polish – Herring Shoes Journal

Shoe care – 2023 edit

3 November 2023

Shoe care is important no matter the time of year. Water is, and always will be, bad for good quality leather, particularly good quality calf leather uppers and soles. This blog will focus on calf leather as opposed to polished or suede. For suede leather care, please see this link for our previous blog. (PS scroll down to find your exclusive 15% shoe care discount).

You will need: (Click here to see all below items on our website).

One or two cloths/rags. I like an old cotton t-shirt, but whatever you have lying around, just make sure there’s no loose dirt on there.
A horse hair brush. I prefer a medium sized one.
A good quality cream. I wouldn’t worry if you can’t find an exact colour match. If in doubt, get a slightly lighter shade, never darker. We use Saphir 1925.
A good quality polish. Again, don’t worry if you are unable to find an exact colour match, get as close as you can or a slightly lighter shade. We use Saphir Pate De Luxe.
Saphir Renovateur Macadamia.
Saphir natural leather sole oil.
Shoe trees…ideally wooden.
A welt brush. If you don’t have one an old toothbrush or something that will help you get product in between the uppers and the welt.
An apron is recommended but not essential. It will protect the clothes you’re wearing from product spill and let’s be honest, it makes you look like a pro!
Dasco Protector spray. This will add that final bit of protection.

Your shoes deserve the best quality products and we appreciate this is not cheap, but bear in mind it will last you many years and keep your shoes looking their best! With this in mind we have created a special code for you to use on full priced shoe care products to save you 15%. Just use the code SHOECARE23 in the basket when placing your order. As above, this link will take you to a pre-populated basket including the above items (make sure you change the shoe trees size to what you need and amend the shoe cream and polish colour to suit), just don’t forget to use your code!

Let’s get down to business:

Step one

Get that apron on! You want a nice clean base to work off, so you need to remove all dirt off your shoes, including your soles. Make sure your shoes are dry and take out the laces, then insert your shoe trees to give your shoes some shape and push out any creases. Now grab your brush and take off as much dirt as you can (you may want to do this outside or over a sink). If you need to use a damp cloth then you can, just be sure not to soak the shoes and allow them to dry before moving on to the next step. Get the dirt off your brush ready for later. It should come off easily using your hand to brush against.

Step two

It’s time for some renovateur. I personally use my finger for this step but you can use a cloth if you prefer. You want to apply a thin even coat over the uppers, welt, and heel, basically everywhere apart from the sole. This product goes a long way, so you only need a very small amount. If you notice some colour coming off then this means you have a build up of old polish and it’s good to get this off so just wipe off the excess with a cloth. Leave them to rest for five minutes and then use the brush at a moderate speed, back and forth, to remove any excess. This will leave your leather nicely nourished and ready for the next steps.

Step three

Now we apply our cream. I would use a cloth for this as the cream can stain your fingers. As above, you want to apply a thin layer of cream over the shoes, but avoid the welt and sole (if the colour matches your heel stack and welt then you can use it there too, usually this is a dark brown). Pay particular attention to the toe and work in small circles just to rub it in nicely, this is the part where your scuffs and scratches will get covered up. Get your welt brush and make sure you get the cream in the areas around the stitching where the welt meets the uppers. This is where water is going to soak in through the shoes and the cream is going to help repell it. Leave the cream on for two to three minutes and buff off with your brush. Spend a little longer on the brushing here and you will notice a wonderful sheen already. Your leather now has its first layer of protection while covering up those little marks.

Step four

Possibly the most satisfying part…applying the shoe polish. Make sure your shoes are fully dry from the previous steps. Use a cloth and two fingers to get a small amount of polish from the tin. Start at the toes using small circles and even spread it until it dries, then get a little more and do this around the whole of the uppers, taking time to use small circles and don’t forget to use your welt brush for the stitching and welting area. If you want a bit more of a shine, you can use drops of water to create a bull shine as per this video our MD Jason made (well worth a watch). Once you have applied the polish you only need to wait two to three minutes. Don’t wait too long as the polish can be hard to buff off. Get your trusty brush and brush fairly quickly with a little force to create some friction. This helps to set the polish and will create a noticeable shine. Be careful not to catch the end of the brush on the shoes when doing this. It’s easily done if you get distracted and you will be cursing yourself. This is your second layer of protection. If your shoes could talk, they would be thanking you (or walking you to the pub….)

Step five (skip this stage if your shoes have a rubber or crepe sole)

Without doubt the largest factor in soles wearing out quickly is moisture. When you think about it, walking on wet concrete is almost like sandpaper on your lovely leather soles and if you do this repeatedly, they are going to wear down extremely fast, no matter the quality. You can’t always avoid wet weather, of course, and by making sure you rotate your shoes and let them rest and dry with good quality wooden shoe trees (and following our care advice in this blog), you will be prolonging the need for a resole two-fold, so it’s worth having at least one other pair to wear during the week and alternating between them both.

