How do I look after shoes so they last?

Cleaning, conditioning, drying and rotation for leather and other shoes — and the two repairs that double a shoe's life.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 30 min
Read: 2 min

Short answer

Rotate between at least two pairs so each dries fully, use shoe trees in leather shoes, and clean and condition leather every month or two. Get heels and soles repaired before they wear through to the structure — that's the difference between a shoe lasting two years and ten.

Shoes fail from moisture and from wear reaching the structure. Rotation and shoe trees address the first; timely resoling addresses the second. Both are cheap, and together they roughly multiply the life of a good pair of shoes.

What you'll need

Shoe brush and cloths
Leather cleaner and conditioner
Cedar shoe trees (optional)
Waterproofing spray (optional)

Step by step

Rotate between at least two pairs, never wearing the same shoes two days running.Shoes need 24 hours to dry out fully. Daily wear keeps them permanently damp, which degrades leather and adhesives.
Put cedar shoe trees in leather shoes after each wear.They absorb moisture and hold the shape, preventing the creasing that eventually cracks the leather.
Brush off dirt after wearing, before it dries in.Ten seconds. Dried mud draws moisture out of leather and abrades the surface.
Clean and condition leather every month or two.Leather is a skin and dries out. Conditioner keeps it flexible, which is what prevents cracking at the flex points.
Polish for appearance and a degree of water resistance.Cream polish nourishes and colours; wax polish adds shine and surface protection. Different jobs.
Never dry wet shoes on a radiator or with direct heat.It shrinks and cracks leather permanently. Stuff with newspaper and dry at room temperature.
Get heels replaced before they wear into the sole structure.This is the single most valuable shoe repair. A worn heel tip is cheap; a damaged heel block is not.
Get soles repaired or replaced before they wear through.Once water reaches the insole and the welt, the repair becomes much more expensive or impossible.

Tips

Cheap shoe trees made of plastic hold the shape but don't absorb moisture. Cedar does both and lasts indefinitely.
Waterproofing spray on suede and nubuck genuinely helps, and needs reapplying every few months.
A cobbler can add a thin rubber sole protector to new leather-soled shoes, which substantially extends the life of the original sole.
Salt marks from winter pavements should be removed promptly — a dilute vinegar solution lifts them before they damage the leather.

Common mistakes

Wearing the same shoes every day — They never dry out. Moisture degrades leather and the adhesives holding the shoe together.
Drying shoes with direct heat — It shrinks and cracks leather irreversibly.
Waiting until heels wear through — Replacing a worn tip is cheap; repairing a damaged heel block or sole is expensive or impossible.
Never conditioning leather — It dries out and cracks at the flex points, which is the usual way a good shoe dies.

Questions people ask

Are shoe trees worth it?

For leather shoes, yes. Cedar ones absorb moisture and hold the shape, which prevents the deep creasing that eventually cracks the leather. They're a one-off purchase that lasts decades.

When should I get shoes resoled?

Heels when the tip is worn but before it reaches the heel block; soles before they wear through to the welt or insole. Once water gets in, the repair is much harder.