Taking care of new shoes?

[StyleCurious]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a new pair of Stafford Camlin boots and I was wondering what products I should buy and in what order I should use them in order to keep them in tip-top shape. It has been raining the past few days where I live, so I haven't worn them out yet. I am also considering trying the different-color shoe cream idea to make them slightly darker.

Ideas on what to buy and in what order to use them in for maximum durability/suppleness of the leather? I have only performed a simple polish on some black dress shoes before, so I am completely new to this.

Thank you all!

[Matt Sasco]

First of all, congrats on the shoes, they are nice boots, I like!

Here is a very good article about shoe care in general but also about what should be done straight after purchase
http://www.whatmakesaman.net/wordpre...leather-shoes/

Hope this helps.

[JoshuaNY]

Good info on how to polish in that article.

However, since they are brand new, I would suggest getting a good leather conditioner. A lot of folks like lexol, the one in the brown container. Rub a little bit into the leather, let it dry then wipe off the excess with a rag.

I would also get some shoe cream, melatonian is decent and readily available. You could get neutral if you want to use it on different color shoes, or get a color that is close to the shoe, it does not have to match perfect. Apply a layer of cream, let dry, buff with brush.

Then go for the wax polish, which you already know how to do. That will help with the water resistant properties.

The cream is not completely necessary since you have the conditioner, but I tend to like to use the conditioner every 4 months or so and the cream gets used on a more regular basis.

Shoe trees a must. If they get wet, let them air dry with the trees(or newspaper) in em. The you can re-polish.

I would also recommend wiping off any dust or what not each night when you take them off.