Back to business. The good news is they are nearly ready, you just need to seal that leather sole. Apply the sole protector with a cloth. Your sole will likely soak quite a bit up, so don’t go crazy, but apply enough that you can see it has evenly soaked up. Leave them to dry for at least one hour before wearing them out.

By now your shoes are looking a million dollars. It’s satisfying right?

Step six

This is optional, but one final layer of protection will help. We are using a colourless protector spray, this is going to really seal in what we have done above. A light, even spray over the uppers and a brush to get the excess off is all you need, but check the bottle for further instructions if you aren’t using Dasco Protector spray and just make sure it is suitable for leather shoes.

Congrats on a job well done!

Please feel free to ask us any questions at all about shoe care, we are always at hand of help you get the most out of your shoes.

Herring Shoes

Why shoe care really matters

3 November 2021

We get excited when we choose and buy our shoes. We are even more gleeful when they arrive, and we get to wear them. But we get sad when they end up looking scuffed and past their best. This does not have to be how the story goes. All you need is a little shoe care.

Shoe care seems to be a lost art. My grandmother used to regale me with stories of her family leaving all their shoes by the back door every Sunday, ready for my grandfather to clean and polish them. As the breadwinner, it was his one domestic chore of the week, but it was written in stone!

How many of us clean and polish our shoes every week? My hand is so far from being up, it is under the table right now! But it is important, especially during the winter months when wet weather creates mud underfoot, and puddles and rain do their worst along with salt used on the roads in icy or snowy weather.

What does shoe care entail? We have split this helpful advice into ‘Leather care’ and ‘Suede care’.

Leather care

Remove dirt

Before you start, ensure you have inserted shoe trees and removed the laces – you don’t want them in the way and getting covered in cream. The trees will help push out the creases and make it easier for you to get to the leather and produce a solid surface for you to brush and polish. Then you need to remove the dirt as it will not come off on its own. Remove it with a brush making sure you get into the folds and welted areas of the shoe or boot.

Renovate

We advise our customers to use renovator cream, such as the one made by Saphir. This is designed to clean, hydrate and nourish leather before applying the polish or cream. Gently massage the cream into the leather with a soft cotton cloth using small circular movements, then leave it to soak in. After 5 minutes give the shoes a good brush to even out any excess and leave a cleaned surface.

Cream

This step is not mandatory, unless you are skipping the previous renovate step in which case you will need to use a cream. Shoe cream (more specifically, Saphir 1925) has higher pigments of dye so not only will it aide in nourishment it will also help to cover up any scuffs. Apply with a cloth in circular motions, rub in and leave for 5 minutes, then buff off with a brush. You are now ready for the next step.

Polish

The finishing touch to add that layer of protection and give a lovely sheen. Apply Saphir Pate De Luxe using small circular movements with a soft cotton cloth. You do not need too much. A little goes a long way. Once dry use a brush to buff them up to a lovely polish. Brushing is designed to heat up the wax in the cream so it melts using the friction of the bristles to leave a smooth and shiny surface – top science fact for you there! The more friction you create the shinier they will come up so give yourself a mini-workout for the best results. If you wish to go further and create a ‘bull shine’ follow this link to our Youtube channel.

Suede care

As above, ensure you have inserted your shoe trees and removed the laces. Suede care is naturally different to leather, where polish is not going to work. There is a whole host of advice in our blog Brush up on your suede knowledge, but we have collated the care information below for your convenience.

Remove dirt

Brush off any loose dirt. We recommend a crepe or brass suede brush to brush out any dirt or marks. Simply brush against the pile lightly and work your way around the suede to focus on any dirty areas.

Deep clean

Give your suede a deep clean with Saphir Suede Cleaner Omni Nettoyant – mix 50/50 with warm water- to not only cleanse but to bring life back to the suede and to protect it from staining. Use the brush provided and apply it against the pile. Once your suede has darkened, due to being wet, you have put enough on.

Rinse

Rinse the cleaner off 5-10 minutes later with clean warm water. Just dip the brush into the clean water and brush the suede. Try and brush from lots of different angles to get the suede cleaner off.

Dry

Leave your shoes or boots to dry. This takes around 20-30 minutes. Do not rub the suede with a cloth as any loose bits will come off and go onto the suede.

Clearly, you need some tools and products to help achieve what should be a routine job. We have valet boxes to give you a one-stop-shop for all your shoe care needs.

I hope this has given you (and me) a timely reminder to look after your footwear. If you are prepared to spend your money on quality shoes and boots, it is worth investing some time into them too to ensure they last and look great for many years to come.

