If you’re from around here, you know winters can be rough. With the snow, rain, salt, sand and varying temperatures, an expensive pair of shoes can get ruined fast. Here are some do’s and don’ts on making your shoes weather resistant.

Wax-based polish 

 

Spray-on waterproofing compounds

 

Heavy-duty waterproofing compounds

 

 

 

 

Unlike your normal shoe-shining routine in which you can get away with polishing specific areas only, you’ll need to fully coat the shoes. Whatever product you use, be sure to test a little bit out on a discreet area of the shoes to ensure it doesn’t change your shoe’s appearance.

 

Avoid

If your shoes do end up getting wet, don’t put them near a heater! The temperature difference is rough on the shoes and makes the water evaporate too fast, causing the leather to crack.

 

Polish

Your polishing routine needs to go from once a week to every time you wear the shoes. This will help preserve your shoes through bad weather.

 

 

 

 

OTHER OPTIONS

While applying products to protect your shoes can help, it will still not guarantee that your shoes make it…especially if you do a lot of outdoor walking or simply have bad luck with getting caught in the rain. Here are a few other options for lengthening the life of your costly footwear.

Galoshes

 

 

While you may think they aren’t the best solution in terms of style, you can actually pull off a galosh pretty well these days. Find a color match or simply branch out and make it obvious that you’re wearing a rainy day shoe cover with a bright choice.

 

 

The not-so-stylish durable shoe

With winters like we have here in Boston, sometimes you just need to sacrifice the perfect look for a thicker sole and slightly less tasteful look. It’s an option and in the end, you have a pair of shoes that you have specifically for those terrible weather days.

Bring an extra pair

While it can be a real pain to to carry another bag to work, it can be worth it when it’s snowing out there. Throw on your heavy-duty winter boots for outdoors and invest in a cool shoe bag. Whether for golf or not, pick up a small shoe carrier. No duffle bags necessary!

 

So there you have it, some ways to keep shoe life long. Don’t waste your money damaging your shoes during the winter!