How to Make Your Shoes Last Twice as Long

A well-made pair of shoes can last years. Most do not, and it is rarely because they wore out — it is because of how they were dried, stored, or not repaired at the right moment. None of this takes long.

Rotate, always

The single most effective thing you can do costs nothing. Wearing the same pair every day means the footbed never fully dries out and the materials never decompress. Alternating between two pairs can roughly double the life of both. Give any pair at least a day off between wears.

Dry them correctly

Never dry wet shoes on a radiator, near a heater, or in direct sun. Heat makes leather shrink and crack and can unglue soles. Stuff them loosely with plain paper to absorb moisture and hold their shape, and let them dry at room temperature away from any heat source. Change the paper once when it becomes damp.

Care by material

Leather

Wipe with a barely damp cloth after wear to remove dust and salt. Every month or two, apply a small amount of leather conditioner — leather is skin and dries out. Polish afterwards if you want shine. If it gets soaked, dry it slowly and condition it once dry, because water strips the natural oils.

Suede and nubuck

Keep them dry. Brush with a suede brush in one direction after each wear to lift the nap and remove dust. For marks, use a suede eraser rather than water. A protective spray applied before first wear, and reapplied occasionally, makes an enormous difference.

Fabric and canvas

Spot clean with mild soap and a soft brush. Avoid the washing machine — the agitation breaks down adhesives and distorts the shape, even when the fabric survives. Air dry only.

Patent

Wipe with a soft damp cloth. Patent scuffs easily and is best stored so nothing rubs against the surface.

Store them properly

Do not pile shoes on top of each other. Pressure creases leather permanently and crushes toe boxes out of shape. Store them upright with space around them, ideally with shoe trees or loosely stuffed with paper for anything structured. Keep them out of direct sunlight, which fades and dries every material.

Boots should be stored upright rather than folded over — a crease at the ankle becomes a crack over time.

Repairs worth paying for

• Heel tips. The cheapest and most important repair there is. Replace them the moment you can hear or see the metal pin. Waiting damages the heel body itself, which turns a small repair into an expensive one.
• Sole protectors. A thin rubber half-sole added to a new leather-soled shoe costs little and dramatically extends its life. Best done before the first wear.
• Resoling. Worth it on well-constructed shoes. On cheaply glued construction, usually not.
• Stretching. A cobbler can add a small amount of width to a shoe that pinches. They cannot add length.

Small habits that add up

Use a shoehorn rather than forcing your heel in — crushing the back of a shoe destroys its structure faster than anything else. Undo laces and buckles before taking shoes off. Treat new shoes with a protective spray before their first outing, when it does the most good.

Ten minutes a month across your whole collection is realistically all this takes, and it is the difference between replacing shoes every season and keeping the good ones for years.