Leather Shoe Care

I. Common sense of leather shoe sales
1. Shoe size represents the length of the shoe, and shoe type represents the fatness of the shoe. You need to pay attention to the shoe size and shoe type when selling;
2. Customers with high arches should not choose thin shoes or shoes with large decorations on the uppers to avoid pressure on the arches and discomfort;
3. When buying shoes in the morning, the shoe size should be loose; when buying shoes in the evening, the shoe size should be slightly tight;
4. The basic standard of so-called well-fitting shoes is: the shoe size matches the foot, neither too big nor too small; the toes can move freely in the shoe; the waist support of the shoe fits the arch firmly; the heel of the shoe is stable;
5. Leather-soled shoes have good air permeability, but the wear resistance is not as good as imitation leather soles and rubber soles, and they should avoid water, oil, acid and alkali. You need to be extra careful when wearing them. It is recommended to stick a layer of rubber soles to extend the life;
6. The standard units of leather shoe sizes are different internationally, and there will be certain differences in size conversion (see the table below for details).

II. Correct wearing habits
1. Avoid wearing leather shoes in the following inappropriate situations;
① Rainy and snowy days, sports, mountain climbing, riding motorcycles or bicycles;
② Wet and slippery ground, rugged ground, snow, sandy ground;
③ Stepping on water, gravel and hard objects.
2. When new shoes are difficult to put on, do not force it. You should choose shoes that fit your feet or use shoe horns and stockings;
3. Try to avoid wearing the same pair of shoes for many consecutive days. Leather shoes and sports shoes should be used for specific purposes to extend their wearing life;
4. When taking off shoes, do not step on the heels to avoid heel stacking;
5. After buying leather-soled shoes, add rubber supports to the soles first, which can not only protect the leather-soled shoes, but also play a non-slip role;
6. The pigskin lining will fade slightly if it is wet or rubbed for a long time, so you should choose socks with matching colors;
7. Leather shoes should not be exposed to moisture, rain, water, exposure to the sun and fire, so as to avoid deformation of leather shoes and cracking of the leather surface.

III. Daily care tips
1. The first time you polish your leather shoes, you should do it before wearing them;
2. Use shoe cream of the same color to wipe your leather shoes regularly (2-3 weeks) and avoid using liquid shoe polish;
3. Avoid applying shoe cream directly to the leather surface. Apply it to the shoe cloth or shoe polish first, and then evenly apply it to the leather shoes;
4. Always keep your leather shoes dry;
5. Prevent your leather shoes from being in an environment with too high/low temperature and too high humidity, otherwise it is easy to cause nitration (i.e. white alkaline substances appear on the leather surface, and the leather in the nitration area is obviously different from the leather in other areas next to it);
6. Avoid washing with water and contact with chemical solvents when cleaning leather shoes.
7. Use a large soft-bristled shoe brush/shoe cloth to lightly brush the entire shoe to see if there is any dirt on the convex surface of the shoe edge;
8. Use a pointed brush to brush off fine dust in the gaps between the heel and the body of the shoe
(If there are shoelaces, loosen the shoelaces and use a pointed brush to clean the dirt that is not easy to see from the outside);
9. Squeeze a little cleaning oil on the cloth and apply it to the entire shoe;
10. Take another piece of cloth (do not mix with the cloth with cleaning oil) and dip it in a little shoe cream and evenly apply it to the entire shoe;
11. Polish the entire shoe with a clean soft cloth;
12. Put in a shoe tree (if there is no shoe tree, put in the newspaper instead).

IV. Care methods for wet leather shoes
1. Use a dry cloth with good water absorption to absorb moisture from the surface of the leather shoes;
2. Put newspapers in the shoes and change them frequently to completely absorb moisture;
3. After drying to a certain extent, put in a shoe tree or paper ball to prevent the leather shoes from deforming;
4. Place in a cool place and let the leather shoes dry naturally. Never expose wet leather shoes in the sun, next to the air conditioner or use a hair dryer to dry, otherwise they will crack;
5. After completely drying, maintain according to the daily maintenance methods.

V. Leather care
1. Cowhide and sheepskin: Use high-quality shoe cream and shoe cloth to remove dirt, and use the shoe cloth to wipe back and forth on the shoe surface with a little force to make the shoe surface shiny;
2. Leather and frosted leather: Use soft hair to gently wipe away stains and rub in the same direction; or use raw rubber and cleaning products special for leather to remove stains;
3. Patent leather and oil leather: Wipe with a semi-wet cloth.

VI. Leather care products
1. Polish: colorless, generally used for waxing, helping to clean and protect leather shoes, but not for shoes made of frosted leather or leopard leather;
2. Transparent shoe polish: can be used for any leather shoes (except for shoes made of leopard leather or frosted leather), just apply a thin layer of transparent shoe polish on the shoe surface with a cloth, too much application will turn the leather black;
3. Color-filling shoe polish (colored shoe polish): used for leather shoes of the same color, for color-filling, but not for frosted leather or leopard leather;
4. Decontamination cream: It can be used to clean leather shoes of any color, and can also be used to clean leather soles, but not for frosted leather and leopard leather. Apply a little on the cloth and then clean the leather shoes. If you find that the leather shoes have signs of discoloration, they should not be used again;

5. Leather brush: Before cleaning leather shoes, first use a leather brush to wipe the leather shoes clean in the same direction, but it is only suitable for frosted leather and leopard leather, and the glue on the side can be used to wipe off glue stains (suitable for any leather);

6. Leather water: It is divided into black, brown, and colorless. Before using the leather water, you need to shake it a few times, then spray it on the leather shoes at a moderate distance, and then clean it. It is suitable for frosted leather and leather shoes;
7. Insole (full insole): mostly used for men's shoes, it can make leather shoes more suitable;
8. Half insole: mostly used for the toe position of women's elegant shoes, but if you add a pad to the heel, you can prevent the heel from hitting;
9. AA glue: used for very small degumming parts of leather shoes, it is the same as super glue, you must be careful when using it;
10. Yellow glue: used when adding pads.

VII. Special care
1. Lining and insole discoloration: Apply white wax or shoe wax to the lining to prevent discoloration, or put a thin pad in the shoe and change it frequently to prevent discoloration;
2. Zipper is not smooth: Apply candle or shoe wax on the zipper;
3. Nitration: If there is a little nitration, you can use a slightly damp cloth to remove the stain, let it dry naturally, use matching shoe cream to touch up the color or use white oil to lightly wipe the nitrated part;
4. Metal decorative buckle oxidation:
① Silver shoe buckle: Use the finest water frosting or frosting rubber to gently wipe off the black spots, and then gently wipe with transparent shoe cream;
② Gold shoe buckle: Use transparent shoe cream to gently wipe;
③ Copper buckle or metal buckle: Apply a little transparent nail polish to prevent oxidation.

Special tips:
1. The upper material is pure natural leather, and the leather grain in different parts is completely different. It is normal for the leather shoes to have slight differences in grain.
2. The lining of leather shoes is made of water-treated leather, and it is normal for there to be slight discoloration.
3. When wearing for a long time, it is normal for the rolling strip (the edge of the shoe mouth) to wear out naturally.
4. The upper of the "brushed leather" is composed of multiple colors, and it is normal for the color to fade during wearing and cleaning.
5. Due to the process requirements, the leather shoes made by the seam process are coated with floating glue between the sole and the upper. It is normal for the glue to come apart after wearing for a period of time.

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