Every person has a pair of dress shoes that they probably love too much to watch them come to any harm. But even then, your shoes may suffer an ill-fate that you never imagined letting them go through, why? Because you didn’t take the right steps at taking care of them. Don’t worry though, you have time to learn. And on that note, let’s discuss some of the quick ways to increase the life-span of your dress shoes.
1- Thorough Cleaning
The simplest step that should get prioritized is to clean your formal dress shoes thoroughly. This is especially important for formal leather shoes as they can dry out and crack if not taken care of the right way. Cleaning your shoes is easy, just apply mild soap and a damp cloth to clean the surface of the shoes. Although different types of shoes may require different types of cleaning tactics, so research into the type of dress shoes you have and take the steps accordingly.
2- Condition and Polish
It’s important to condition and polish your shoes after every interval. If you live in a location with harsh cold weather, conditioning your shoes after every 5-10 wears is necessary. If you live in a place with warmer climate conditions, then conditioning them after 10-15 wears will be fine.
Applying a good quality shoe polish is necessary once a month. Although make sure the polish matches your shoe’s color.
3- Use Shoe Trees
If you want to store your shoes away from damage and moisture, it’s time to invest in a good quality cedar shoe tree. Plastic shoe trees are also an option but they don’t provide the antibacterial properties that cedar has. Shoe trees can preserve your shoes’ natural shape while also keeping away any pungent smell. They’re critical in maintaining the life-span of your leather shoes.
4- Rotate Between Usage
Yes, it’s true that all of us possess one pair of dress shoes we prefer over every other, but if you want to maintain the shoe’s life-span you need to have a few different pairs of dress shoes to make sure you’re not ruining the shoe’s quality and life-span. If those black dress shoes are your choice for every occasion, then buy a few pairs of black dress shoes for better durability. This gives the shoe time to rest and dry out any moisture, while you can also use this resting period as a time to clean them properly before their next use.
5- Invest in Shoe Bags
Shoe bags are another good way to make sure your shoes are being stored properly. Stacking your shoes one top of the other ruins their shape and also makes them dirty. The best way to increase the life-span of your dress shoes is to use shoe trees to preserve their shape and then put them in shoe bags to keep them away from dust and other particles that can pose a threat to their quality.
6- Buy the Right Fit
One of the most common mistakes people make is buying shoes that are the exact fit, with little to no room left for your feet to take a breather. The truth is that this feels comfortable only when you’re trying on shoes for the first time. But when you walk around in them, you realize your feet extend one-third of an inch during walks. To preserve the life-span of shoes, you need to buy shoes that leave about half an inch of extra space to ensure comfort and a longer-lasting fit.
Where to get the best dress shoes?
There are a lot of options available when it comes to the best formal shoe brands. One such option is Bootstash by Elite Leather Creations. There are a lot of options available in the men’s formal leather shoes department that can provide you a variety of shoes for your wardrobe that aren’t only good in quality but also guarantee better durability in the life-span.
These are the easiest ways to increase the life-span of your dress shoes. So make sure you’re utilizing all of them to keep your favorite shoes from getting ruined.
