Prior to wearing
When I bought a pair of UGGs in 7th grade, the package said to spray the boots with a suede/leather protectant, and that was the first time I’d heard of such a thing. My boots held up for YEARS, and I’m going to attribute it to the spray. Since then, I’ve sprayed every pair of leather or suede shoes I own, and I swear it helps them stand up to water and salt way better than they otherwise would! This spray seems to be good for leather and suede and has great reviews!
During boot season
First tip here is a little obvious, but I have to say it- don’t wear leather or suede boots/shoes during rainy weather or when the snow is super slushy and wet. If you do get salt on your boots/shoes, I recommend using a leather cleaner the same day.
Second tip here is to use these boot shaper sheets to keep your boots upright when storing them so they don’t sag, fall over, and get bends in the shaft. Shoe shapers are also great for helping maintain the shape of the foot and helping smooth out any bends in the foot. The only thing I might caveat with is that if your boots are damp inside for any reason, it might be best to wait for them to dry before putting the boot shaper in.
Third tip is again somewhat obvious but I feel like people actually rarely do it, and it’s using a leather conditioner to keep the leather supple. This is something that makes sense for any shoes you wear for more than one season, and I think it can really improve the look of the leather in addition to the texture. A shoe shine/polish can also help bring shoes back to life. If you Google ‘before and after leather conditioner’ you’d be surprised at the results.
Storage Months
And then finally, for when winter ends, I recommend using conditioner to rehab boots and then storing them with the boot shapers and shoe shapers linked earlier in this post. If you have to store them under a bed, this storage bag set is pretty useful!
Finally, I know many people recommend seeing a cobbler to repair soles if needed. I personally don’t own any boots that it would be worth it for (I’m assuming it’s at least $50 for a minor repair, and most of my boots cost under $250 to begin with and last a few seasons), but I would definitely do it if I owned any super expensive shoes.
Thank you for reading, and please leave any additional tips in the comments below 🙂
