Do you own at least one pair of leather shoes? If you do, then you probably realize how leather shoes have several advantages over synthetic ones. Besides being stylish and comfortable, leather shoes are considerably sturdier, more durable, and more water-resistant; they also last longer than other shoes. But even though leather shoes are hard-wearing, they still need proper care and storage. Here are six basic guidelines for how to correctly store leather shoes, along with some considerations and warnings.
1. Give Your Leather Shoes "Breathing Room"
Make sure your shoes have proper ventilation. If you use a container to store your leather shoes, it must be breathable. Rather than cramming your shoes in an area where they can easily become bent out of shape and damaged, give them the space they need. One solution is to use a shoe rack. Shoe bags aren't a good option because often, when shoes get stuffed into shoe pockets, they can become damaged and lose their shape.
2. Use the Original Shoeboxes
If you have enough space in your closet, store your shoes in their original boxes. For more than one pair of leather shoes, it's a good idea to take photos of the shoes before storing them. After printing out the images, staple the photos to the appropriate shoeboxes to identify them.
3. Create the Right Temperature-Controlled Environment
One of the main considerations for storing leather shoes is ensuring that they're placed in a temperature-controlled environment. In other words, the space you create for your shoes needs to be cool and dry. Keep in mind how extremely hot and cold temperatures can damage or even destroy the leather.
4. Store Shoes in a Dark Area
Keep your leather shoes away from harsh sun rays when you're not wearing them. You don't want sunlight to cause your shoes to fade or bleach out. So, be sure you store your shoes in a dark spot.
5. Insert Shoe Trees
For shoes that you only wear occasionally, it's important that you invest in tools to retain their shape. Many people insert shoe trees into their shoes to prevent them from losing their shape. Put simply, a shoe tree is a shaped block that's inserted in a shoe to help the shoe maintain its shape. If you don't have a shoe rack, consider stuffing your leather shoes with rolled-up athletic cotton socks, newspaper or acid-free butter paper
6. Install a Shoe Rack Door
By using a Murphy closet shoe rack door, you have a place to store every pair of shoes without having to remodel your closet. What's more, you're decluttering your closet since all your shoes are now off your closet floor and neatly organized and accessible. This gives you more room in a closet or bedroom while creating a sense of style.
Other Considerations and Warnings for Storing Leather Shoes
- Avoid storing your shoes with mothballs or other chemicals. This can result in your shoes having an offensive odor that can be extremely difficult to remove. Instead, consider using cedar chips.
- Periodically remove your leather shoes out of storage. This can help extend the lifespan of the shoes because you’re airing out the material.
- Never hang leather shoes. Your shoes should always lie flat.
- If your leather shoes become soaked, find a spot with good ventilation to air-dry them. This is better than drying them out over a vent because changing quickly from being soaked to extreme heat can dry out the leather. When this occurs, you'll need a conditioner.
If you fail to take good care of your leather shoes and don't store them properly, they won't last as long as they should. Although taking care of your shoes is important, it doesn't have to be time-consuming. Why not discover the many benefits of using a shoe rack door? You can get extra cubic feet of storage, have a stylish place to store your shoes, and increase your home’s wow factor. For more information on our wide range of products and creative door solutions, contact us.
