Shoe Care
Shoes are exposed to outside chemical factors, such as moisture, dirt, salt (used to salt down pavements and roads in winter). Proper care of shoes, makes them look good and more comfortable to wear.
The basic rule to keep shoes in good condition is to dry them when they are wet. You should avoid wetting shoes, especially if they are made of leather. Extremely damaging factor for leather is salt (mixed with water) used in winter to salt down pavements and roads. If your shoes are wet, clean them as soon as possible with a mud brush or a damp cloth or sponge. Then dry shoes completely at room temperature keeping away from radiators or any hot areas, since quick drying may lead to leather cracks. Before drying pull out shoe laces and fill in the shoes with paper to shape them in the original way. It helps to remove moisture and keep their original shape. Do not wash – it deprives leather of flexibility and makes it crack. Cleaning and drying are the base for further treatment.
When shoes are clean and dry, you need to use an appropriate way of conservation for a particular material. Often brushing is enough and you do not need to put another layer of cream. You should not put another cream layer if the previous one is still in good condition. Methods of conservation depending on the material are described beneath. The process should include conservation of heels and visible part of soles. If the weather is favorable, shoes frequently worn need to be conserved every dozen or so days. If it is not bad weather – every time they are wet or dirty. Well conserved shoes will be more resistant to salt and saturation – but still it is not possible to make shoes fully resistant to these factors. In extreme cases, there may appear damp patches hard to remove and discolorations, especially in case of coloured and light leather. Do not use self-shine shoe creams (liquid, applied directly to the shoes with applicator) since they make leather dry and remove natural shine and colour. Frequent use of these creams damages shoes.
Clean with damp cloth or brush. Use Ryłko creams (colour corresponding to the colour of shoe top) when shoes are dry. Put cream evenly, wait 10 min and let shoes absorb the cream. Then polish shoes with cloth or a soft brush. Do not put the cream on the previous layer – in such a situation all you need to do is to brush shoes. In case of shaded leather, use neutral creams to keep the shades. If you have lost this effect, you can restore it with appropriate coloured creams.
Suede leathers require proper and regular care. Lack of care or excess of care products may stimulate the wearing process and result in discolouration of leather grain. Any dirt should be cleaned with a special brush or slightly damp cloth. Use special care spray products meant for this kind of leather which refresh colours, and colourless impregnating products for suede and nubuck. Please note that it is advised to cover the shoe lining, bottoms and other elements of the shoes before you use a colour refreshment product in order to prevent their discolouration. Spray products should be applied at a significant distance, spraying small amounts evenly. Using a lot of spray amount and applying it too close may result in permanent stains. Shoe polishes and creams meant for full-grain leather should not be used.
Clean with damp cloth. Use shoe care products for synthetic leather.
Clean with soft brush or damp cloth.
During daily use, leather absorbs a large amount of moisture and this takes 24h to evaporate. It is not recommended to wear the same pair of shoes day by day – this will guarantee hygiene and comfort of use. Equally important to conservation is the method of storage. If you know that you will not be using a particular pair of shoes for a long period of time because an end of a season (e.g. summer, winter) get your dry shoes and put the cream on, fill in with paper to shape the shoes and put them into the box. For such purpose you can use Ryłko boxes and paper with which your shoes were filled in when you purchased your product – therefore it is not recommended to throw your Ryłko boxes away. Store shoes in a dry place. Instruction of removing salt from shoes. Leather elements should be completely wet with warm water and a cloth. In order to make shoes absorb water more intensively, cover it with damp cloth and foil and leave it this way for several hours. Salt should vanish or at least become less visible. Attention – in case of some types of leather, especially coloured ones, the effect may not be acceptable – it is recommended to put the cream on the less visible part to test before you put the remainder of the cream on the whole surface of the shoe.