Prolong Life Of Your Shoes With Proper Care

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 16, Issue 5, 9 October 1950, Page 2

Prolong Life Of Your Shoes With Proper Care

Polish new shoes befoi’e you wear them for the first time so that the closely meshed poras on the grain side will become coat=:l with oils and wax. This will keep the shoes supple. Do not forget to treat tne “feather” of your shoes with polish, too. The “feather” is the part where sole and upper join, a point often neglected in hasty and inefficient polishing. Rub the polish well into this join as well as along the oxiter part of the sole. Wear new shoes on a dry day. Leather is porous and absorbs moisture unless it is adequately protected. Drying sodden shoes is a destructive process as it causes loss of essential oils and unless these are replaced be fore the shoes are worn again the leather is apt to become stiff and dry and easily cracks. ' If you do unavoidably get your shoes wet put them immediately upon shoe - trees as near as possible to the shape of the shoe itself so that no undue pressure is exerted upon weakened surfaces. If you have no trees use rolled-up balls of soft paper instead. Never dry shoes before a fire as intense heat destroys leather fibres. Lay wet shoes on their sides on a rack in as even a temperature as possible. Keep them awa}' from damp corners, also, as too-slow drying is just as bad as quick drying. Halfway through the drying process apply a meagre coating of medium mineral oil to keep the leather flexible When the shoes are thoroughly dry use a paste polish as it has a higher oil content.

To clean shoes always remove surface grime before applying shoe ceaner and warm the polish before applying so that it will spread swiftly and evenly over the entire surface. Remove any mud with a damp cloth wrung out of cool clear water being careful not to soak the shoes.

Grease spots may ,be removed with soft water to which, a few drops of ammonia have been added. Sponge lightly with dampened rag and dry carefully with a clean cloth. When completely dry, apply dressing, polish or cream. If you use a spot remover put a drop of oil on the leather where the cleaning has been done to replace oils dried out by the cleaner. Grained leathers need a polish rich in oil. This will also remove any soil. Dull leathers need a special dressing used sparingly, dried slowly and rubbed gently. Don’t attempt to get a high shine as these shoes are specially treated to remain dull. Glazed leathers respond favourably to a paste polish or shoe cream. Work it in well, dry thoroughly and rub to a shine with a shoe brush.