Tips
- Shoe service and maintenance.
- How to properly care for Leather.
- How to clean and polish your shoes?
- Foot Care tips and recomendations.
Shoe service and maintenance tips
Shoes are an investment for your feet and they need to do more than just look good - they have to be comfortable, too! For a long-lasting pair, your shoes should be durable and well-made. After all, who wants sore feet at the end of a long day? And don’t forget one of the most important aspects when wearing shoes – appearance. Shoes are often one of the first things we notice in others, so it's worth keeping them looking good.
Removing or putting on your shoes:
Always use a shoe horn (check our store for good quality and selection of shoehorns) when putting on or taking off your shoes. Always tighten your shoe laces snugly and untie them very loosely. Some people prefer to use a small chair when putting on the shoe. This is especially recommended when age or back problems make standing difficult.
Shoe storage
The storage room should be properly balanced for temperature and humidity (a shelf or closet in garage or cold damped/mouldy rooms in a basement must be avoid). Even slight differences in humidity and temperature can negatively affect the quality of the leather. Also, a good quality shoe bag should be use at the end of the day to protect from dust deposits and light.
Shoe tree
Using a shoe tree can help to keep your shoes in proper stretching position. Your shoe tree will protect the leather from shrinking and if made from cedar wood, can also absorb moisture and odour.
Did you know?
Did you know that after a long day on your feet they increase in size by 5-8% so it is best to buy new shoes in the evening!
In an average day, you’ll absorb through your shoes the force of your weight 3000+ times!
Despite covering just less than 5% of your body your feet make up roughly 30% of the first impression strangers can have of you!
How to Properly Care for Your Leather
Leather is a material unlike any other as it once was a living thing. There is nothing fake or unnatural about it. That means that you must take care of your leather if you want it to last for a long time. If you do not take care of it, then it will become dry, cracked, and weak. It can be hard to salvage any leather that reaches this state. As for general leather care, you must refrain from letting your leather shoes or products remain wet or crusted with dirt. The dirt can eat away at the leather. Plus, if it is damp for too long it can loose its elasticity. There are three main components that you need to consider when replenishing leather to an acceptable state; they include cleaning, conditioning, and protecting.
Cleaning
The first step in any leather cleaning process is to remove any dust or dirt with a damp cloth. Try not to use a course cloth as it could scratch the leather. The best thing to clean with is a soft cheese cloth or a natural sponge. The cloth should not be soaking wet either as much water can ruin the leather. Brush up and down the leather in a circular motion to rid it of any dirt. Do not be afraid to really clean it well by getting any gunk out of crevices and cracks. You need to clean it thoroughly in order for the entire process to be useful.
Condition
Once the leather has dried it will then be time to condition it. Conditioning is extremely important; in fact, it may be the most important step. Leather needs to be conditioned in order for it to remain looking beautiful. Grab your damp cloth and a conditioning product. Whatever you do, do not use soap! Lye soap or dish soap is probably the worst thing you could use for leather. It will only dry it out further. Therefore, it is very important that you have the right products for cleaning your leather.
Take a small amount of the conditioner onto your cloth or sponge. Then in a circular motion rub the conditioner in all over the leather. You want to make sure that it is really penetrating the surface of the material in order for it to be effective. Just do not over condition it as then the leather might become damaged. Once you have finished cleaning the entire surface of the leather let it dry before continuing onto the next step.
Protect
Your leather needs to be protected just as your skin does. You need to apply a waterproofing spray to its surface to keep it from getting moldy when damp. This will help prolong the life of your leather immensely. You need to wait for it to dry completely before expecting the waterproofing to work. However, once it has your leather will be look and feel like new!
For more information about leather and access to high quality cleaning products, please check out valentinogaremi.com for all of your leather basics.
What is the best way to clean shoes?
Cleaning shoes preparation:
Before starting the clean shoes process you need to make sure that your shoes are well dry. To have them dry is an important key on cleaning process. Shoes will be prepared for getting dry on well ventilated area and not near an artificial heating source. The drying process it should take a minimum three (3) to four (4) hours before cleaning process will begin.
Clean shoes:
Inspect your shoes carefully for marks of extra wear or for any damage sings. The laces should be removed in order to proceed with cleaning. Some time, simply water can remove extra dirt but you mast be prepare on get them dry with a soft cotton cloth (Collonil cleaning cloth). Leather shoe cleaner or Saddle soap works great for leather shoes. The use of a soft brush is very useful in removing any soil from the leather overlay as well as where the sole meets the upper part of the shoe.
Creaming:
For the best results use a small horsetail hair brush and work the polish paste in to the leather this is best done using small circular motions. Every so often as needed you can use a liquid shoe polish to keep the leather in good shape. All polish paste, cleaning brushes and liquid shoe polishes from our store can provide excellent results for this cleaning step.
Colors:
Use the proper color of polish for your shoes and that will help preventing water, dirt or salt spots to form. It is essential to choose the proper color of polish such as dark for dark colors and so on. Make sure that you test you colors in a small inconspicuous place. Now light colors should be treated with a cleaning polish or a clear shoe paste. Check our web store for a variety of good quality color polish.
How to polish shoes:
To get that mirror finish that we all like, you can use a mixture of water and shoe paste using a small clean cotton cloth wrapped around you finger. Make sure that you work it all in circular motions so as to spread the water-paste in wider and wider circles, this helps to give it that shine. For a better finish (once the water has evaporated) you can use a polishing sponge and or a polishing brush to remove small particles from the surface. To get the best results use a shoe cleaning cloth.
Daily quality foot care: prevent foot issues
1. Check Your Feet regularly.
Make sure to clean and check your feet daily. Any signs of unusual/diferent than normal such blisters, cuts, cracks, swelling, ingrown nails, athlete's foot disease or color changes should be investigated immediately . ( Using a mirror can help you see all areas of your feet.)
2. Shoe Fit .
Make sure that your shoes fit with comfortable space to your toes. Check inside shoes before putting them on, in case there are any foreign objects hiding in there, such as gravel, that could cause sores or irritation. Wear clean socks and if posible made from naturals ingredients as cotton or wool.
3. Cleaning your feet.
Wash feet everyday and make sure that you dry them. Inspect the thoroughly between your toes. Always cut nails straight across ( to avoid ingrown nail issues) and then smooth the edges with an file. For ease in cutting toenails, trim them after your bath or shower.
4. Review and remove.
Review and work to remove: corns, calluses, athlete's foot or ingrown toenails. These conditions can be aborded with diferent foot care tools and creams that are available at www.valentinogaremi.com .
5. Prevent Cracking
If you have dry skin, apply cream/balms to feet and heels to maintain daily foot care which can help maintaining .
6. Protect and prevent
Protect your feet from extremes in temperature. Keep bath water temperate in the 85-90 F degree range (30-32 C). Protect your feet from temperatures that are too cold, as well. Long cold temeratures and walking or standing can dafect circulation in a bad way.
7. Regular exercise
Regular exercise improves circulation to all your extremities.
It's so important to practice preventative foot care like the tips presented here, every day. If you notice anything that does not look normal you must review and follow so it can be treated or at least under attention .