Herring Shoes

A detailed shoe care guide by Jared Acquaro

12 May 2020

In this edition, we focus on caring for your quality leather shoes. Yes, there are many articles related to this subject (as detailed by Herring already in previous posts) but this will be a more detailed version on how to do this for longevity, from a beginners point-of-view. I will show you a few tricks I have learnt from experts and trial and error, plus what to look out for in products that could harm your footwear, instead of protecting them.

What you will need:

A quality rejuvenation cream; natural ingredients are best for leather. Look for ingredients like; beeswax, mink oil, and lanolin. With all products, the smell shouldn’t be one similar to harsh petroleum or stripping products, unless that is your outcome. The beeswax in the cream will give you a light shine finish and a mild waterproofing.
A brush to remove excess product and another to shine; this can be any soft natural haired and firm bristle brushes. Key is to remove the product that doesn’t soak into the leather, a harsh bristle brush will seal the wax and start creating a sealed shine. This is better on the finishing steps.
For those with experience, a coloured or neutral wax polish. I say experience because applying this product takes finesse and time. It is easy to over-apply, thus making a cloudy and in the future cracked finish. (For now, best leave this out until you have practised). Again, the ingredients should be natural, avoid petroleum-based turpentine. Brands like Saphir use natural pine turpentine instead.
Old t-shirt or similar rag. This is to protect yourself and/or surface, but also to apply layers of product. I personally use my fingers when applying neutral products, in-time you can feel the build-up of the product in the leather better.
Shoe trees or newspaper, to hold the shape of the shoes.
This product is something I was taught and not something you would regularly see in videos etc, and that is a 40 denier pair of tights/pantie hose/stockings. You might think “what the hell is he talking about?” But trust me on this, it is ingenious!

Method:

To start with, remove the shoelaces (if they have them, undo buckles etc) and insert shoe trees or newspaper. Take your soft bristle brush and brush away any visible dirt (especially in the welt or randing). Next, spray or dampen a rag with water (not soak), then wipe over the entire shoe, do the soles if you like but it’s not necessary. Let dry for 10mins.
Now you are ready to apply your rejuvenation cream. Use a dry part of the rag or fingers and apply about a finger size amount in a circular motion. This will ensure an even product application, you can’t overdo or use too much but if you do it will become costly. Once both shoes have an even amount on them, let them sit for at least 30mins. You will notice that there are always “waiting periods” in between the stages, this is key to getting the right end result. After the 30 minutes use your soft bristle brush to remove the excess cream. You can stop right here and your shoes will be ready to go.
If your shoes have lost colour, this stage is where you can apply a coloured cream wax, just follow the same step above. *Please note, if you can’t get the exact colour/shade and don’t want to make this darker, use a shade lighter than the original. If you don’t mind them darkening then you can use a shade darker. (maybe experiment with using a different colour all together if you’re adventurous).
This step is not for the beginners but the more experienced. The two key elements to applying the top wax coat is a) less is more and b) patience. If you just want to waterproof, then 2-3 coats are all you will need. Apply a tiny (2mm) amount to a rag or finger and rub in a circular motion. You will see the product coating the shoe, once the wax starts to cloud, apply more to another area and so on until the shoe is covered, where you want the waterproofing. Let it sit for 30mins, brush off and apply another coat, let sit for 30mins. At this stage add a drop of water to the shoe, this will help even out the coating to avoid cracking. Once this is done, let it dry (20-30mins) and you can buff with a hard bristle brush, if you want a higher shine use a pair of the stockings by pulling them tight between both hands and with the shoes held either between your legs or an assistant buff away! Mirror shines or “bulling” takes practise and fine layers to fill the leather pores, creating an even flat surface, this is how you get the glassey mirror finish.

Following these steps are key to keeping your shoes at their best for many years to come. I have seen beautiful shoes destroyed in less than 12 months, by wearing them every day, not allowing the leather to rest and wick away the moisture with shoe trees and never applying a rejuvenation cream thus drying out the leather (remember the leather is skin and just like our skin without fat/oil is dried out).

Best way to keep on top of this is to take note of how “tired” your shoes look. Is the leather bright or dull? Has it lost its colour? Does the leather feel hard instead of soft/supple?

This concludes the first section of caring for your quality shoes. The next article we will dive into sole protection and how shoe trees actually work. Some might ask about Suede and Nubuck care, don’t worry it won’t be forgotten!

If you are after a quick bull-shine and time is of the essence, Herring do have a fantastic video on their Youtube channel here.

Until then, buy smart, buy well.

Regards,

Jared Acquaro

Herring Shoes

Shoe care

17 June 2013

You should always look after your Herring shoes to ensure they last you a long time, maybe even a life time. Here we look at a few of our shoe care products!

Now with a high quality pair of shoes the one thing you should invest in is a good pair of shoe trees. Shoes trees allow a shoe to dry in the original shape after wear. We have a selection of great shoe trees which you can find here. The Herring cedar tree (Â£35) is pictured below.