Leather shoe care can be scary. When you’re paying a Gucci sized bill for a pair of their coveted leather styles, you want them to last. With that comes a lifelong responsibility of giving attention and care to the fine Italian leather that they have been crafted from.
Whilst dropping your leather shoes off at a shoe restoration clinic, or your local cobblers for a deep clean might seem like the perfect option – it’s not always an accessible option, and can become costly in the long run.
If you wear your Gucci leather shoes regularly, then they should be cleaned every two to three months.
Here, we give you tips on how to clean, protect and store your new luxury leather spend to ensure they last.
How to safely store leather shoes
How you store your Gucci purchase is essential when it comes to maintaining shoes that are made from premium materials like leather.
Leather shoes should be placed in a climate-controlled environment. This means keeping them out of direct sunlight and in a cool, dry place.
As leather shoes can easily crease, it’s a good idea to invest in some wooden shoe trees – they’ll protect your Gucci shoes from the inside out. Using shoe trees consistently will help to maintain the shape of your shoes, protect the leather by pulling out moisture, and help reduce unwanted odour. If you can’t get your hands on shoe trees straight away, stuffing them with tissue paper will help to ensure they keep their shape.
All Gucci shoe purchases are complete with complimentary dust bags, one for each shoe. Placing the shoes inside the dust bags when you’re not wearing them will also aid in protection when not in use.
How to clean your Gucci leather shoes
What you will need:
Step one: Remove Laces
If your shoes have laces, remove them.
Most laces are made from cotton and the leather cleaning products used could potentially stain or damage them.
If your laces are dirty, you can place them in a bowl of warm water and laundry detergent – be sure to check that the laces are completely dry before putting them back in, as water can cause the leather to shrink and wrinkle.
Step two: Remove any loose dirt
Before you start the cleaning process, it’s important to remove any loose dirt on the shoe to make the cleaning process easier.
Loose dirt can be removed by knocking against the shoe, wiping it off with a kitchen towel and you can also use a soft bristle brush to get into the grits of the sole.
Step three: Remove scratches and marks with a leather cleaner
Leather cleaner is used to help loosen and remove any accumulated dirt.
Add a small amount of leather cleaner and work in circular motions using either a soft bristle brush, or a microfiber cloth.
Repeat this process until all of the dirt is lifted.
Step four: Apply leather conditioner
If you’ve never heard of leather conditioner, get to know. It’s a vital step in the process and its purpose is to restore, revive and protect. The product ensures that the leather is flexible and blocks any water from seeping in.
Leather conditioner is available as a transparent product, or in common leather colourways like black and brown. Using a leather conditioner that matches the colour of your shoes at least once a month, will enrich its look and improve its durability.
You can use the same microfiber cloth as used to clean the shoes to apply the leather conditioner. Gently rub the product in circular motions. Wait a few minutes for the product to dry and then wipe off any dried-out flakes of conditioner.
Step 5: Apply a leather polish.
For the more traditional Gucci leather styles, such as loafers and boots, using a leather polish will do a great job at adding shine to the texture of the shoe.
Using a clean microfiber cloth scoop up some of the leather polish and work in circular motions. Avoiding areas of the shoe that aren’t leather, continue this process until the shoe looks uniformly smooth and shines.
Summary
When putting a lot of money down on a name like Gucci, care and attention for the products and their materials can often be overlooked in the long run. We typically think that the higher the cost, the longer they’ll last – but that’s not always the case. Even the priciest shoes need a little TLC every once in a while.
To help protect your shoes when they’re not in use, make sure you store them correctly. Use the dust bags provided by Gucci, and store your shoes in a climate-controlled room.
Following the step-by-step cleaning guide, your Gucci shoes will be looking as good as new.