Caring for Leather Shoes - The Benefits of Proper Shoe Care

How to Take Care of Your Smooth Leather Shoes

Care of leather shoes is not just about making your shoes look good, which would be reason enough to take care of them. It's also about preserving and adding to the life of your leather shoes.

Whether you spend a lot on your shoes, or don't have much to spend, taking care of your leather shoes makes sense.

In the case of designer, or more expensive shoes, look at it as though you're protecting your investment, or what could be a future collectible.

And if you don't have a lot to spend on shoes, keeping the ones you have in great shape will remove the need to buy new shoes for every occasion.

Why Caring For Leather Shoes is Important

Without proper conditioning and care, leather can dry out until it eventually cracks and falls apart, and you'll no longer want to wear them out of the house - even if they did cost a small fortune

While some people are content to throw on a coat of shoe polish when their shoes start to look shabby, to really protect your leather shoes and keep them looking their best, there are four steps to follow.

• Clean
• Condition
• Polish
• Preserve or Weatherproof

There are important distinctions between caring for smooth leather shoes and caring for suede, exotic skins, nubuck, or athletic shoes. The following general instructions pertain to caring for smooth leather shoes, such as men's or women's leather dress shoes.

In the next section, we'll address products for smooth leather shoe care, and how to prepare for a shoe cleaning session.