Shoe prep- how do you protect your shoe?

[JLie]

I read somewhere once that you could bring your shoe in to a shoe repair store and they'd do things, like waterproof, reinforce the sole... so your shoe will live longer.

Does anyone know the actual list of things to do to prep the shoe for longterm use? Is it necessary?

[jitterbugbaby]

There are any number of things you can do yourself, and here are only a few:

--regularly brushing your shoes
--wiping them with soft clothes
--keeping them stored with shoe trees to hold their shape
--spraying them with stain/water repellent every few months

And there are lots of things a cobbler can do to help them, too. To wit:

--replacing worn down soles
--adding a sole with greater traction (particularly useful in the case of leather-soled dress shoes that wear down very fast)
--adding toe caps/heel caps to protect high traffic parts of the sole from wearing down as quickly
--sealing shoes with a wax-like material that makes them more weather resistant


Any and all of these will help keep your shoes in better shape and make them last longer.

Anyone else have favorite treatments?

[JLie]

Hey thanks! My husband brought my shoes in today and is having the bottoms reinforced with a plastic thingy he calls a tap and a rubber sole. And they're waterproofing it too. Came to about 40$ and I pick em up tomoro.
I should get a boot tree. Is it a good investment?

[jitterbugbaby]

Taps are great. And rubber soles, too.

Here's my tip if you don't want to shell out for a whole bunch of shoe/boot trees. Either save the original stuffing that came in your shoes and keep it in there (that's what I do) to help them keep their shape.

Or, if you've already thrown that away, crumple up some tissue paper and stuff it in your shoes when they're being stored. That'll do the same thing.

[Cobblestone]

This is a great way to prolong the life of your footwear.

Here is a list of ways to keep em going.

Rubber heel lifts, non slip long wearing
Rubber Sole Protector- thin overlay to give longer wear, non slip, and extra comfort.
Heel Plates on larger size heel lifts- extends the life of the original toplift
Water and stain protector
Shoe Polish to protect and maintain color
Shoe Trees to keep shape, deodorize, reduce wrinkles
shoe bags when traveling

Visit this website for shoe care information google the

Shoe service institute of America

[Cobblestone]

Now available, red colored sole savers for your Christian Louboutins. Do a search on ebay for red sole savers. You can protect the soles from wear.

[Too-many-shoes]

I bought a pair of gold Stuart Weitzman Matty sandals last summer. I can't post a picture or link due to this being my first post. Before long, the metallic finish had completely rubbed off the insole, as well as the outer edges of the shoe.

Now I have a pair of 5227 sandals by Belle by Sigerson Morrison, again in gold, but with a much shinier mirrored finish. It was supposed to be Italian, but turned out to be made in China, which is cause for concern.

Does anyone have suggestions for protecting the finish? Normally I would spray it with waterproofing spray, but I have never tried that on a metallic shoe.

Thanks in advance.

[carron10]

Often, if you buy your shoes from a very nice, reputable retailer, such as your sigerson morrisons, you can ask for their advice on how to go about waterproofing. The salespeople should be able to give you advice or at least refer you to someone who knows best! Good luck!

[galligator]

Do you have a local cobbler you trust? You may be able to pick up a leather protectant spray at a shoestore or grocery store & try that. There's also some cobblers who may use a silicone spray to protect leather bags & handbags. That might be worth looking into.

[iSlingback]

I usually take my shoes once a year to get reheeled or resoled as needed. I do have a cobbler I trust..though he did mess up a pair of Aigner sandals I had but stretching them too wide, I'm still a little ****ed about that. I keep all my shoes in their original boxes in my closet.. mostly.