Any tips for storage of leather shoes?

[Lafayette]

Here's one for you leather experts on The Lounge.

Living in the Midwest, I've put my winter boots away. I put Bick 4 Leather Conditioner on them and boxed them up. Would I need to take them out a time or two and reapply the conditioner or should they be good to go until needed again?

Also, the same would apply to summer shoes and sandles. Can they be boxed all winter and only taken out when needed?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jkingrph]

What you did sounds good to me. That's basically what I do to mine. I have a pair of Vasque rock climbing boots that I purchased in early 1973 for hunting in the mountains over in Turkey and they are still as good as new as are several pair of combat boots from the same era.

 

[Whislerm]

I would recondition them again, when you take them back out before wearing.

 

[Isshinryu101]

Shoe bags are a must. The marketplace is riddled with wonderful NOS shoes that were boxed but still dried completely out. Condition + layer of CREAM polish + shoe bags + shoe box + store in relatively cool environment. Whislerm is correct, after taking them out for the "wearing season", recondition before wearing.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

All the above is great advice. I would do one thing more, after you apply some very healthy amounts of leather conditioner and they sit a day or so to absorb it all, take some plastic wrap, wrap the shoe up to just the opening where you put your foot in, wrap it with the plastic wrap, leave the opening open. I purchased a pair of vintage shoes that had been wrapped in plastic wrap for at least 10 to 15 years, I am very sure it helped the leather a lot. I plan on doing it one by one to my hoard of shoes that will be put up for the summer.

Your number one best friend on shoe care is conditioner, then of course, shoe trees.

 

[Tomasso]

then of course, shoe trees.

I'm surprised it took 4 posts......

 

[Lafayette]

Thanks to everyone for their tips.

Most of my shoes come with shoe bags, they're getting used. Good call. Unfortunately, I don't have them for the taller boots. I'm not sure if they're available in tall sizes; something or me to look into.

I also have some cedar shoe trees, but these are mostly used by shoes after they've been taken off, not for storage.

Regarding the plastic bags, I'm wondering if some jumbo ziploc style bags would be good. Open or closed for optimum leather health?

 

[LoveMyHats2]

No just some cheap plastic wrap will work best, pretend you are wrapping up some Porterhouse steaks! lol, the plastic wrap seems to help hold in the leather conditioner, which will keep the leather from getting overly dried out. For every ten pair of vintage shoes I have obtained, at least five of them are so dry and hard they are right on the border of being able to be "brought back" to life, or not! Of course it takes time to hydrate them with conditioner, but I am so positive that if someone along the way would have taken the time to squirt some conditioner on them, they would have been in much nicer usable shape. Not any shoe goes without a soaking of conditioner as soon as they arrive in my ownership, regardless of age of the shoe. As soon as I know the shoe is "o.k.", I then place the shoe trees in them and then decide on what polish or wax I want to apply. Some shoes (if in supple condition) can have the shoe trees fairly tight to pull out creasing. However, the back inside of the shoe, in the area known as the "heel counter" needs to be safeguarded and not stressed to much because, if you rip or break that, your leather heel area will collapse and if there is a seam there, it can rip! I know this from finding out the hard way. lol!

 

[Tomasso]

I also have some cedar shoe trees, but these are mostly used by shoes after they've been taken off, not for storage.

Well, you are using the trees at the most critical time (after use) but having dedicated trees for each pair will make a world of difference in the long run.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Western boot bags
http://www.etsy.com/listing/1213096...ing_else_mid&gclid=CPOUhuO91bcCFcee4AodlDIA-Q

Western boot shoe tree
http://www.footfitter.com/p/102-012...ot-tree.html?gclid=CKOQuJW-1bcCFUGk4AodWXAAxw

When I buy a new pair of shoes I always purchase shoe trees for them.
Also don't store leather shoes where they see extreme heat or cold.


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