One of the biggest concerns when buying new shoes is how to protect them. You want to wear them out, and show them off…but you don’t want to damage them! And it’s a struggle. What about when you want to wear them outdoors? How do you keep your shoes intact in those (sometimes muddy) situations?
But have no fear, here’s our guide to help you get maximum wear (and maximum compliments) out of your shoes, without ruining the bottoms or the soles. Sounds like magic, but luckily, there’s none involved – just some clever devices and tricks!
Certain fabrics need more care than others
While some shoes like trainers seem to survive everything, other fabrics can be a bit more delicate. For particular fabrics, it might be worth pre-treating shoes with stain and water protectors to keep them from getting dirty.
Pre-treating can be done with leather, suede, and other fabric shoes – but not with patent leather. Before using it on the entire shoe though, do a little spot treat with the protector to make sure it’s the right quantity (it should not change the color of the shoes). This will help prevent a great deal of wear from the get go. If shoes get wet, make sure not to dry them in direct heat, but to let them air dry on their own to retain the fabric quality and shape of the shoes.
Get a protector for the bottom of your shoe
One of the easiest ways to protect your shoes on surfaces like grass, is to get flexible transparent strips that adhere to the bottom of your sole, like Grasswalkers. These are a quick and easy solution, because they create a sturdy surface that keeps you from sinking into the ground.
This means you can walk with ease, and keep your soles from getting dirty. It’s an easy way to protect your shoe, while still getting some protection and stability while walking on tough surfaces like grass, sand, and dirt.
Storing your shoes well helps
One of the things people often forget is that the way shoes are stored do have an impact on the shape and condition. If you’re stacking them all on top of each other willy-nilly, your shoes can easily lose their shape and get damaged, especially the bottoms. If you want to avoid this as well as preventing any fading or scratches, it’s time to evaluate your storage system.
With tight spaces, it might not be possible to keep shoeboxes around, but there are alternatives. Linen dustbags are always good options and look for functional shoe racks. Often these can be part of a larger storage unit, which gives you a place to keep them arranged properly and give you some extra storage space. At the very least, try to line them up in pairs rather than on top of each other to give them a little more space.
With solutions like these and clever devices like Grasswalkers, you can protect your favorite heels easily – whether outdoors or indoors. For some extra protection though, you can look into other solutions such as toe taps and new heel caps, but that usually requires a trip to a cobbler. However, with some simple storage changes and some pre-treatment, you can ensure that your heels are kicking for a long time, and that you get to enjoy a pristine pair each time you don them for maximum longevity.