**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[troika]

I dunno if they're available in Canada, but I get my basic ones at Nordstrom Rack. Made by Woodlore and cost $13pp. Other inexpensive options include Cedar Elements on Amazon. I get the Woodlore Epic pairs from Massdrop for my fancy schmancy shoes

 

[ColinYB]

I just picked up my first pair of decent dress shoes (Allen Edmonds) and I a little lost as to care for them, I'm finding conflicting and confusing information all over the place. Initially I'm looking for shoe trees, but they're about 70 dollars for the Woodlore twin tube in Canada. Is that normal?! That price seems insane.

Also, I haven't worn them yet, and will be waiting until a wedding I have in the spring, is there anything that needs to be done to them in the meantime? After I wear them do I just brush them off, and only polish them when they're looking dull?

I've also heard of some sore of sole protector to make the leather sole last longer. Is this something most people do?

If they're new, you'll want to at the very least polish them as they don't have polish on them. Conditioning them should also help with making the leather easier to break in.

For shoe trees, on Amazon Canada you can find 21$ CAD wood trees which aren't bad.

 

[jctune]

I just picked up my first pair of decent dress shoes (Allen Edmonds) and I a little lost as to care for them, I'm finding conflicting and confusing information all over the place. Initially I'm looking for shoe trees, but they're about 70 dollars for the Woodlore twin tube in Canada. Is that normal?! That price seems insane.

Also, I haven't worn them yet, and will be waiting until a wedding I have in the spring, is there anything that needs to be done to them in the meantime? After I wear them do I just brush them off, and only polish them when they're looking dull?

I've also heard of some sore of sole protector to make the leather sole last longer. Is this something most people do?

A couple of things. First, there's lots of different "sole protectors" and you will get every possible opinion about them. For something you aren't going to wear often - I wouldn't even worry about.

Secondly, and most importantly. DO NOT WAIT to wear your shoes prior to the wedding in the spring. I'm cringing imagining you hobbling around in brand new shoes that hurt your feet as they haven't been broken in. Everyone's mileage varies on shoe break in, and in all honesty it's dependent on many factors - but at least wear them a couple of times before hand for the same amount of time you expect to wear them at the wedding to make sure they aren't hurting.

 

[Oligarch]

Have recently made a serious upgrade to my shoe collection (moving from lower end Spanish to Cleverly and EG) and trying to be a bit more careful with my shoe care.

Which shoe creams and polishes do people here recommend? Specifically, is there any difference between the "Shoe Snob" line of creams/polishes and Saphir Medaille d'Or?

I've seen some disagreement in this thread and others as to whether Shoe Snob and Saphir are the same, and would appreciate clarification on this point and any recommendations between the two if they are indeed different.

 

[BoydsShoes]

I just picked up my first pair of decent dress shoes (Allen Edmonds) and I a little lost as to care for them, I'm finding conflicting and confusing information all over the place. Initially I'm looking for shoe trees, but they're about 70 dollars for the Woodlore twin tube in Canada. Is that normal?! That price seems insane.

Also, I haven't worn them yet, and will be waiting until a wedding I have in the spring, is there anything that needs to be done to them in the meantime? After I wear them do I just brush them off, and only polish them when they're looking dull?

I've also heard of some sore of sole protector to make the leather sole last longer. Is this something most people do?

When you know you are happy with them, and are convinced they fit, give them two or three VERY thin coats of a nice cream polish. Most of us like applying polish with bare fingers or with a surgical gloved hand (my preferences). No matter what people say, the Allen Edmonds matched cream polish in the tube is perfectly high quality and probably made by Colonil (they don't want to admit it is not made in America). Although I don't usually use this brand, when I have, I was pleased with the results.

Buff between coats with a horse hair brush, but if you don't have that, a shammy or old T shirt are fine. You don't need to add wax to the toes until you become a shoe obsessive like me. The real issue of controversy is color. People vary from color matching to using neutral, so there is no best answer. Even more controversial is if you have purchased the Allen Edmonds Walnut color, in which case I am not going to give you advice because even neutral polish can darken or make it more orange. My suggestion is don't worry about it. The color may change in unpredictable ways.

Shoe trees: I have about 10 pairs of cedar trees, and have never paid more than $28.00 for them (Maximum).

Wearing: After each wear, brush them down. If you want to be comfortable and have them look great, wear them a lot. Only use polish in spots that get scuffed, but try rubbing with fingers at scuffs and brushing first. If that doesn't work, put down a little polish.

Before the wedding. Take a look at shoes. Rub in some conditioner (Bick4, Venetian Shoe Cream, other stuff people like). Its a special occasion, so you can polish them thoroughly again, even though they probably don't need it since you have already done such a good job taking care of them with brushing and a little spot polishing.

Note that even though I argue against polishing the entire shoe to the point of nuttiness, I do believe that polishing new shoes is required.

 

[MattJB]

Awesome, thanks guys, lots of useful information. I'll start checking around some local shops; the shoe tree options online (in Canada anyways) seen to be either poor options, or shipping is ridiculous. I'll pick up a horse hair brush, and some cream polish on top of that.

