Caring for smooth leather shoes
Pre-cleaning: Remove the laces. Use a scrub brush to remove coarse dirt (you can also use the same brush to clean the sole and frame). Use a moist cotton cloth to remove dust.
Applying the shoe polish: Apply a thin layer of shoe polish with an applicator brush and massage it in with circular strokes. Now the polish has to penetrate the leather. You should ideally allow the shoes to sit overnight.
Polishing the leather: Polish the shoes using a polishing brush with rapid strokes and only light pressure on the leather. The heat generated during polishing optimises the consistency of the shoe polish to create a thin protective film. For maximum shine, you can finely polish the shoes with a goat hair brush as the final step.
Caring for suede shoes
Pre-cleaning: Remove the laces. Brush the shoes using a brass brush (in case of suede) or a nubuck brush (in case of nubuck leather).
Cleaning: Use an appropriate cleaning agent to clean full-grain leather shoes. Massage it in using a brush for full-grain leather. If the shoes are very dirty, you can also clean them with a suitable rubber (e.g. the Redecker „Rubbel“) and then with a brush under running water. Allow the shoes to dry.
Care: After cleaning, apply a care product for full-grain leather in order to protect it on the one hand and refresh the leather colour on the other hand.
Valuable information on leather
Valuable information on leather (Leather = animal skin preserved by tanning)
Making leather can be described as one of the oldest trades pursued by people. Even primitive humans knew that the animal skins they used as clothing could be preserved and softened with fat.
Leather products are incomparable in terms of appearance and functionality. Tanned, supple leather is relatively impermeable to water, breathable, and also offers heat insulation.
Since even footwear has become a disposable article, polishing shoes has become a virtually forgotten art today. But buying and caring for good shoes is well worth it – both for your feet and, over the longer term, for your wallet
Shoe Care Hints
Store your shoes in a dry place (e.g. in a shoebox) but never in a plastic bag. Do not put your leather shoes on or near radiators or other sources of heat. This can cause the leather to warp, crack and become brittle.
Day of rest for leather shoes Leather shoes should only be worn every second day so that they have time to dry. Insert wooden shoetrees when not being worn. Also, it is best to polish shoes immediately after wearing them since the leather is warm so it absorbs the shoe polish more readily.