Here is clear and easy-to-follow guide to the best way to care for your leather shoes. We go through cleaning, nourishing and recolouring, as well as protection and how to polish up the shine on your shoes.
The different parts of the guide (click to go directly to a section):
- Cleaning
- Nourishing and recolouring
- Extra protection and shine
- Final result
- Film showing all the steps
Well used shoes that have gone a bit too long since they were properly taken care of.
Products used in the guide: Saphir Medaille d'Or Leather Cleanser, water container for shoe shine, nylon cloth, Saphir Medaille d'Or Creme Pommadier shoe cream, horsehair brush, Saphir Medaille d'Or Pate de Lux wax polish, goat hair brush, polishing cloths, application brush.
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Cleaning leather shoes
Depending on how dirty the shoes are and how deeply the dirt has settled, there are different products and ways to go about it. If the shoes are really dirty with a lot of ingrained dirt, you can choose gall soap or Tarrago WASC! Sneakers super cleaner (works just as well on other types of shoes than sneakers, of course). If your shoes have a lot of old shoe cream and wax that needs to be stripped off, use Saphir Renomat.
For the more regular cleaning if you've got some stains or on shoes like these that are obviously quite dirty but where most are on the surface, we recommend Saphir Leather Cleanser. An easy to use and versatile product. The cleanser also opens up the pores and makes the leather extra receptive to the conditioning agents in the shoe cream we use later, which improves the nourishing and conditioning of the material.
A leather cleaner that is perfect when you want to clean your shoes quickly and easily
Start by brushing away the worst dirt with a shoe brush (do not use the same brush for the actual polishing of the shoes). Then take the Saphir cleanser on a cotton cloth and rub with light pressure over the area that is dirty, or if necessary over the entire shoe / leather product, part by part. If you rub harder and more you will loosen some of the cream and wax, but if you are light on your hand it will mostly just be the dirt that comes off. You will see that the leather will be a bit dull after cleaning. The cleaner evaporates quickly so the leather won't get wet, but still leave the shoes to dry for a while so they are completely dry before moving on to the next step.
Clean the entire shoe with Saphir Medaille d'Or Leather Cleanser.
After cleaning, the leather will be a little dry and dull.
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Care and recolouring of leather shoes
If the shoes are older or have not been cared for in a long time so the leather is clearly dried out, you can apply a thin layer of Saphir Medaille d'Or Dubbin Grease which is a really deep conditioning product, if the leather feels only slightly dry, Saphir Medaille d'Or Crème Renovateur can be just right, a slightly milder conditioner. Otherwise, a good shoe cream contains enough conditioning ingredients to moisturise and provide the care required in most cases, and one such cream is Saphir Medaille d'Or Creme Pommadier, considered by many to be the world's best shoe cream.
The cream has a thick consistency, so use small amounts and spread a thin layer over the shoe, either with a polishing cloth or application brush. Also use the brush in the area between the upper and the sole, and don't forget the sole and heel edges themselves, which are also leather and benefit from care and new pigments.
Use an applicator brush to reach in between the sole and the upper leather.
The cream is not runny, this little is more than enough for the entire toe cap.
Apply the cream in circular motions.
Let the shoe rest for 5-10 minutes and brush off excess and bring out the shine with a horsehair brush. If the shoes have a lot of marks or have not been cared for a long time and have dry leather, you can apply 1-2 more coats following the same procedure. Now the shoes have been well cared for new colour and marks are covered, plus some protection and shine. Shoe polish is the one product you can never skip when it comes to shoe care, it is by far the most important. If a higher shine is desired, it is advisable to add wax to give the final shiny finish and additional protection.
Let the shoe rest for a while so that the cream penetrates the leather properly. 
Then brush off any excess and work up the shine with a horsehair brush, quick strokes all over the shoe, including the sole edges.
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Extra protection and shine of leather shoes
If you want some extra protection and not least to work up a decent shine, wax polish is the way to go. We use Saphir Medaille d'Or Pate de Lux, an easy-to-use, high-quality wax polish. The surest way to get a good end result that doesn't crack and look scratchy after a while is to work with many very thin layers, and be patient. For the final finish if you want to get the proper shine, Saphir Medaille d'Or Mirror Glass can be an option, many find that you get the real high gloss faster with this.
After the shoe cream, you have a decent shine, but if you want more, wax polish is the way to go.
Use a cotton cloth that you wrap tightly around one or two fingers and hold in place between the other fingers and your palm. Take a small amount of wax on the cloth, and along with a few drops of water, apply the wax to the shoe using light pressure and quick circular motions. Start with the toe, which has a hard stiffener where you can work up a decent shine without cracking it. Here you can apply a few more layers at once, before going over the rest of the shoe. Also over the hard heel stiffener you can add more wax, if you wish. Also make sure to polish the sole and heel edges with the wax, also these do well with some extra shine, especially the heel. Leave to dry for about ten minutes, before brushing the whole shoe, ideally with a soft goat hair brush that won't make marks in the gloss.
It's best to use a soft goat hair brush when polishing up the shine as it won't cause small scratches like horsehair can if you have polished up a proper shine.
On just the toe and heel you can then go on and apply more layers of wax to build up a really high shine, if you wish. It usually takes some time and practice to find the right technique. The easiest way is to continue in the same way with a few thin coats of wax at a time applied with a little water for less friction, and then let it rest, brush it up, and continue until you are satisfied. A good tip for bringing out the final stun in the shine is to finish with a thin nylon cloth, such as cut-off shiny nylon stockings, which you rub the shoes with in a very quick motion. The wax then reacts with the heat and gets an extra shine. You can also use the nylon cloth to "wake up" the shine again after they have been worn for a while and even remove minor scratches.
Nylon cloth for the final shine is a good tip.
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Final results
Now you have a pair of really healthy and beautiful leather shoes. No dirt that wears the material, the leather is nourished and marks are covered, and the leather is well protected by various waxes. If you have polished the shoes well, you can also, as mentioned above, get the shine back and make them reasonably nice again by just brushing or using nylon polish, as an intermediate step before polishing them with cream and wax polish again.
Below the final result.
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