I'll be sure to wear them around the house a little, and eventually wear them to work, or out a couple of times so they're broken in by the summer.

 

[Sam_M]

Thanks for all the useful tips and knowledge provided on this forum, because of this site I've really come to appreciate nice shoes.

Question about pebble grain leathers. I recently purchased a new pair of brown C&J pebble grain boots. The leather seemed 'nourished' enough to my untrained eye but I decided to dab a bit of neutral shoe cream before wearing anyways. Small but noticeable areas of white wax have built up throughout the boot.

In the future, would it be recommended to use cream of similar color to the boot or to skip treatment for a new pebble grain shoe entirely?
Secondly, with my current pair and the wax that's built up on top, what is a proper solution for removal?

Thank you!

 

[LLEE]

^ that’s a fine indicator you didn’t brush throughly enough after applying probably a bit too much cream. A slightly damp cloth should get the bulk off, and then just a rigorous brush.
On theory, if you applied the exact same way with a coloured creme, you wouldn’t see it, until you ended up developing unnecessary buildup.

 

[Munky]

Thanks for all the useful tips and knowledge provided on this forum, because of this site I've really come to appreciate nice shoes.

Question about pebble grain leathers. I recently purchased a new pair of brown C&J pebble grain boots. The leather seemed 'nourished' enough to my untrained eye but I decided to dab a bit of neutral shoe cream before wearing anyways. Small but noticeable areas of white wax have built up throughout the boot.

In the future, would it be recommended to use cream of similar color to the boot or to skip treatment for a new pebble grain shoe entirely?
Secondly, with my current pair and the wax that's built up on top, what is a proper solution for removal?

Thank you!

There are a couple of other things you can do. First, use a hog-hair brush for buffing, rather than a horse-hair one. The former is stiffer and will brush out cream that has got trapped in the patterning. Second, use a 'transparent' cream, rather than a 'neutral' one. These won't collect in the lines on the shoes. One example of a transparent cream is one made by Oliver Sweeney and called Brush Up. One other option is to use a dauber to put on transparent cream. I have tried this but found that it picked up too much cream when I dipped it into the pot. Yours sincerely, Munky.

 

[Luigi_M]

Good advice @Munky!
I'Il add a pig bristle brush to my shoe care kit!
Every good wish! Luigi

 

[Reiver]

Yes @Munky I also use a hog-hair brush for my grained leathers and find it works well.

@Sam_M Crockett and Jones advised me that there was no need to add any polish or cream to my new pebble grain Coniston’s as they come polished from the factory. They stated that after approx 15 or so wears they might be due a polish.

Also they recommended wax polish over cream, stating that cream tends to build up in the grain more. I wasn’t sure about this but have been using wax very lightly and infrequently since and they seem in good shape so far.

 

[troika]

Anyone have any tips for moisturizing the inside of a shoe as previously recommended? Just shove fingers in and hope for coverage? Use a qtip? Don't do it all?

 

[willyto]

Anyone have any tips for moisturizing the inside of a shoe as previously recommended? Just shove fingers in and hope for coverage? Use a qtip? Don't do it all?

I just use Bick 4 with my bare hands(It's easier to feel where the conditioner has been applied) and because it gets slippery it's very easy to apply properly in the insole and the liner. I let it dry and then put a cloth rag around my hand to clean off any excess when it has absorved.

I use a generous amount.

 

[Sam_M]

^ that’s a fine indicator you didn’t brush throughly enough after applying probably a bit too much cream. A slightly damp cloth should get the bulk off, and then just a rigorous brush.
On theory, if you applied the exact same way with a coloured creme, you wouldn’t see it, until you ended up developing unnecessary buildup.

There are a couple of other things you can do. First, use a hog-hair brush for buffing, rather than a horse-hair one. The former is stiffer and will brush out cream that has got trapped in the patterning. Second, use a 'transparent' cream, rather than a 'neutral' one. These won't collect in the lines on the shoes. One example of a transparent cream is one made by Oliver Sweeney and called Brush Up. One other option is to use a dauber to put on transparent cream. I have tried this but found that it picked up too much cream when I dipped it into the pot. Yours sincerely, Munky.

Yes @Munky I also use a hog-hair brush for my grained leathers and find it works well.

@Sam_M Crockett and Jones advised me that there was no need to add any polish or cream to my new pebble grain Coniston’s as they come polished from the factory. They stated that after approx 15 or so wears they might be due a polish.

Also they recommended wax polish over cream, stating that cream tends to build up in the grain more. I wasn’t sure about this but have been using wax very lightly and infrequently since and they seem in good shape so far.

Appreciate the responses and advice! Very helpful.

 

[Munky]

Appreciate the responses and advice! Very helpful.

Yes, sorry Sam. The Brush Up I suggested is more of a wax than a cream. I use it, very occasionally, on my pebble grain shoes. Very best wishes, Munky