This is how you should take care of leather shoes, according to an expert

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Finding the perfect pair of shoes is all well and good, but most of us have no idea how to take care of them afterward.

Fail to give your shoes the proper tender loving care they deserve, though, and you could run the risk of crater-like cracks forming. Arguably, not the best look on anyone. 

As such, nailing the art of taking care of your precious, and often expensive footwear is a must for any guy. This is why we called upon shoe making guru and co-founder of footwear company Undandy Gonçalo Simões Henriques to give us some of the best tips to take care of, as he puts it, your 'sole mates'. 

Undandy is a Portuguese bespoke shoe making company, tucked away in São João de Madeira, a town widely known as the capital of footwear. They create bespoke shoes from Oxfords and classy sneakers to boots. We wrote about them previously, and they're one of our favourite companies as they let the customer create their own shoes through an easy online process, before sending the design to artisans who will lovingly hand-craft the design. 

Their expertise in shoe-making also means that they are, somewhat unsurprisingly, more knowledgeable than your average dandy when it comes to taking care of your footwear collection. For Gonçalo Simões Henriques, shoe care isn't just a must to keep his favourite pumps spotless, but is also a ritual.

"For me, shoe care is a routine, and a special one-to-one with myself...I try to do it once a month but honestly it is more on a need to do basis."

For the modern gent who wants to take care of his leather shoes properly, here are a few of Henriques' best tips:

Calf leather

"Leather is organic and needs to be treated like your skin. First, put a thin layer of shoe cream on the leather to keep it soft and hydrated. Approximately 15 minutes after, you should start to brush the leather with a shoe brush to keep the finishing in good condition. As an old school tip, you can spit on your shoes to increase the shine. Champagne also works very well, but it’s a little more expensive."

Renapur Leather Balsam 200ml, £12.

Pacona Shoe Brush Set (Medium), £16.50.

Suede

"What most people don’t know is that a suede shoe needs more attention than a calf leather one. Moisture is always the enemy so use a shoe tree. Also, never, ever [wear] them two days in a row — besides being a fashion faux-pas, it endangers your precious creation. After they are dry you can gently use a suede brush to get rid of the dust and stains. The good thing is that if you do this right, even your hardest nights can be brushed off. If only hangovers were that easy..."

TopShine Professional Suede/Nubuck Shoe Care and Protector Kit, £15.99.

Patent leather

"These models have an additional surface on top, which makes them a little bit more sensitive than plain leather. These shoes should not be treated at all — no shoe cream, no shoe protector — since this will ruin the surface of the leather. You should only use a damp cloth when you want to clean or polish the patent leather."

AmazonBasics Microfibre Cleaning Cloths (Pack of 6), £6.24