The blade of a shoe can only retain its softness, elasticity and shine if it receives proper care. If not maintained properly, the shoes end up having dry and cracked leather. Unkempt shoes have a relatively short life.
The meticulous care of shoes becomes an enjoyable routine provided you have suitable equipments. You need to have one brush to remove mud. The brush can be made from ox bristle, horse or pig but you can also use brushes made from pita fiber. The coarse bristles of these brushes remove dried.
You need a brush for each color application. Avoid using a single brush for application of all colors because the color can still remain in the bristles and can cause irregularities in the tone of the next stain you use. If necessary, make sure that you own two or more brushes for each colored stain that you have.
The amount of cleaning products such as liquid polishes should be the same as the applicator brushes. For most exclusive shoes, cleaning requires the use of stain that matches exactly the color of the blade or leather unless you intentionally want the blade to acquire another color of the leather. The color of most stains for shoes include burgundy, dark burgundy, cognac for a clear, light or dark brown, brown and black. Apply a thin layer and regular cleaning products on the leather then wait about 10 minutes for the shoe to penetrate the leather.
Another important brush that you should have is the horse hair brush. Depending on the number of colors or stain that you have, you need a larger number of brushes. This type of brush refines the application of stain on the leather. As a substitute for this polishing brush, you can use a soft cloth. In fact, in the case of shoes with a thin blade, it is strongly recommended to use a very fine cloth to prevent wear and tear to the leather.