Shoes shoes are a real investment. Mini has just had to have new ones as his feet had grown and they cost £42, thankfully we had a £40 voucher from Clarks to put towards them. For Mini we really have to look to a shop like Clarks as he has wide feet and a high instep. His current shoes are a 2.5 H width fitting. When you pay that short of money for shoes it is essential that you look after them and I have to say I learned a lot about caring for leather shoes from my Dad and Granddad.
- Add a name label, when you have paid for school shoes, you do not want to lose them!
- Protect them before they are first worn with a protective waterproof spray and again on a regular basis.
- Never dry them over a radiator or heat source when wet, instead fill with crumpled newspaper of paper and allow to dry naturally.
- Get your children to take them off when they get home from school to air them out.
- Remove dirt as soon as possible, get in to the habit of giving them a wipe over each night with a damp cloth
- Clean on a regular basis with a leather cleaner. I am an old-fashioned wax and brush girl, which I leave on for an hour to sink in before removing with a soft brush and rag. Applying the wax with a brush gets it in to all the bumps and crevices.
- Liquid scuff polish is a great quick fix to keep shoes looking smart
- If shoes start to smell then a sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda in them overnight will deodorise them.
Mini really wanted the yellow and green trainers, but school shoes have to be black! I love the use of coloured laces to bring shoes and boots up to date and will be doing this with the boys shoes.
Great tips, no-one wants to be buying new shoes sooner than necessary.
Hellie’s Corner » My parents always taught me to bell well and look after them
Ooh loving the bicarbonate of soda tip – small boys’ shoes, really do stink!
suzanne3childrenandit » Tell me about it, especially football boots
Great tips! I really should clean my son’s shoes more but this time of year they always come home covered in mud and it’s so disheartening to keep scraping it off!
Mummy of Two » Oh I know, but they do last longer is I clean them
Have to admit I don’t do all of these as much as I should, and I didn’t know about not drying them near to heat!!
I do find Clarks shoes last better though, in other brands my son was getting through a pair every term!
anna » This is his second pair since going back to school in September, but that is becuase he out grew the others
This is some great tips…I am always guilty of neglecting school shoes and then they start to look so scruffy so it’s definitely worth the time to do it. Thank you for sharing!
Globalmouse » At the moment in this weather, they are getting cleaned almost daily!
My two always had Clarks, very occasionally my son had Hush Puppies. My daughter had narrow heels and a high instep and had to have a good pair. Its actually nice to see that Clark’s have not really raised the price, my two are now both 18 years old. My son went through shoes very fast always on a particular foot they would wear. Cost a fortune but glad I looked after their feet.
Jo Bryan » I always wore Clarks as a child too and I am determined to look after the boys feet.
Clarks shoes are good, but always seem to cost the earth! We are at a stage where we outgrow them every few months or so. But I still go through with the waterproofing, polishing malarkey.
Vai Chin » At the moment we are growing out of them about twice a year, but the boys feet are important to me
Great tips. They’re useful for taking care of any shoes. I never used school shoes, but as I said alls hoes need good taking care of.
Astrid » I agree, I have shoes that are over 20 years old. I am pretty fastidious about looking after them!
This is all very sound advice. I need to take it myself – I bought some lovely leather boots and I don’t want them to be ruined!
Nell@PigeonPairandMe.com » Nell, I have shoes and boots that are over 20 years old and still going strong. I think a good cobblers is a girls best friend!
All very good tips and thank you for sharing .x
Hannah Staveley » Thanks for commenting
Bicarb works well. Unfortunately the biggest killer of shoes in our house is the splints one of them wears. New school shoes every other month it seems….
Twinsplustwo » I can imagine that that is a huge issue. Do you get any support?
Good tips, lucky for me I don’t have to worry just YET about school shoes. I am interested in the not drying them near the radiator or a heat source. I always do that with own shoes – should I stop?
Mrs. Chasing the Donkey » Yes, apparently is dehydrates the leather and makes them more prone to creasing and cracking!
Great tips.
I hate how expensive they are and come home ruined within the first term :/
Emmys Mummy » I would much rather the boys frow out of them than have to buy new ones in the same size
I really needed that post! With two young boys ALL your advice makes sense to me and is in high demand. I can’t believe I didn’t know it before, but the soda tip is going to be VERY useful for me 🙂
Orli D » Yes I have two boys too, who are always playing in the mud!
Great tips 🙂 I think I destroyed two pairs of my sons shoes in the summer as I didn’t know how to dry them, mind you he had walked into the sea in them…
Kate Williams » Ah, salt water is a whole different ball game!
I have it all ahead of me, my little girl will start school in September and I am not looking forward to paying so much on school shoes alone! Thank you for the tips!
Great tips! I am terrible at looking after JD’s school shoes and then I moan when they don’t last long!
never knew about the bicarb thing! New shoes are so expensive aren’t they! x
Great tips x x
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