We love clever shoe care ideas. Some of them happen to be centuries-old traditional care practices, some are new smart ways and products that march in line with modern sustainability practices.
If you google “shoe care”, surprisingly most products on the market are advertised for men. Be that shoe shine kits, shoe horns, or shoe trees, 9 out of 10 advertised products are for men only. Can you believe it? Do women not care for their shoes? Gobsmacked by this finding, I decided to write this post and select top care options for you, ladies.
SHOE POLISH
There are lots of good polish brands out there, but I struggled to find any natural creams that would also do a great polish job. For Cleverstein, leather care is the same as skincare – the product has to deliver great results and be harmless for both the skin and the planet.
After some search and testing, we found our best brand – Bee Naturals. It is a small beekeeping family-run company in the UK. They discovered the marvelous effect their beeswax has on footwear. This beeswax handmade polish contains only natural oils, bee wax, and vegetable dies.
SHOE TREE
Most shoe trees are made for flat shoes only and 90% of them use men’s shoes for advertising. Yet, we managed to find 2 companies that make a quality product for women.
Cedar Green offers a natural cedar tree solution, which is great for both flats and heels. The cedar wood is perfect for drying leather shoes and for refreshing their odour.
FORMÉ is an American brand with a sleek functional shoe tree design. But they don’t seem to sell in the UK, so you’ll need to order from their US warehouse. The metal is not ideal for drying and de-odouring, but it is significantly lighter than the cedar wood solution.
SHOE HORNS
There are so many options on the market – from deeply traditional, to innovative modern styles. For us, shoe horns need to be comfortable to use standing up and should last a long time. Here’re our top picks:
Leonardo Rossano is an architectural innovation inspired by Japanese function and aesthetics. This is a truly remarkable product.
If you are a traditional type, this Kalinko shoehorn is a great choice for a home.
For the footloose travel junkies, this Aidiyapet keyring horn would be a great solution – especially when you need to take your shoes off/on at the border control scanners.
SHOESHINE KIT
There are a lot of nice kits for leather footwear on the market with a very wide price range.
This particular one is our top choice for the value for money – Funwan. It has all necessary shoeshine parts for classic leather shoes, looks elegant and seems to work well for a lot of people, judging by the amount and quality of the reviews.
They use PU leather on the kit. It is not ideal for shoes, because it wears out quickly. But it works well on a shoeshine kit, which gets used a lot less intensely.
SHOE REPAIR
And finally, there is good old shoe repair.
If it is the right time to re-sole your Cleversteins and other favourite shoes, you can try your local shoe cobbler for a quick fix.
However, if you are looking for an immaculately manicured job, we recommend a specialist – The Restory. They do real wonder with old – even the most battered – bags and shoes. They are not cheap, but more cost-effective than buying a new luxury pair.