Protecting and extending the life of your footwear

Use Cedar Shoe Trees   Shoe trees will extend the life of your shoes. During a normal day your feet produce over a 1/4 cup of moisture and more when you're active. This moisture is absorbed into the linings of your shoes. It decreases the life of your shoes by causing deterioration of the leather, thread, and other shoe materials. Placing shoetrees in your leather shoes every night removes this moisture. The shoetrees absorb the moisture by drawing it out of shoes. The shape of the leather is maintained by the tension of the shoetrees. Shoetrees also prevent leather cracking and permanent creasing where the toe bends. And, the aroma of cedar deodorizes shoes naturally by negating odors with the powerful scent of aromatic cedar.

Spray your footwear with leather preservative   Protects the leather against damage caused by water or salt, and helps prevent the leather from stretching. Spray your shoes or boots with peather preservative before you wear them and at least twice a year thereafter. In well ventilated area, hold can 6" - 8" from shoes, spray light coat over entire shoe. Apply 3 light coats with at least 2 hours drying time between each.

Cleaning your nubuck or suede leather shoes   Remove the laces. Clean shoes, heels and soles with a brush or damp cloth to remove dust and dirt. Rub shoes using the suede brush in a gentle circular motion, especially where the suede is flat or scuffed, or to remove dry stains. For heavy stains, or deeply embedded dirt, rub stains gently with a suede eraser (it will crumble as you rub), then brush shoes again.

Clean and polish your smooth-leather shoes   Select polish that matches your shoes or a neutral polish if your shoes are a hard to match color. Remove the laces. Clean shoes, heels and soles with a brush or damp cloth to remove dust and dirt. Let the shoes dry for a few minutes. Apply a small amount of polish with applicator, in a circular pattern. Old toothbrushes are useful for getting polish into tight areas. Allow shoes to dry, about 15 minutes. Buff to a shine with polishing cloth. If polishing several pairs of shoes, use a different applicator and cloth for each color of polish.

Use a shoehorn   Using a shoe horn every time you put your shoes on helps maintain the shape of the shoe's counter and keeps the shoe fitting you properly. To use, rest wide blade of the shoe horn against the inside back of shoe. Insert your toes in shoe. Place your heel against the inside of shoe horn. Push your heel firmly onto shoe horn while rocking it forward slightly, to help your foot slide into the shoe.