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| How
to care for your new shoes: |
If
you consider a pair of Australian designer shoes to be
an investment then you won't mind spending a little time
and attention on their upkeep. By considering how you
will use your shoes and what they were made for, you can
vastly extend their life.
Please keep in mind that you have purchased leading design
fashion shoes. In order achieve certain aesthetics like
low profiles, sharp toes and thin soles, certain sacrifices
have to be made in durability. Your shoes are extremely
well made...they just need the consideration they deserve.
If you occasionally polish your shoes you are already
doing more than most people. Properly caring for your
shoes is a little more involved than that. It is a four
step process: cleaning; conditioning; polishing and; weatherproofing. |
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| Step
1. |
Clean
the surface of the leather to remove surface dirt,
just as you would wash a car before you wax it.
Use a soft cleaning cloth or clean old rag that
will not scratch the leather surface. You can dampen
the cloth slightly if dirt has dried and caked on. |
| Step
2. |
After
cleaning you should condition
the leather. Conditioners soften and lubricate leather,
keeping if feeling soft and looking new. |
| Step
3. |
Once
the shoes have been cleaned and conditioned, then
it is time for polish.
Polishes may contain dyes, pigments, waxes and conditioning
agents. Dyes and pigments renew colour and cover
scuffs. If your shoes are not a standard colour
(like black), you may feel more comfortable using
a dye and pigment-free polish like a clear Dubbin.
Waxes provide shine and protection. Conditioning
agents moisten and renew the leather. |
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| There
are three standard types of polish. These are liquid,
cream and paste. Liquids are the easiest to apply, followed
by cream and paste. Ease of application however is inversely
proportional to wax content and the staying power of the
polish. Pastes are the most durable. Creams are easier
to apply than pastes, hold up longer than liquids and
come in a variety of colours. |
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| Step
4. |
The
final step is weatherproofing.
Though polishing provides some sealing qualities,
if you live or work in a wet, muddy or oily environment,
the added protection of weatherproofing is a must. |
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| Other
must-dos are: |
| 1.
|
Use
a shoe horn when putting on your shoes, always!
It protects the heel from unnecessary wear and will
prevent the leather at the back from ripping. |
| 2.
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Always
use wooden shoe trees
after wearing. They are designed to absorb moisture
and maintain the regular shape of your shoes. |
| 3.
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Allow
shoes to completely dry inside and out, by not wearing
the same pair of shoes on consecutive days. I know
it's hard because you want to wear them every day...resist! |
| 4. |
Wear
anti-microbial socks. This will prevent your
shoes from smelling bad. If you don't know where
to get this kind of sock from, please ask us. |
| 5. |
When
traveling, put your shoes in shoe
bags. They protect the leather from being
scratched. |
| 6. |
Don't
wear your shoes in the rain! Seriously. Have
and old pair or a pair of rain boots stored in your
car boot for such occasions. If you are unfortunate
and get stuck in the rain, immediately wipe off
the water, stuff them with tissue paper to absorb
moisture and fill out the shape. Then leave them
in a dry ventilated area for a couple of days. Replace
the tissue paper as necessary. |
| 7. |
If
your soles are wearing through, take them down to
your local shoe repair
shop and have them apply a rubber tread. It won't
affect the look of your shoes but it will give you
plenty more wear. Best of all, it will probably
only cost about $20. |
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| Foot
odour and smelly shoes: |
The usual
culprits in foot odor are sweat-eating
bacteria. Mainly corynebacteria and micrococci.
It is important to realize that bacteria cover every surface
of your skin and are inside your pores and sweat glands.
Bacteria are in the air and on everything you touch. Bacteria
are not necessarily bad.
The problem begins when bacteria become attracted to the
sweat on your feet and start feeding on it. You have purchased
genuine leather shoes with leather lining which is a great
start because leather is a natural product that absorbs
and wicks moisture away from your feet. By not wearing
synthetic shoes you are avoiding creating the hot and
moist environment that bacteria love.
The
bacteria's excretion has a strong odor that causes your
feet to smell bad.
Since each foot has over 250,000 sweat glands in it, and
produces over a pint of sweat a day there's a lot for
the bacteria to eat.
What makes the situation worse are shoes and socks which
trap the sweat on your skin. Now the bacteria have their
favorite kind of environment: warm and dark and damp,
causing them to go into a feeding frenzy. More waste is
excreted, and when you take off your socks and shoes,
your nose is presented with the results!
Why do some people's feet smell more than others? The
simple answer is, some people sweat more than others.
That's also the reason why your own foot odor can vary.
You might sweat more at different parts of the day. The
more you sweat, the more your feet will smell.
Aside from bacteria, if you don't regularly wear or wash
your socks, fungi can rot the dead skin that has fallen
from your feet. This decomposition process smells bad.
Your skin naturally turns over every 28 days. A new cell
starts on the bottom layer of skin, then another skin
cell forms underneath it. The process continues until
the bottom cell reaches the top and is sloughed off as
dander or dandruff. If you don't wear socks, your old
skin deposits in the shoes where it rots and emits an
offensive odor. Socks prevent the old skin from getting
into your shoes and washing socks gets rid of the old
skin and prevents them from smelling. |
| |
To
avoid smelly shoes and feet: |
 |
Always
use wooden shoe trees after wearing. They are designed
to absorb moisture and maintain the regular shape
of your shoes. |
|
Allow
shoes to completely dry inside and out, by not wearing
the same pair of shoes on consecutive days. I know
it's hard because you want to wear them every day...resist! |
|
Wear
anti-microbial socks. This will prevent your shoes
from smelling bad. If you don't know where to get
this kind of sock from, please ask us. |
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Put
on a fresh pair of socks after lunch. They will
be dry and ready to absorb more sweat. |
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Wear
socks made from natural fibers like cotton or silk. |
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Always
wear shoes made from genuine leather that are also
leather lined. |
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