A man’s formal leather shoes are just as big of an investment as a new car – they need to be taken care of and have consistent maintenance. If you treat your leather shoes well, they will last you for a lifetime. Read on to learn from John Allan’s shoe shiner, José, about how to take care of your leather shoes.
#1: Know how often you should get your shoes polished/cleaned.
How often someone gets their shoes polished really depends on the person. Some people buy new leather shoes and get them polished right away because the bag they come in makes them lose their shine. Whether you do that or not, you should get a maintenance polish every 1-2 weeks, depending on scratches. You can do it yourself, or take them to a shoe shiner.
#2: Use shoe trees to soak up moisture and reshape the leather to its ideal form.
Your feet inevitably sweat while wearing leather shoes all day, and the leather soaks up the moisture. All of this moisture can cause the lining of your shoes to rot, your shoes will start to stink, and the leather can crack over time. A shoe tree will keep the shoes’ original shape while absorbing the excess moisture, thus keeping your shoes from getting ruined. *Unfinished cedar is the best for absorption – don’t get shoe trees with varnish because they don’t absorb as well. (*Give your shoes a full 24-hours to dry before wearing them again).
#3: If you’re a do-it-yourself(er), have a fully stocked shoe shine valet box and know how to use it.
What to have in your shoe shine valet box:
- Cream Polish (in every color shoe that you want to polish) – this moisturizes the leather
- Wax Polish (in every color shoe that you want to polish) – this gets rid of the scuffs
- Polish Daubers (one for every color polish – i.e. black, dark brown, light brown, white) – animal hairs are best because they won’t scratch the polish when you are applying it
- Medium Sized Shoe Brushes (one for every color polish – i.e. black, dark brown, light brown, white)
- Chamois Polishing Cloth
- A box to hold your polishing goods (We got a wood one with a nifty foot stand, but that option is up to you)
Check out what we have in ours below!
How to Polish your Leather Shoes:
- Wash the shoes (wipe them down with a wet cloth – especially if they are brown/light colors)
- Brush the shoes to get rid of any lint or debris
- Brush on a matching color cream (always put a moisterizing cream on the leather before polish because the polish is dry and will dry out the leather)
- Brush the shoes to get rid of extra cream
- Put polish on the shoes
- Let the polish dry
- Brush the shoes to get excess polish off
- Use a linen buffing cloth to give the polish a shine
- Rub mint oil along the sole of the shoes to give a shine to the edge of the sole (little details make a big difference!)
- Wipe down the entire shoe
Get to know José:
José learned to polish shoes during his 20’s in Mexico City. He used to watch his friend polish shoes for work and his dad just so happened to have a shoe shine valet box too. He “stole” his dad’s box and started to do it with his friend at the airport and has been polishing ever since. He has since then found his way to John Allan’s in Beverly Hills. Stop by and get a shoe shine (*he also does house calls – see his business card below)!
HAPPY SHOPPING!
[If you want more men’s fashion articles, click here! If you’re looking for your next pair of leather shoes, check out “Loafers: A Short History and How to Wear Them“.]
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