Southern Anchors: {preserve your boots}

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

{preserve your boots}

This winter weather is awful dressing for work… my options are brown boots? Or black boots? And then tall boots? Or booties? I've attempted walking to work in flats and tights and it's just miserable with the wind chill. I decided once I graduated college that I was going to start investing in quality boots aka no more cheap Target boots. Don't get me wrong, I love my fair share of Target, but they just will not last through the years.

So I thought I would share how I keep my boots/booties looking brand new and lasting through the seasons:

1 // Leather treater

I absolutely swear by this [no, it's not a sponsored post :)] and rub it on my shoes every time I put another pair on. It's a sponge that has the treater in it that also helps shine and keep the leather supple. With all of the salt in slushy snow this helps whisk it away and bring back the natural color. I buy the clear product so that I can use one sponge on both my black and brown boots.

2 // Re-sole the bottoms

I have had these cowboy boots since I moved from Texas to Maryland… no joke. Resoling your shoes keeps the wear and tear down while making the traction better. If you let your shoes get too worn down then the heel begins getting worn away and it's near impossible to salvage them. Find a good cobbler that you trust and will make sure the leather is treated with care while resoling! If you want a certain color on the soles (cough cough Louboutins) that is an option as well!

3 // Spray your suede

Everyone used to spray their Uggs so why stop there?! Spraying your suede (with any drugstore brand is fine in my opinion but I tend to get a spray from Nordstrom because the mist is normally finer) protects it from getting water stains if you get caught in a rainstorm. If you spill on your shoe it tends to make it a bit easier to clean as well! With my leather/suede boots I covered the leather part before spraying.

4 // Store upright or flat in the original box

As you can probably tell my cowboy boots are so worn-in that they tip over and the leather begins getting creases. If you don't have room for the original flat boxes then I recommend storing them upright with empty wine bottles! My boots all tend to get creases at the ankles from wear so this is a great way to help prevent them from setting in even deeper.

5 // Color the nicks

Sharpie. Easy as that!! There's no point in letting a nick in the wood heel show when you can quickly cover it up. It keeps your boots looking in tip-top shape and presentable to wear to work.