Barker Leather Shoe Care Guide

With gifting season upon us the Barker gift guide hopes to offer guidance on gift ideas that are perfect for any Barker shoe enthusiast. Owning a pair of Barker Goodyear welted shoes or boots are a great investment having been made using the finest materials at the Barker shoe factory located in the Northamptonshire village of Earls Barton, England. While our Goodyear welted shoes are well made by some of the best craftsmanship in the country, caring for your leather shoes will ensure they last as long as possible. As we see it having invested hard earned money into purchasing your Barker shoes means investing time to considerably increase the longevity of your shoes makes complete sense.

Firstly, Barker advises to wear your leather shoes on a rotation to give them enough time to dry following wear and to avoid excessive wear where ever possible. Factors such as gravity, humidity and aridity can have a detrimental effect on your premium leather shoes. Storing your shoes in a dry space prevents any possibility of dampness and allows them to dry fully especially if they get very wet, this may take several days to ensure they are completely dry prior to wearing them next.

Over time, wearing leather shoes will result in folds and creases naturally appearing in the leather uppers and if not treated they may become permanent deformations. Included in the Barker Gift Guide is our Aromatic Cedar Wood Shoe Trees which will help absorb moisture while naturally deodorises your shoes when not being worn. Shoe trees make for a great stocking filler as does the Barker Shoe Horn which protects the leather, in particular, the heels every time you’re putting shoes on.

Cleaning your Barker shoes is a task often put off as its seen as time consuming but if completed regularly, cleaning and polishing your shoes shouldn’t take too much time out of your day especially if you receive a Shoe Care Kit over the festive period which includes a shoe horn, natural horsehair brush, applicator brush, neutral wax polish and a polish duster all inside a grained leather bag with brogue detailing throughout.

For a step by step guide to best clean your shoes start by removing the shoelaces fully unless it’s a standard everyday routine that is time restricted. Once cleaned leave the shoes to dry completely with crinkled newspaper inserted inside the shoes to keep the shape of the shoe until shoe trees can be inserted.

Polishing, if completed on a regular basis shouldn’t take up too much of your time and won’t be seen as a mundane task you come to dread. Prior to polishing your shoes ensure they aren’t wet, insert the shoe trees and remove the laces before giving them a thorough once over with a horse hair brush to remove any unwanted dirt they may have been missed. It’s important there’s no dirt or dust on the leather before apply any polishing products as it will affect the outcome.

Other Barker accessories included in the Gift Guide include cardholders, Bi-fold Wallets and Gift Cards for those left undecided.

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