How to Prevent Shoes from Peeling – Guide to Save Your Shoes

Everybody has that favorite pair of shoes in their wardrobe that they wear with everything. Shoes are a vital part of your outfit, and it is often the element that is responsible for making a good first impression.

If you want to look sharp and dress sharp, the shoe you wear needs to look good.

Unfortunately, keeping your shoe in top condition is not always easy. You need to maintain it from time to time and polish it when necessary.

And most users do not understand the intricacies of keeping a pair of shoes nice and clean. Sure, wiping them off from time to time is simple enough. But to keep your shoe well maintained you need to know the right steps.

One of the first issues that you will encounter with your shoes over time is peeling. Wondering how to prevent shoes from peeling? Well, that is where we come in.

In this article, we will give you a step-by-step guide to save your shoes from peeling so that your image stays sharp and classy. So without further ado let us jump in.

How To Prevent Shoes From Peeling?

These days, there are many different types of leather used to make shoes. Depending on the type of shoes you own, the maintenance steps might be different.

We will discuss each type of leather in a later section to help you better understand how to care for individual shoe materials.

In this section, however, our focus will be on five general tips, tricks, and best practices that will help prevent your shoes from peeling too soon –

1/ Get Shoe Trees

How you store your shoes play a big role in dictating their overall longevity and condition. Throwing your worn shoes at a corner and making a big pile is not only messy but can also impact the durability of the shoe.

The best way to store shoes is to get a shoe tree. These handy contraptions help keep your shoes stored in a way that keeps their form intact.

As a result, the shoe remains in peak condition for a much longer period.

And to manage multiple pair of shoes, you can use a shoe rack or an over the door hanging shoe organizer. This organizer helps you to arrange your shoes in a manner way.

2/ Avoid Heat Sources Or Direct Sunlight

Leaving your shoes out under direct sunlight is not the smartest idea. Since most shoes are made using some form of leather, they can absorb the heat from the sunlight and stretch. This will lead to cracks on the surface of the shoe which will eventually cause it to peel.

The same goes for any heat source. Fire is not a friend to your shoes and you should avoid storing it near any source that gives off a lot of heat. Always store it in a cool and dry place for best results.

3/ Keep Shoes Clean And Polished

The easiest way to enhance the longevity of your shoes or boots is to clean them regularly. Just a thorough scrub every now and then can go a long way to ensuring good health for your favorite pair of shoes.

After cleaning your shoes, do not put them in direct sunlight. Rather, give it some time and it will dry up on its own.

In addition to cleaning it, you also need to polish your shoes from time to time. This step takes a bit of investment as you would need to buy the right polishing products for your shoe.

Some essential items are a horsehair brush, wax polish, leather conditioner, and leather cleaner.

You can also buy a polishing kit which should come with everything you need to keep your shoes sparkly clean.

4/ Do Not Use Harsh Chemicals

Though you need to apply some polish from time to time, make sure you do not use any harsh chemicals in your shoes.

You can find many online DIY tips to clean your shoes using nail polish removers or turpentine. However, these chemicals can severely damage your shoe and cause it to start peeling.

5/ Air-Dry Your Shoes

After cleaning your shoe, waiting for it to dry naturally can take quite a while. Some people opt to use a hairdryer to speed up the process.

However, we would recommend staying away from this idea as it can crack or stretch the leather if you are not careful.

The best course of action is to store the shoe in a well-ventilated room and let it dry naturally. Sure, it takes longer. But it will ensure your shoes remain free of any peeling issues.

Types of Leather Used to Make Shoes

In the following section of the article, we will give you a quick overview of the three leather types that are commonly used to make shoes these days.

1/ Real leather

The best and the most expensive shoes in the market are made using genuine leather extracted from animal skin.

This type of leather is extremely durable and can survive decades. Real leather also ages quite well giving it a nice look the older it gets.

However, if you do not polish them regularly, they can start peeling quite easily. Real leather shoes are comfortable, breathable, and highly resistant to water.

2/ Bonded Leather

Bonded leather is the next best thing if real leather shoes are a bit too expensive for you. This type of leather uses adhesives to attach pieces of recycled leather and covering them in polyurethane.

Since bonded leather does not stretch much, it can start to peel when the material deteriorates.

Since bonded leather is not as durable as real leather, you need to pay extra attention to it. These are also quite a bit cheaper than real leather shoes which make them a good choice for people on a budget.

Faux leather

Faux leather or synthetic leather is the cheapest variant that is used in shoe manufacturing. However, do not let the lower price tag fool you. These days, many brands have come up with excellent faux leather shoes that can go head-to-head with bonded leather shoes.

However, faux leather shoes can rarely compete with genuine leather shoes both in terms of durability and aesthetics. You need to pay close attention to faux leather shoes as they can start peeling quite easily. Typically, you should not use this type of shoes regularly or during intense activities.

Can Tying Shoes in Certain Ways Prevent them from Peeling?

Can different shoe tying methods prevent them from peeling? Exploring alternative techniques like the bunny ears or reef knot may help. Ensuring the shoelaces are properly secured can provide better protection against peeling. Experimenting with various ways of tying shoes might yield positive results in maintaining their durability.

Final Thoughts

Peeling shoes can be quite problematic and depressing especially if it happens to your favorite pair of shoes. However, with our handy guide on how to prevent shoes from peeling, you should be able to keep your shoes neat and clean without any trouble. Good luck. And if by chance, peeling happens at last, reading this article on fixing boot lining can help you a lot.

Also, many people search online many times a day to know can they repair the inside lining of their shoes. For their, we cover this article in detail.