7 Steps to keep your leather CYCLEUR de LUXE shoes in excellent condition

Are you desperately trying to keep your leather shoes from staining and creasing without knowing where to start? Are you scared you might ruin your beautiful pair of leather CYCLEUR de LUXE shoes? We’ve put a list down below with 7 tips that will help you keep your leather shoes looking like new!

1. Don’t wear them every day

Leather is like skin, it needs to breathe. As you wear your shoes throughout the day, your feet start to sweat. This sweat is absorbed by the leather. Moist leather is prone to stretching, creasing and staining, so it’s important to let them dry for a day. This is why you should never wear your leather shoes every day. Having two pairs of shoes is the perfect solution as you can switch between them.

2. Clean them after taking them off

Keep a brush or cloth with you so you can quickly clean them after each wear. This way dirt and filth won’t soak into the leather. This will prevent having to deal with stains later on. A small effort that significantly increases the looks of your shoes.

3. Put a shoe tree in them

When you’re not wearing your leather shoes, you should always put a shoe tree in them. As said before, leather absorbs sweat and odours. A shoe tree is meant to absorb these before the leather does. Another advantage is that the shoe tree will help the shoe maintain its shape by preventing creases.

4. Avoid bad weather conditions

It’s very important to prevent your leather shoes from getting wet in the rain, snow or other moist conditions. Not only can the water stain the leather, the soles will also get a lot more vulnerable when wet. If however you really do have to wear them on a rainy day, try putting on a pair of overshoes. If you don’t own a pair of overshoes and they do get wet, don’t panic. Just let the shoes dry with a shoe tree in them for a couple of days. However, do NOT put the shoes near a radiator or in the sun as this might crack and severely damage the leather.

5. Frequently polish them

The leather will dry out, causing it to crack. This is why it’s important to polish your pair of shoes every few wears. You should try to polish your shoes at least every 5 wears. Shoe polish will add a protective layer and moisturize the leather. You can use cream or wax polish or a combination of both. Just apply the polish to the shoe in a circular movement using a microfibre cloth.

6. Cover them when stored

If you’re putting your shoes away for a while, make sure they’re covered. Put them in a box or dust bag so the dust doesn’t work its way into the leather. Dust can cause staining and degradation. The best option would be a dust bag as they’ll also be able to breathe.

7. Use a protecting spray

Complementary to the protective layer the shoe polish adds, you might want to add a leather protection spray. Protector spray can make the shoes waterproof and supple while also keeping the shoes soft. (NOTE: This tip is for suède and nubuck leather only!)