Lets face it, shoes are expensive but practicing proper shoe care will help you make your shoes lasts longer. Shoes really do take a beating, they're on your feet and you are walking on them and banging them into things all day long so it's no wonder that they wear out quickly. Ironically, the cheaper the shoes are the quicker they wear out so it probably is more economical to buy expensive shoes which will last longer and if you care for them the right way you'll end up saving money over buying a new pair of cheaper shoes three or four times a year.

Here are some tips for proper shoe care:

Storage:

A lot of people just come home at night and kick off their shoes and leave them in a pile by the door, but storing them properly is important to keeping them in good condition. One thing you need to do is try to keep them in the same shape they were when you bought them - this is particularly important for more dressy shoes. In order to do this, you can buy shoe shapers that slip inside the shoe to keep the form. You also might want to keep the original shoe boxes they came in and when you take your shoes off at night store them in the box.

Cleaning:

Shoes are on the ground all day, so it stands to reason that they could get to be pretty dirty and one part of proper shoe care is keeping them clean. You want to wipe them off with a deep cloth at the end of every day to remove any accumulated dirt, dust and debris. If you shoes a leather you want to clean them periodically with the leather cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. If appropriate to the type of shoe, you also want to use a shoeshine product periodically. Paying attention to the cleanliness of your shoes will help to keep them looking new all year long.

Environment:

For leather in particular, the environment can do damage to your shoes. If it is very humid where you live this can encourage mold to grow. That's why you get those little crystal packets that suck up moisture inside the shoe boxes. It's a good idea to actually keep you shoes in the boxes with the packets still inside, however you might want to be careful if you have small children or animals that could get at your shoe boxes.

Practicing proper shoe care will make you shoes lasts longer and look better!