the heel counter. If you loosen the shoe enough that you don't need one, you don't need one.