If you’ve been following me on Instagram the past few weeks, you know that I’ve taken advantage of a few amazing sales recently. I picked up two incredible pairs of shoes from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and four new shirts from Twillory using their SUMMERSALE code. The Twillory code is still working, and you can shop that sale right here! Of course, with great clothes, comes great responsibility. I hate replacing anything, but there is a direct correlation between my frustration and the price of what I’m replacing. It just proves to me that the higher quality of the products, the more important it is for me to take care of them. Additionally, there is a stronger desire to maintain these purchases. When I got tired of losing sunglasses, I bought a more expensive pair to give me an incentive to not lose them. This strategy may not work for everyone, but it seems to work for me. As with maintenance on anything, I might spend more up front, but the long-run saving are more than worth it.
No where is this more evident that with a nice pair of shoes. I have a good number of shoes which, if taken care of properly, will last decades. The leather will develop a unique patina over time, and all I will have to do is replace the soles. I’d rather replace soles than shoes. I have three very important components to my shoe care regimen.
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I keep my shoes shined. Shining your shoes not only helps them look even better, but it also keeps the leather conditioned. Leather is essentially a skin, and, as such, it needs care much like your own. I personally like the line of Saphir products to care for my shoes.
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Use cedar shoe trees. Nothing will give your shoes a longer life than a pair of cedar shoe trees. They help to absorb moisture and prevent odor. I think these shoe trees are the best value out there. I buy a set for every pair of shoes I get, regardless of where I purchase the shoes.
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I never (or at least try to not) wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. This break lets the leather rest, and gives the shoe trees time to do their job. Sure, it’s easy to say that not wearing my shoes for a day extends the life of the soles, but letting my shoes recover from a day’s wear does even more than you might think.
I also like to take a few steps to protect the clothing I buy too. Again, I have found that a little time and a few extra bucks pay huge dividends in the long run. And like my shoe care regimen, I’ve boiled it down to three simple points.
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Read the washing instructions. You know those little, cryptic images that mean something about how to wash your clothes, but no one has any idea what they mean? Well, some people actually do know what they mean, and all I do if follow this little decoding chart. It kind of makes me feel like Ralphie from A Christmas Story, but instead of “Always Drink Your Ovaltine”, I find out how to properly wash my clothes.
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Don’t be afraid of using different cycles, air drying, and ironing your clothes. Some clothes need these things to help them last their longest. And, to be honest, I’ve found a certain satisfaction in both the scent of a freshly air-dried shirt and then ironing that shirt myself. Like shining my shoes, the pride that comes with caring for these little details makes the work all that more rewarding.
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Use gentler cleaning products. These days too many cleaners have harsh chemicals and abrasive compounds that get your clothes clean, but at the expense of said clothes. I use the products from The Laundress to get the most life out of my clothes.
I hope you found some great deals over the past few weeks of summer sales. Now it’s time to take care of those purchases and justify the spending even more. Let me know what you think of these tips, and what enjoyment you get out of taking care of these things yourself!
Regards,
