10 Ways to Keep Your Loake Shoes Looking New

Written by Oliver Coker

⏱ Reading Time: 5 Minutes

With the correct care and maintenance your Loake shoes will retain their excellent appearance and comfort for years to come. Here are some tips we have drawn up to advise customers on how best to look after their shoes.

How to ensure your shoes last a lifetime

Quality footwear is an investment that deserves proper attention. By following these essential maintenance practices, you can ensure your Loake shoes remain in pristine condition for decades to come.

10 tips to maintain your Loake shoes

1. Apply shoe cream to your leather shoes

Leather is a natural product so your shoes will benefit from regular application of a good quality shoe cream. This will help to moisturise the leather, keeping it supple and preventing drying or cracking. The wax polish will also provide some protection from staining and bring a shine to the uppers. Before polishing, make sure to wipe over your shoes with a dry cloth first to remove any surface dirt.

2. Select the appropriate wax polish for your calf leather shoes

Calf leather shoes, in particular, will readily absorb the pigment in shoe cream and wax polish, therefore care should be taken to select the appropriate colour match. Some people deliberately choose a darker polish to give the shoes a more 'antique' patina.

3. Use an oiled leather wax for waxy leather uppers

If you have chosen a shoe with Waxy leather uppers, those can be treated with an oiled leather wax or Dubbin to retain the more matt appearance. This will also help provide a degree of water resistance.

4. Alternate your fine leather shoes

Fine leather shoes can require a full day to dry out from natural perspiration. Try to alternate your shoes to give them at least twenty-four hours between wears. This is a good excuse to make sure you have several pairs of Loake shoes in your wardrobe!

5. Try to wear your shoes in dry conditions on the first few occasions

The fine grit picked up by dry leather soles assists water resistance and will help increase the lifespan of the sole.

6. Avoid excessive wetting

Should this occur always let the shoes dry out naturally away from sources of direct heat. Excess heat can cause sole or upper leather to crack. Newspaper stuffed inside the shoes will help to draw out moisture.

7. Always use a shoe horn

The use of shoe horns when putting on your shoes will help to keep the backs strong and sturdy.

8. Use shoe trees when the shoes are not in wear

These help the shoes to retain their shape. Our Loake cedar wood shoe trees help to draw out moisture also impart a pleasant aroma.

9. Don't attach additional rubber pieces to our Goodyear welted soles

We do not recommend attaching additional rubber pieces to our Goodyear Welted Soles, as these can affect the comfort and balance of the shoe. They can also put unnecessary strain on the shoe construction.

10. Goodyear welted shoes are designed to be repairable

We recommend that the shoes are repaired as soon as the outer sole shows signs of wearing through to the cork lining. Irrepairable damage to the insole may occur if you continue to wear the shoes after the outer sole has developed a hole.