The 11 Golden Rules of Shoe Care

Interesting article taken from the Besa's Shoes website:

When the shoemaker ceremonially hands over a new pair of shoes to their owner, at the moment when a unique work of art passes from artist to purchases, the shoemaker also initiates him into the secrets of shoe care. The life expectancy and appearance of new custom-made shoes depends on the quality of materials used and the expertise of the shoemaker, certainly, but they also depend to a great extent on the care they receive from the wearer. Trying the shoes on and walking them for a few minutes will tell the customer whether they fit or not. If these qualities are to be preserved over an extended period, it is advisable to follow a few "golden rules":

1. New shoes should initially be worn for more than two or three hours at a time. Only when the shoes and the feet are completely accustomed to each other should the risk be taken of wearing them for a whole day.

2. A pair of shoes should not be worn on two successive days, but should be given 24 hours to recover after each wearing.

3. They should always be put on with a shoehorn, regardless of whether they are lace-ups, buckled shoes, or slip-ons.

4. When taking off lace-up shoes the laces should be loosened at every point, allowing the foot to slip out of the shoe easily and effortlessly.

5. Custom-made shoe trees must be in the shoes immediately after removal.

6. Shoe trees should be inserted immediately even if the shoes have been saturated with rain or snow. The shoes should then be left to dry, lying on their sides rather than standing on their soles, for at least 24 hours.

7. It is advisable to wipe the shoes down and polish them up with shoe cream after each wearing, even if they appear to have lost none of their original gleam.

8. If the shoes are not to be worn for an extended period, a thin coating of cream should be applied, a textile bag obtained from the shoemaker, and the shoes placed inside the original box, standing on their soles.

9. No owner of custom-made shoes should lend them to somebody else, for no two pairs of feet are the same.

10. Every new shoe has its own special character: its true beauty will not appear to its best advantage unless it is worn with appropriate clothing and on appropriate occasions.