Shoe Care: Am I missing anything?

[Talon77]

Hey all, just wanting to see if I am missing anything in my research on leather shoe care. Below is what I have gathered thus far, please let me know if I'm missing something.

1) Before wearing a newly purchased pair of shoes, apply waterproofing spray. Reapply every 1-4 months depending on quality of product)
2) Always place wooden shoe tree in shoes after use.
3) Clean with shoe brush as needed (remove dust, etc.)
4) Periodically (~every month) apply leather conditioner. {should this be applied prior to first wear as well?}
5) Occasionally clean with saddle soap (if excessively dirty or prior to applying cream/polish)
6) As needed, apply polish/cream to pair of clean & dry shoes (after cleaning)
7) IF NECESSARY use solvent, like nail polish, to strip off caked on layers of polish prior to re-conditioning leather.
8) Apply renovator product to excessively dry/worn/damaged shoe after cleaning/stripping it.

Is all that correct and/or did I miss anything?

 

[Oscroft]

Hey all, just wanting to see if I am missing anything in my research on leather shoe care. Below is what I have gathered thus far, please let me know if I'm missing something.

1) Before wearing a newly purchased pair of shoes, apply waterproofing spray. Reapply every 1-4 months depending on quality of product)

No, definitely not. Spray waterproofing (if it's the right sort) is good for suede and nubuck, but not for normal leather. For that, what you need is a selection of conditioner/cream/polish. My approach has been conditioner once, then cream polish, then a light wax polish coat. Brush after every wear, and don't repolish until that doesn't regenerate the shine. When the shine doesn't come back after a simple brushing, go back to a light cream polish treatment followed by a light coat of wax polish. Others have their preferred approaches, but that works for me,

2) Always place wooden shoe tree in shoes after use.

Yep - double-plus good

3) Clean with shoe brush as needed (remove dust, etc.)

Yes, see above - after every wear

4) Periodically (~every month) apply leather conditioner. {should this be applied prior to first wear as well?}

Far less frequently than that. If you keep your shoes clean by brushing, and use a cream and/or wax polish whenever that doesn't bring them back, you shouldn't need to recondition anywhere near as often as that.

5) Occasionally clean with saddle soap (if excessively dirty or prior to applying cream/polish)

I'd say you only need to do that if there's a build-up of polish that needs to be removed or the surface still looks dirty after brushing/polishing - it should be very rare

6) As needed, apply polish/cream to pair of clean & dry shoes (after cleaning)

Yep - as above.

7) IF NECESSARY use solvent, like nail polish, to strip off caked on layers of polish prior to re-conditioning leather.

That should only be necessary if you acquire a pair of shoes that has not been well cared for and has a build-up of polish - once you start caring for them yourself, they'll never get like that again, right?

8) Apply renovator product to excessively dry/worn/damaged shoe after cleaning/stripping it.

Yep, a good renovator product really can do a lot for a neglected pair of shoes.

Is all that correct and/or did I miss anything?

Wear, enjoy, take pride

 

[LogisticEarth]

The above by Oscroft is all good information. Waterproofing isn't needed unless it's suede, and then it's only an option. Don't worry about conditioning the shoes heavily every month. A quick wipe down with a mild conditioner like Saphir Renovateur probably won't hurt monthly, but using deeper conditioners too often can actually make the leather a bit droopy looking.

The only thing I'd disagree with is the solvent stuff. If you have a pair that you keep a high gloss shine on, it's good to strip that off every year or two and apply a deep conditioner before rebuilding the layers of polish.

 

[Oscroft]

The only think I'd disagree with is the solvent stuff. If you have a pair that you keep a high gloss shine on, it's good to strip that off every year or two and apply a deep conditioner before rebuilding the levels of polish.

Yeah, I think I'd go along with that - I don't go for high gloss shines myself, so it's not something I really need to do.

 

[Talon77]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the corrections to my understanding.
Cheers!

 

[Toothpick]

9) Wear shoes with a smile.