How do you take care of heels and soles on dress shoes?

Question

I love my dress shoes, but it takes no time at all to wear out my heel tips and the sole under the toes. Are there any preventive maintenance measures you take?

Answer 1

Go to a shoe repair person and have them put sole protectors on them and heel protectors I used to work for a shoe repair person but it helps alot to keep them like new.

Answer 2

I just avoid wearing them when I know I'll be walking a lot, and I have another suitable pair of shoes for the occasion.

Also, I've just accepted the fact that I need to re-sole the heel tips of my favorite boots every year 'cause I love to wear them so much! It costs about $12.

Answer 3

Wear sneakers until you arrive at the location where you are going to wear the dress shoes. It makes for more comfortable walking. Carry your good shoes in a bag or keep them at your office.

If you do a lot of driving, consider stashing a pair of drive-only shoes in your car. This will help protect the heels of your good shoes.

Pay attention to wear at the tips and heels of your shoes. Get reinforcements if you tend to wear your shoe tips down, and have heel bottoms replaced before you wear into the wood or rubber body of the heel.

If you are a dancer, do not wear your dance shoes on the street. Wear them only on the dance floor.

Insert shoe trees or forms into expensive dress shoes to maintain their original shape. Combat odors by spraying the interior with deodorizing foot sprays or odor-absorbing shoe inserts.

Spray cloth shoes with a waterproofer and stain repellent before their first wearing. Keep suede shoes looking good with a periodic brushing.

Use saddle soap on smooth leather shoes to remove water and salt stains. Polish shoes on a regular basis to nourish the leather and keep the exterior color consistent.