Looking After Leather Boots and Trainers

FOOTWEAR · GLOBAL

Looking After Leather Boots and Trainers

Materials and cleaning, protecting before wear, drying properly and repairs

Footwear fails at predictable points, and a small amount of care at the start makes a far larger difference than anything done later.

Protect before the first wear

Apply a protector spray suited to the material before shoes are worn outdoors, and repeat periodically. Stains bond to untreated leather and suede within minutes and are frequently permanent.

Check the spray matches the material, since suede and smooth leather need different products.

Cleaning by material

Smooth leather takes a damp cloth, a mild cleaner and a conditioner every few months to stop it drying and cracking. Suede and nubuck need a brush and an eraser rather than water.

Mixed-material trainers are cleaned in sections, and anything with a knitted upper should be brushed rather than soaked.

Never put them in a washing machine

It separates glued soles, distorts the shape and destroys leather. A brush, warm water and a little mild soap does the job.

Drying properly

Away from radiators and direct heat, stuffed with newspaper or shoe trees. Heat is what cracks leather and shrinks it, and a pair dried on a radiator never recovers.

Allow a full day, which is why rotating between pairs matters more than any product.

Rotation and shape

Wearing the same pair daily means they never dry out inside, which is what causes odour and breaks down linings. Cedar shoe trees absorb moisture and hold the shape.

Repairs

Have heel tips and soles replaced before they wear into the structure, which is a cheap repair that prevents an expensive one. Many trainers can be resoled and few people ask.

Fit

Try footwear at the end of the day when feet are largest, with the socks you will actually wear. Both feet, since they differ, and fit to the larger one.

Leather stretches across the width and never in length, so a shoe that is too short will always be too short.

Breaking them in

Indoors, an hour at a time, over several days. Any rubbing at home becomes a blister on a full day, and a cobbler can stretch one tight spot rather than the whole shoe.

Wet weather

Stuff wet footwear with newspaper and dry slowly at room temperature. Salt marks from winter pavements should be wiped off with a damp cloth promptly, since salt draws moisture out of leather and leaves white tidemarks.

Re-apply protector more often through winter.

Buying online

Check the returns policy before ordering two sizes, and try them on carpet rather than a hard floor so they stay returnable.

Storage

Somewhere dry and ventilated rather than a sealed box, which traps moisture and grows mould.

WHERE TO BUY

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