It can be very simple to maintain your shoes. Just keeping to a schedule that might trip up most people. When I wear my dress shoes, I use conditioner and polish about every two months. The repetition is the key. It saturates the leather with oils and waxes so that your shoes are sure to last a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what should you do first?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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What to Do First for Leather Shoes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"Do](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Do-This-First-Leather-Shoe-Care.jpg\" "\\"Do")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBefore you start wearing your leather shoes regularly, you should protect them. Do this as soon as possible. First, get into the habit of taking care of your shoes, and second, stop stains and premature wear that can occur when first using your shoes by conditioning them or using a protectant spray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These conditioners can help protect your shoes from water and other particles from penetrating the leather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using protectants and conditioners is the first step <\/strong>to getting your shoes to last longer and stay looking nice. Some may darken leather,<\/strong> so look at the product description and decide if that’s okay. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you don’t want to use a conditioner, you could opt for a protectant spray<\/a>. These cover your shoes in a layer of clear waterproof material that will stop your shoes from getting stains and prevent dirt particles from penetrating the leather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Dress shoes <\/strong>– Use a conditioner, a colored or neutral polish, or a protectant spray.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Regular leather shoes <\/strong>– Use a conditioner or a protectant spray.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Nubucks <\/strong>– Use a conditioner or a protectant spray.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Suede <\/strong>– Use a conditioner or a protectant spray.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Sheepskin <\/strong>– Use a conditioner or a protectant spray. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Patent Leather<\/strong> – Use castor oil, mineral oil, olive oil, petroleum jelly, or a conditioner.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Whether you use a conditioner, polish, or a protectant spray, they will only last for a couple of weeks to months, depending on how much you use your shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I prefer conditioners <\/strong>overall because they usually soak into the leather, and over several applications, your shoes start to get saturated with the conditioners and that creates a soft, pliable leather that doesn’t crack, looks nice, and holds up well over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTip<\/strong> – Some conditioners or protectants can cause the color of your leather shoes to rub off. You can first test on a small unseen section of leather to test colorfastness. Adding too much conditioner may cause more color to come off. It all depends on the product you use and the quality of your shoe leather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhich Product for Leather Conditioning? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"which](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/which-product-Leather-Shoe-Care.jpg\" "\\"which")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhen you get new shoes, you might not need to condition them, but doing so can help them last longer and resist stains better. Your shoes may already be somewhat protected when you first buy them, but not always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You’ll need to decide which leather conditioner is best for your shoes. I find that reading reviews give me a good idea about how effective a conditioner is and how well it works for specific leathers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I use a product called Leather Rescue (Amazon.com Link<\/a>). It works well so far. It takes a while to soak in but then your shoes stay protected well. A lot of people on Amazon.com use a product called Honey Leather (Amazon.com Link<\/a>) and most have good results too. <\/p>\n\n\n\nYou should get a product that works best for your type of leather<\/strong>. Soft leather, nubuck, suede, sheepskin, and patent leather can various products that claim they are used for conditioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nIf I were getting a product today, I might consider one of the following to use for various types of leather shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBefore you start wearing your leather shoes regularly, you should protect them. Do this as soon as possible. First, get into the habit of taking care of your shoes, and second, stop stains and premature wear that can occur when first using your shoes by conditioning them or using a protectant spray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These conditioners can help protect your shoes from water and other particles from penetrating the leather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using protectants and conditioners is the first step <\/strong>to getting your shoes to last longer and stay looking nice. Some may darken leather,<\/strong> so look at the product description and decide if that’s okay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don’t want to use a conditioner, you could opt for a protectant spray<\/a>. These cover your shoes in a layer of clear waterproof material that will stop your shoes from getting stains and prevent dirt particles from penetrating the leather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you use a conditioner, polish, or a protectant spray, they will only last for a couple of weeks to months, depending on how much you use your shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I prefer conditioners <\/strong>overall because they usually soak into the leather, and over several applications, your shoes start to get saturated with the conditioners and that creates a soft, pliable leather that doesn’t crack, looks nice, and holds up well over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip<\/strong> – Some conditioners or protectants can cause the color of your leather shoes to rub off. You can first test on a small unseen section of leather to test colorfastness. Adding too much conditioner may cause more color to come off. It all depends on the product you use and the quality of your shoe leather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you get new shoes, you might not need to condition them, but doing so can help them last longer and resist stains better. Your shoes may already be somewhat protected when you first buy them, but not always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll need to decide which leather conditioner is best for your shoes. I find that reading reviews give me a good idea about how effective a conditioner is and how well it works for specific leathers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I use a product called Leather Rescue (Amazon.com Link<\/a>). It works well so far. It takes a while to soak in but then your shoes stay protected well. A lot of people on Amazon.com use a product called Honey Leather (Amazon.com Link<\/a>) and most have good results too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You should get a product that works best for your type of leather<\/strong>. Soft leather, nubuck, suede, sheepskin, and patent leather can various products that claim they are used for conditioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I were getting a product today, I might consider one of the following to use for various types of leather shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhich Product for Leather Conditioning? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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![\"N\/A\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31Jkd6FGK-L._SL150_.jpg\")
![\"N\/A\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51Vy0CozL5L._SL150_.jpg\")
![\"N\/A\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31lz-qyESXL._SL150_.jpg\")
![\"N\/A\"](\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31vfhh0o+rL._SL150_.jpg\")
![\"soft](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/soft-Leather-Shoe-Care.jpg\" "\\"soft")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Nubuck](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Nubuck-Leather-Shoe-Care.jpg\" "\\"Nubuck")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"suede](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/suede-Leather-Shoe-Care.jpg\" "\\"suede")
![\"sheepskin](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/sheepskin-Leather-Shoe-Care.jpg\" "\\"sheepskin")
![\"patent](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/patent-Leather-Shoe-Care.jpg\" "\\"patent")