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Shoes are an important part of our outfits, wearing them in good condition and clean will always make a difference in looking presentable, otherwise, you will leave a lot to be desired. Remember that shoes are responsible for supporting all the information that we want to convey with our style.

Many times when we stop using shoes due to the season of the year or we use them very frequently, they deteriorate. There’s nothing worse for your shoes than water, dirt, and dust on the trail. Therefore, if you want your shoes to serve you for a long time, we recommend taking care of them correctly. It is not necessary to spend money on special detergents, it is enough to know just a few tricks that will make your shoes look like new.

Do you know how to bring them back to life or save them to bring them back out in good condition? To achieve our goal and ensure that what we buy accompanies us throughout our lives and is a good investment, I have put together some very useful tips for its care and cleaning and keeping it almost as good as the first day.

There is something that you should always keep in mind about caring for our shoes: that care becomes a fundamental routine because not only is it enough to clean them (a more aesthetic function), but we must take care of them to extend their life. If the shoe is good, it is really worth its price.

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1. Put the shoes in their boxes and put shoe trees on them

Once you decide to store your shoes for a season or to simply store them, the idea is to store them in their original box or, failing that, in another similar one and insert a shoe tree or a ball of paper so you will preserve their shape for much longer. and they will look like new for longer without deforming. This way you will be able to keep them free of dust, you will prevent them from coming into contact with the rest of your footwear, and you will protect them from stains and scuffs. In addition, paper, for example, will absorb moisture from the shoe (both that produced by sweat and that which may have soaked in on a rainy day). Do not store them in plastic bags as they may grow mold due to moisture.

2. Clean them and protect them from stains

If you are not going to use them for a while, clean them very well with shoe polish, horse grease, or another product before putting them away. It is recommended to shine your shoes after purchasing them and before wearing them. They will shine regularly for as long as you own them.

Suede or suede are very delicate materials and difficult to clean. In these cases, a magic eraser always comes in handy. These are white sponges that remove stains that are difficult to clean. Prevention is better than cure, which is why it is key that you act as soon as you see the stain (stains dry out and are more difficult to clean). If you notice a fresh grease stain, it is necessary to put talcum powder or starch on top of it. These substances will absorb all the dirt, and within 4-5 hours you can clean the remains using a brush and forget about the existence of the stain. For brown suede, in this case it is better to use ground coffee (whatever you have left in the coffee maker): you apply it in the same way and it does not cause any unpleasant consequences. Steam will also renew the look of your suede footwear. With the effect of water, heat and other factors, suede begins to get harder over time. To make its lifespan last longer, you can renew the material using steam. You can do it with an iron without touching the surface, just putting steam on it.

Polish your lacquered shoes with a velvet cloth. If you take care of your shoes this way every day, no one will ever think that you have been wearing them for a few years.

Toothpaste helps you whiten the soles of your favorite sneakers. Apply a small amount of the paste to an old toothbrush and rub it on the sole. The paste should be white, without coloring. With the same success, you can use toothpowder. To wash them, wet your sneakers and rub them with a whitening detergent (both the sole and the fabric). Let the detergent sit for 15 minutes, then scrub with a brush and rinse.

If you use creams, greases, brushes or other cleaning products, try not to abuse them and make sure they are of the best quality so that they do not damage the skin. The suede and brush you use must be exclusive for each color, make sure you use one for black shoes and another for the rest of the colors. After using the brush, wipe it over a cloth to remove any remaining cream and prevent the bristles from drying out.

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3. Repair your shoes when they are damaged

Don’t let time pass when a problem arises with your shoes. If a heel breaks, take it quickly to the shoemaker, if the sole is worn out, change it. Don’t wait, because the problem may not have a solution.

A new sole is a good way to extend the life of your beloved shoes. There are rubber or wood. Also take the opportunity to put new insoles so that they remain as comfortable as the first day.

Always having a marker on hand will help you hide small scratches. If the scratch is very deep, the marker is useless and you will have to go immediately to the shoemaker or resort to a dye bath.

Many times using a shoehorn is taken into account very little. The use of a shoehorn prevents deformations from occurring in the back of our footwear. Thanks to its ergonomic shape, it prevents us from breaking the buttress of the shoe and it is advisable to use it when trying on a shoe.

4. Limit its use

This is a golden rule. One of the worst things we can do to our shoes is to wear them every day. The skin needs to rest and return to its initial position. It is best to let them rest for at least a day. This will ensure that the skin does not become so marked. LET THEM REST!

5. Dry wet shoes

If the shoes get wet, we must clean them with a soft cloth and make sure that there is no water left on the surface. Use newspapers or baking soda to dry your natural leather shoes. Fill the inside of your shoes with balls of newspaper so that your shoes maintain their initial shape and prevent them from becoming deformed. Also wrap the shoes with several layers of newspaper on top. Remember that your sheets should not have photographs or too much dye and the filling should be changed after a few hours. Never leave them aside from a heat source, as the skin risks cracking.

To waterproof your shoes from getting wet, rub them with linseed oil a few times along the seams. You can also do it with mink oil or a wax-based polish, both against water and against light. There are also anti-dirt and anti-moisture protective sprays that provide stronger protection.

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6. Stretch your leather shoes

This method will also work for imitation leather, but only if they are of good quality. To start, heat water. As soon as the water boils, pour it into the shoes. Leave it there for a few seconds and remove the water. Then put on your shoes and walk until they dry completely.

You can also enlarge your shoes with a dryer in home conditions. Put on thick socks and the shoes you want to enlarge, and evenly heat all areas for 30 seconds from 10 cm away. Then, turn off the dryer and walk around the house until the shoes cool completely.

If they rub you, put plasters on your shoes to protect your feet before the shoe becomes deformed due to painful walking.

7. Eliminate bad odors from your shoes

Vinegar will help you eliminate the unpleasant smell from your shoes. Dip a cotton ball in vinegar and rub it on the shoe from the inside. After that, put it outdoors to ventilate.

8. Carry a spare pair in the car

Car pedals can deform shoes. Therefore, wear more comfortable shoes or ones that you don’t mind damaging.

As you will see, for cleaning and care there are two basic rules that you should not skip when cleaning your shoes. First of all, it is essential to know the material they are made of and take into account the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning. And, secondly, if we see a stain, it is advisable to remove it as soon as possible and not leave it for days and days, because it will become increasingly difficult to remove.

Have you ever committed a sin when caring for your shoes?

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