Shoe care: timing and best products?

Originally Posted by Aluan

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wearing suede in the rain is a bad idea anyway.

I prefer to wear suede shoes or boots in the rain.

Use a spray on them first and it only requires a quick brushing to clean them back up (and sometimes not even that).

IMHO, those are the best products to take care of your shoes. Follow the link below and check on the upper right hand side to have the site in english...

I always tree my shoes after wearing, for at least 24 hours. Shoes with matching trees keep theirs in, while the rest make do with three plastic ones that get rotated. Still trying to get more trees. When wet, I stuff them with newspaper until dry. All of my dress shoes are on rotation, and get at least 3-4 days off between wearings.

All of my new shoes now have toe taps installed - no topys.

I use wax polish, and after building up an acceptable shine I only touch it up after every 5-6 wearings or so. I find that there's enough of a protective layer of wax on them that I can brush off minor scuffs in a few seconds. For my AEs I use the matching AE-branded shoe cream. I've never waterproofed, but instead take precautions to wear rainy-day (ie, rubber-soled) dress shoes when it's wet, and I wear boots in the snow.

I've never conditioned my shoes before, but I have been experimenting with a product called Leather CPR, which supposedly restores and softens leather. I've used it on my cheapo Loake oxfords (CG leather), and found that the uppers are much more supple now. There were already deep creases behind the toe caps (due to 3 years of regular wear), but that might be because the shoes are a bit too wide for me across the ball, and the toebox is very roomy. We'll see if the product extends their lifespan.

Originally Posted by shuuy

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I've spent 20 minutes looking at all the shoe care forums, and since I'm a dumb ivy league MBA'er, I need things spelled out for me (frequency, purpose, and products). Appreciate your help telling me where I'm good, or where I'm not. In return for your dragon wisdom, I'll update this top post to make this thread relevant.

Mandatory steps

Shoe Trees
- After every use
- Keeps insides of shoes dry, which prolongs the life.
- Shoe trees are pretty standard, so no real "best" product?


Cleaning and conditioning
- Weekly
- Takes off all the rain/dirt/grime / prevents the leather from cracking by "re-oiling" the leather
- Lexol is best
- Apply with a cotton rag (i.e., old t-shirt), let sit in, and wipe dry

Question: Is cleaning and conditioning two separate steps?

Polishing
- Weekly
- After leather is cleaned and conditioned, makes it shiny.
- Comes in either a paste or a cream. Cream-fans like how it gets "into" the leather
- Kiwi has a generally negative reputation, and Meltonian is generally favorable.
- Use a horsehair brush to rub into the shoe (either paste or cream), then use a big brush to rub-off any excess, then a cotton cloth to shine

Optional steps
Waterproofing
- After polishing
- After you've polished, you want to protect your precious from the elements
- If it's a spray can, then spray and wipe, otherwise use snoseal (wax). Some people like melting it, others use friction to warm)

Dying
- Very infrequently
- You want black to really be black, or you don't like the brown
- After cleaning, apply dye and follow instructions
- ??

Other key points
- Saddle soap tends to wreck delicate shoes


Recommended first purchase
- Shoe Trees
- Lexol Leather Conditioner
- Shoe Shine Kit w Melotonian Creams
Question: Am I missing anything else?


I would suggest that you follow the maker's instructions, old chap.

Grenson have useful guide on their website.

Great list! Thanks for taking the initiative. Personally, I'd go crazy if I polished my shoes once a week. I generally give my collection a seasonal polish and do a few touch ups here and there on specific shoes when I see they need it.

Originally Posted by MisterGee

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Nice exposition. Can someone provide a link to where to purchase a nice shoe care kit or just where to buy the above products? Thanks.

Franco's. Excellent source for Saphir and Crema Nubiana. SF member Ron Rider works there and heads up Rider boots:
http://www.francos.com/items/index.asp?catID=71

And some shoe trees fill the shoe better than others. I like Woodlore Epic, the rebadged Costco ones are available cheap on Ebay.

I was searching for Meltonian shoe cream in NYC and discovered a place that has their entire range. Oddly enough it's a theater supply place: Manhattan Wardrobe Supply. The place is kind of a dump, but they have everything from light gray to green to "banana."

Is polish necessary for a pebble-grained leather?

I'm referring to the Allen-Edmond McClain in chili. I bought conditioner from AE, but no polish. Wondering if the conditioner will be sufficient for keeping the shoe in top shape.

Originally Posted by enarchay

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Is polish necessary for a pebble-grained leather?

I'm referring to the Allen-Edmond McClain in chili. I bought conditioner from AE, but no polish. Wondering if the conditioner will be sufficient for keeping the shoe in top shape.



Read post #12

What do you think of the McClain?

What do you think of the McClain?

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I haven't owned any AEs before, so I'm not sure how much my opinion counts, but I really like the McClain. I was a bit worried about the chili color at first, but it's really nice looking in person; it's a darker color rather than a bright orange, and has a lot of nuance to it.

I use shoe cream on my shoes everywhere but where i want to spit shine...and that is never any further back than the stiff part of the shoe.

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So what exactly is the difference between shoe cream, polish, and conditioner?

Or just do nothing to fit in perfectly.

Originally Posted by enarchay

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So what exactly is the difference between shoe cream, polish, and conditioner?

Shoe cream and polish are the same thing. From recent AAAC copy/paste:
- Cleaner: Cleans the shoe, getst hat gunk off. Sometimes conbined into a cleaner/conditioner which works fine.
- Conditioner: Adds back moisture to the leather. Sometimes conbined into a cleaner/conditioner which works fine.
- Cream/Polish: Adds back color to the shoe but does not give it a sheen or shine. If you scratch the leather on your shoe and it has a discolored line (against a table), you can polish and buff most of it off.
- Wax: Gives a "coat" of wax for protection and shine. If your shoes are looking a bit dull and you want them to shine a bit (or a lot through "bulling"), use wax.
- Edge dressing: This is purely aethetics. The edge of your shoe, where the sole is, is leather but a black or brown dye is put on top of it, called a "dressing." Well, if you look at the tip of your shoe and see that the dye has been worn down (the way you walk, walked into something, etc...), you can now see the nude leather. Applying edge dressing (in whatever color) redyes it so it looks newer and gives it more of a clean look.

Unless you're spit shining the toes I would not recommend any form of solid shoe polish for good shoes. Shoe polish has benzine in it. It is there to cool the wax quickly and make it hard so that it can be buffed. It will also draw the moisturizers out of the leather.

I use shoe cream on my shoes everywhere but where i want to spit shine...and that is never any further back than the stiff part of the shoe.

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Wait... I'm confused here. Don't use shoe polish? Only use it when?...

If I can add, there can be a different with shoe trees. Those that are made by the shoe manufacturer for the specific last of shoe are best, as the key purpose of shoe trees is to maintain the shape of the shoe.

If you don't get "lasted" shoe trees, try and find trees that best fit the particular shoe. You don't want to stretch the leather, but you do want to fill the open spaces so as to prevent creases and hold the shape of the shoe.