Caring For Your Nettleton Shoes

Congratulations on owning a pair of Nettleton shoes. We present our recommendations in caring for your investment.

• When you take off your Nettleton shoes at the end of the day remember to insert your cedar shoe trees / forms. The cedar will absorb moisture and odor and will help them retain their handcrafted shape.
• If the shoes should get wet never put them by a heat source to dry. This is very bad for the leather and will promote cracking and curling. It is better to stuff them with newspaper to wick out the moisture followed immediately by inserting the shoe trees.
• Should you use a high quality cream and/or polish? Yes, alternate them. Cream will give you deep moisturizing whereas the polish will give you a higher shine. Some use a colored cream and then a neutral color polish. Let the polish or cream really soak in before buffing them out.
• Remember to remove the laces so that you can polish the tongue of the shoe. This is over-looked by many men.
• When cleaning smooth leather shoes, remove dirt by cleaning with leather cleaner made specifically for smooth leathers. You can use saddle soap or a smooth leather shoe cleaner.  Leather cleaners may come with an applicator top, or you can use a soft shoe brush to aid in removing dirt from the surface of the shoe. This is a good idea so that you remove dirt from any cracks in the shoes.
•  After cleaning, let the shoes dry for a few minutes and begin shining the shoes with a soft cotton cloth. Some shoe cleaning products will clean and condition your shoes, but if you want your shoes to get the full treatment, or used a product specifically for cleaning, the next step is to condition your smooth leather shoes.
• Conditioning your leather shoes will help soften and moisturize the leather, and protect it from drying out and cracking. Use a conditioner made for that specific type of shoe. Use a natural conditioner that is absorbed into the leather, as opposed to a synthetic conditioner that sits on top of the surface. Rub small amounts of conditioner into the shoe, until the entire shoe has been covered with conditioner. After a couple of minutes, wipe any remaining conditioner off of the shoes, as the leather will only absorb what it can.
• Remember to replace heels, laces and tend to any other issues as soon as possible. Your Nettleton shoe is an investment and should be treated as such.
• Wear them proudly. Not everyone will possess a pair of handcrafted Nettleton shoes. You are one of the elite, a gentleman that has arrived, a gentleman of worth wearing Nettleton, Shoes of Worth!