The Sunday Mail
Preparing shoes
TAKE your laces out of the leather shoes, make sure the laces are still in a perfect state. If not, prepare new laces to put in the shoes after you have polished them. Put wood shoe trees inside the shoes and tighten the leather. Make sure that you have enough space to work on and put your products around you.
Leather brushing
Before even thinking about creams, wax and others, you will need to make sure there is no dirt or dust left on your shoes, otherwise this may leave stains. To obtain the best result, you should use a cleaning brush for both smooth and grained or perforated leather and thoroughly but softly clean your shoes.
Do not forget all the linings, the brogues or tassels, if you have those, as well as the lining between the leather and the sole.
Deep cleaning
Once your shoes are dust and dirt free, they are ready to get deeply cleaned! Therefore, you should use a clean dry cloth and a nourishing cream. Apply the cream in circular motions. This leather cleansing milk helps to remove all traces of old cleaning products, just like a make-up remover, so that the leather will be in a perfect state to receive new care! It also helps to nourish the leather.
Caring
Pick out the right colour of shoe cream for your leather. For multi-coloured leather shoes we recommend you to use the neutral incolore cream.
Take a welt brush to apply the shoe cream in delicate areas and creases, but avoid using it on the soles. Then, with the round cream brush, apply the shoe cream in circular motions all over the shoe. Do not forget to apply it to the tongue as well. Once the entire leather surface is covered with shoe cream, leave them to allow the leather to absorb the cream.
Polishing
After the cream has completely dried and it is ready for more care, you can use a soft cream brush, always in circular motions, for a light shiny shoe.
For the ultimate shine you should use a polishing glove, available in the colour you would want, for a perfect shine to make your shoes as good as new!
How to clean and care for suede or nubuck shoes
For your suede, velvet or nubuck shoes, use a cleaning brush especially designed for these types of leather.
The rubber part is useful for more delicate leathers.
Rub in all directions to remove the dirt between the hairs. Gently press on the folds and edges of the shoe.
Keep your shoes in a perfect state
To keep your shoes looking great for as long as possible, use a shoe horn when you put them on, this will avoid any scratches, tears and creases. When you put your shoes away at the end of the day or because you will be wearing other shoes the next day, make sure to use cedar wood shoe trees to keep the leather in perfect shape and avoid any wrinkles.
Also note that leather, as well as leather soles, do not like rain. If you walk with your shoes through the rain, it might damage them irreparably.
Finally, we advise you to avoid waterproofing your shoes with chemical sprays, which can damage the leather.
In case of stains or marks on the leather, the cleaning milk will allow you to remove them and keep your shoes in good condition. —Wires
