Shoes, like the rest of your wardrobe, should be an investment- something that you put money into that will still pay dividends for years to come. No matter how much you choose to spend on shoes its important to remember that taking care of them will save you money in the long run. A single pair of shoes can last 10 to 20 years even when worn regularly, depending on the quality of materials and your level of care for them. This will save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars over time as opposed to just replacing the shoes every time they get beat up.
Cedar shoe trees
Shoe trees have multiple functions. First, they help maintain the shape of your shoe when not in use. As you walk in your shoe and bend the leather they will have a tendency to crease and form a natural bend even at rest (this is especially true with low quality leather). A shoe tree helps prevent this. No worries though, this won’t stop your shoes from breaking in to be more comfortable after you’ve bought them. Most shoes trees come standard with springs on the inside. That way they will automatically adjust to whichever size shoe you put them in.
Another purpose of shoe trees is to soak up any sweat and moisture inside the shoe. A common question I get is that if the shoe tree soaks up all that sweat, won’t it start to smell?! The short answer is no. The longer answer is that cedar wood is naturally aromatic and antimicrobial. It will not only absorb your sweat, but leave the shoe itself smelling fresh by helping kill the smelly bacteria and leave its own natural scent in its place. For this reason, most shoe articles and blogs will tout cedar as the only wood to buy, but shoe trees also come in beech wood or alder wood. Is one really better than the other? In all my reading I’ve concluded that it seems to be subjective, but cedar is certainly the most popular and common. Like shoes themselves, shoe trees can vary wildly in price, from around $20 to hundreds. No matter what you pay, I am stating with total certainty that if you wish to protect the longevity of your shoes, shoe trees are an absolute must.
Cheaper shoe trees also come in plastic. These aren’t advisable as a norm because they will not absorb moisture, but when traveling they can help keep your shoes from being squished in your suitcase and will lighten the load of your luggage.
Shoe Horn
Ever had trouble fitting your foot into a shoe? You’re sitting there pulling the heel back with a finger while trying to wiggle your foot inside, desperate, looking like one of Cinderella’s sisters or something…
Should have had a shoe horn. These tools will allow you to slip a shoe on with ease, helping to preserve the shape and structure of the heel. You’ll no longer put so much pressure on the heel while attempting to force wiggle your foot in. Shoe horns are called as such because they originally were made of horn. You can also find them in plastic on the cheaper end, or sterling silver on the expensive, prestigious end. That all depends on your personal desire. In regards to functionality, the price and material of your shoe horn doesn’t matter so much since its only purpose is for the few seconds it takes to slip your shoes on.
Polish Kit
Not only will polish help keep your shoes shined and free of scuffs, but it will also keep the leather from cracking and breaking down prematurely. Its easy to forget that leather IS skin. And just as you would use lotion to keep your skin from becoming dry and cracked, its necessary to polish your shoes to keep them healthy and strong as well. This doesn’t apply to just shoes, but your working boots or cowboy boots as well. Anything with real leather.
Polish kits come in many different sizes and price ranges. You can buy a Kiwi kit at most grocery stores for around $15; they contain a tin or two of polish in whichever color is on the label, a horsehair brush, a sponge dauber (polish applicator) and a cloth. Some kits are more elaborate and expensive, including a wooden chest containing various polish colors, brushes, daubers, cloths, shoe wash, wax, shampoo, renovator cream, leather balm, etc. Some of these chests have a built in stand for your shoe at the top for easy placement while performing maintenance. Kits like this can cost around $50 to hundreds more.
A natural bonus of polishing your shoes regularly is that over time they will develop a beautiful patina where the leather absorbs more polish which will make that area darker than the rest of the shoe. This happens more around the toe of the shoe and any stitching. It is possible to polish your own patina onto your shoes as well. My personal preference is to let it happen naturally.
Allow a day of rest
Avoid wearing the same shoes two days in a row. It’s good to allow a full 24 hours of rest to let the shoe trees to do their work. It also just puts less wear and tear on a single pair of shoes. This does require having multiple sets of shoes that you can rotate through if your job requires it. Once the trees have been inside shoes for 24 hours you can feel free to take them out and put them in a more recently worn pair. There’s no need to keep them there indefinitely until being worn again.
Resoling
Worn down sole? Worn down heel? No need to throw the whole shoe out. Instead, just go get these sections replaced. It will extend the life of your shoes and be significantly cheaper than replacing them outright. This can cost $30 to $100 for the pair, depending on materials used.
Recommendations:
Something important to note before I get to my normal recommendations: I’m not the type to automatically equate price with quality. I’ll never tell you how much to spend on your clothing. However, when it comes to shoes we must be a little realistic. A quality pair of leather dress shoes will likely cost around $200 at a minimum. Dress shoes less than $100 are likely to be poorly crafted and sourced from low quality leather, or fake leather. Investing time, effort, and money into low quality shoes is a lot like dumping money into an old car that will keep breaking down anyway. For this reason, I recommend utilizing all the advice above on quality shoes that will respond to the care you’re giving them.
- a shoe tree by the same brand as your shoe will fit the shoe best, but its fine to stick them in other shoes even if they aren’t the same brand
- buy a shoe tree shaped like a whole foot so it fills as much of the shoe as possible
- its not necessary to have a pair of shoe trees for each pair of shoes you own, and they don’t need to stay in the shoes forever. Keep them in the shoes for 24 hours after use and then swap them out as needed
- you can polish your shoes as often as you’d like, but certainly need to keep up with it at least as needed. Scuffs and cracking leather is a no go
- if you’re a young, able bodied man than having an inexpensive, small shoe horn works just fine. But if you’re an elderly gent, or someone who experiences chronic pain, it may be beneficial to buy a longer one and save yourself from bending as much as possible while putting on shoes
- refrain from buying fake leather. Buy the best quality shoes that you can afford or justify. It is cheaper in the long run