Caring For Your Footwear
We wrote about this in a previous article, but with several months of foul weather ahead we decided to include it again.
With snow, ice, and salt in the path almost every day, it is important to make sure your footwear is protected. If you decide not to use overshoes you need to make sure the leather is protected. Keep plenty of polish on the shoes. Listed below are several type of polishes. Good, quality leather shoes should be polished once a month or more to preserve their life if worn regularly.
Leather Shoe Polishes
Shoe polishes come in four basic premixed forms: waxes, pastes, liquids,and creams.
Using wax will give you a glossy shine and also prevents moisture from seeping into the leather. Wax polishes are used on shoes that are exposed regularly to outdoor elements, such as hiking and combat boots. Wax can dry shoes too, causing them to crack with age. If using wax, it's important to use a leather conditioner first, to preserve the quality of the leather.
Creams and pastes add moisture to your shoe by soaking into leathers as they work. Because they actually penetrate the surface of the leather, creams and pastes cover scratches and other imperfections. Creams and pastes work well on all types of shiny or smooth leathers.
Liquid shoe polish is easy to apply, but like wax, doesn't penetrate or condition leather. Use liquid "quick fix" polishes seldomly.
TIP
SALT STAINS can be removed from shoes with a mixture of 1 cup hot water and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Mix well and apply to shoe with a soft rag, gently scrubbing affected area. Allow to air dry.
