The most common mistakes and how to avoid them when taking care of your shoes
In this article we would like to cover some of the most common mistakes that can easily be avoided when you are taking care of your shoes.
1. Remove all the dirt and dust before applying shoe cream
One particular area is the gap between the upper and the welt (where the soles meet the shoe).
This area is actually one of the most important to nourish, since it is very exposed to water and needs to be protected. If dirt gathers here, the shoe cream can’t reach the leather and won’t nourish and protect it.
To remove dirt and dust we recommend you use one of our pig bristle brushes to brush of all the dust. These brushes which were made of natural bristles don’t harm the stitches on your shoes. Many brushes are made with synthetic bristles which are harder. These Bristles can damage the thread on the uppers, especially if a cotton thread has been used.
To remove dirt and dust we recommend you use one of our pig bristle brushes to brush of all the dust. These brushes which were made of natural bristles don’t harm the stitches on your shoes. Many brushes are made with synthetic bristles which are harder. These Bristles can damage the thread on the uppers, especially if a cotton thread has been used.
If more resilient dirt or old layers of wax have gathered on the shoe use a cloth with our plant based Cleaner to really clean the leather, if strong stains occur we recommend our Reno’Mat which is stronger, but not as gentle as the plant based Cleaner.
Only a clean leather can absorb the nourishing and protecting ingredients of our creams. It should be avoided to apply creams on dirty leather since the oils in the cream will then drag the dirt more into the leather.
If your shoes have been patinated our you don’t want to remove all the layers of your mirror shine we recommend the Cleanser, which cleans very gentle without removing the finish of the shoes.
As important as it is to clean your shoes before taking care of them, you should avoid to overdo it. The excessive application of cleaning products can damage the leather, therefore we recommend to only clean the shoes If it is necessary and there really is dirt or wax that has to be removed.
Saphir’s natural 
Saphir’s leather Cleanser
2. Let your shoes dry
It is important that you let your shoes dry throughly before applying shoe creams or polish. Whether your shoes have gotten wet in the rain or you gave them a deep cleaning, let them dry over night (or longer if necessary) before you apply any products.
It might seem tempting, but never place your shoes on or next to a radiator to dry them. This accelerated way of drying will shrink the leather and increase the chances of having water stains. You should always let your shoes dry on shoe trees and give them the time they need to dry.
The reason for that is, that the water penetrates the fibre structure of the leather. Here it fills up the spaces that we want our shoe cream to penetrate. If you apply shoe cream to damp leather, it won’t be able to penetrate and nourish the leather. It will only sit on top and seal the leather, which makes it even harder for the leather to dry.
A little patience is required here but your shoes will thank you for it!
It is important to choose a high quality shoe tree because cheap ones can genuinely damage your shoes.
Always choose a wooden shoe tree because the wood will absorb moisture and help the leather to dry. Your shoes will take longer to dry with a plastic shoe tree. Also it is important to have a shoe tree with a proper shaped heel. You often see that shoe trees that just have a wooden ball on a spring (or similar) in the back, the heel stiffener of your shoes is pushed out of shape and the whole shoe starts to look distorted.
The Médaille D’Or and la Cordonnerie Anglaise shoe trees are developed to maintain the proper shape of the shoe and are used by the majority of quality shoe manufacturers.
When your shoes are drying make sure they are on shoe trees
3. Make sure to reach all the areas of your shoes
There are some parts of the shoe that are the most exposed to wear and moisture. These need some extra attention when taking care of your shoes. Many shoe lovers focus on the tip of their shoes since it is a very visible part. Thats good!
The tip of the shoes is often the part that gets scratched easily in every day wear and therefore some layers of polish will do a great deal to protect it! But there are other parts, less visible that need your attention as well.
As already mentioned one part of the shoe that is often forgotten is the gap between the upper and the soles of the shoe. Here water can easily penetrate the shoe and can do quite serious damage.
When your shoes are drying make sure they are on shoe trees On Goodyear-welted shoes, this is where the welt has been stitched to the upper and every stitch presents a chance for water to penetrate the shoe. If the water enters there, it can do damage to the cork filling inside the shoe because it breaks the bond between cork and insole.
This cork, when becoming loose will then cause a squeaking noise with every step. Something you want to avoid by any means! Therefore use the Saphir jar brush with pig bristles to make sure that you spread the shoe cream inside this gap to seal it from water and protect the inside of your shoes. You will find that this can genuinely increase their lifetime.
4. Choose the right product for the right leather
The Saphir product range offers a great variety that will provide the right product for every need. If you are unsure which product is the right one for your shoes, handbag or leather goods, send us a message!
We are happy to guide you and you can reach us through our Instagram and Facebook channels @Saphir_MedailleDor and @Saphir_official or just write us an E-mail and we will find the right product together!
All our products have been developed with a certain purpose in mind and therefore contain special ingredients that are targeted towards different types of leather.
For Cordovan shoes, a special shoe cream is required! Use ourCordovan Cream to maintain its unique look. Photo and shoes by: Crockett & Jones5. Give the product time to be absorbed by the leather
When applying a cream on your shoes it is necessary to give the leather a bit of time to absorb all the nourishing and protecting ingredients.
When you start polishing with a brush and you find the leather is still looking a bit dull and the brush won’t glide easily across the leather, it is because the ingredients and oils still haven’t been absorbed completely. Let the shoes sit for another 5 minutes and give it some time.
Just like when you give the leather time to dry and allow the water to evaporate, you now need to give time to the product to be absorbed by the fibre structure of the leather.
]Saphir’s Horsehair Polishing Brush
6. Careful with contrast stitching
A mistake that can easily be avoided is to accidentally stain the contrast stitching on your shoes or bags.
Often the stitching is done in a different colour than the leather for decorative purposes. For example a nice hand sewn apron on a shoe.
Wouldn’t it be a shame to remove this nice detail of contrast by spreading a cream across that will dye the thread in the same colour as the leather? Often these hand sewn details are done with a cotton or linen thread that really takes the colour of a cream.
Here it is always recommended to use a colourless cream such as Saphir’s Renovateur. If you find the leather loses its colour over time you can apply a pigmented cream really carefully paying attention to not spread it across the stitching.
Voilà, we hope with these 6 easy to follow advises we can help you to improve your shoe and leather care routine and contribute to maintaining the beauty of your shoes.
Contrast stitching on the apron. Shoes and photo by Koji Endo Bottier