Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
Be Nice To Your Shoes; They Love You!Jul 23, 2004 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Use your brain and buy some care products and you should be set with your new pair for quite awhile.
When a person first gets a new pair of shoes, they usually don't think of the ramifications of not taking care of their shoes, they just usually slip them on and go sprinting out the door. However, I don't recommend doing something like this. With just some common sense and a few care products, you can make your shoes last a lot longer; depending on how much you run is the biggest factor in this. First, buy some water-repellent spray and shoe cleaner from the retailer you bought your shoes at. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. It's just another ploy by the salesperson to get you to buy more. Well, it is, in a way (I should know, I sold shoes for three years), but the stuff is very useful. It's usually only $5 a can, so might as well pick some up. When you get the shoes home, spray it all over, in nice, even layers on the shoe, making sure not to soak it and then let it dry for about 30 minutes, then reapply another layer. This provides a nice coating against water and other liquids and provides a measure of protection against other elements. When your shoe is dried off, you can pour a little bit of water on it and just see the liquid slide off, a pretty cool thing. Plus, when your shoe gets dirty, it will be much easier to clean with the spray on your shoe. Periodically, say, once every month, reapply to sustain the water-repellence of your shoe. That cleaner stuff? Well, it actually does a good job. It usually comes with a scrub brush so you can get the most dirt and mud off first, then spray and wipe with a rag or paper towel. It's foamy and penetrates to get the dirt out. I am not saying its perfect, because if you have a predominantly mesh upper, it will not, no matter how much you have sprayed it or cleaned it, come out, because that is just the nature of the material. But, with most other uppers, namely, synthetic and real leather and Durabuck, it does a great job of getting messes out. Also, use the brush to scrape off your outsoles as well. I, for some odd reason, use a mechanical pencil (without the lead showing) to get in the tiny cracks and crevices on the outsole, mostly to get rocks out. Hey, it works well for me. And for those people, who own Nike Shox shoes, the best way to clean the columns is to get a wet rag and go around the columns or use a moist Q-tip. Of course, you may not care about that at all, but it's just a tip I picked up. Next, your shoe should last approximately 400-500 miles if you run about every day between 3-5 miles. If you see the outsoles getting worn, especially in the heel or forefoot, and the lasting tearing up from the outsole, its time to get a new pair. Also, the insole of the shoe, which is usually just a thin piece foam, will disintegrate in about 100 miles. After that, you may want to put an insole in to soften the blows a little. If you like to run in rain and snow, just make sure to lay the shoes out to dry. I cannot say that enough, a wet shoe breaks down so much faster than a dry one, for obvious reasons. The leather deteriorates and the midsole becomes mushy, not to mention a horrific odor can sprout up. I really don't recommend putting your shoes in a dryer, because that can do more harm than good. Just lay them out in the sun or use a mini-heater. You might also want to pick up two shoes to run in, as one can be used in backup in case the other is not dry. You may not like this idea, because of cost or not being able to break them in as fast, but it can actually save you money in the long run. Another thing may be the laces getting frayed or torn. That's an easy fix; just go get a new pair of laces. Many people buy new colors anyway to customize their shoes; every shoe store has a plethora of choices, colors, and lengths. One has got to match your pair. Well, if you start getting holes or tears anywhere, I would just say cut your losses and get a new pair, instead of trying to do fancy-do-it-at-home repairs. You probably won't fix it right anyway. Your feet are there and healthy only once, don't mess them up by wearing a worn-out pair of shoes. Just clean the pair you got now and use your brain. Then go run a marathon! What are you doing, reading this anyway?? Shouldn't you be out training?? ;)  |
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