How to Care for Leather Shoe Soles

Taking care of leather shoe soles is not difficult but you should be diligent in doing what is necessary to make the leather shoe soles last. The steps to ensuring your leather soles last include conditioning them with a water-repellent product and regular cleaning with saddle soap or a leather cleaning product. Just as important--knowing how to "dry" water-soaked leather soles correctly will ensure they don't crack or shrink.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A safe area to apply leather shoe care products to your shoes
• Leather water repellent
• Saddle soap or any leather cleaner
• Soft cloth

Applying the Leather Care Products to Your Shoe Soles

1. Find a place where you can safely apply the leather care products to your shoe soles.

2. Using a soft cloth, apply the water-repellent conditioner as instructed on the product label to your shoes' leather soles before you wear them.

3. Saddle soap is a well-known and reliable leather cleaner that is applied with a damp cloth. You put the damp cloth into the saddle soap and work it into a lather. You apply the lather to the shoe sole and thoroughly work it into the leather. Once the soap is applied you take a soft, dry cloth and remove any dirt from the leather that the soap has worked from the soles.

Tips & Warnings

• You should reapply moisture repellent every time you clean the leather soles. Keeping your shoes in individual shoe bags is another way to preserve the leather soles.
• Never dry your wet shoes' leather soles near or on direct heat or fire. If possible, you should wear wet leather shoes away from direct heat in a dry place until the shoes are at least nearly dry to prevent the shoes from shrinking.

Resources

• Leather-sole shoes and their care