How to make your shoes last longer

Article content

Each year, scores of old and broken shoes end up in the trash. Taking simple steps to protect and repair your shoes can keep them on your feet longer, helping your wallet and the planet.

“Repairing your shoes instead of tossing them is a simple way to fight waste and save money,” said Katrina Caspelich, chief marketing officer for Remake, a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable and ethical fashion.

Here’s what you can do to help your shoes last.

– – –

Buying better

The kinds of shoes you buy play a large role in how long you’ll be able to wear them, experts say.

“Repairing your shoes is a powerful way to push back against fast fashion’s throwaway culture,” Caspelich said. “By fixing instead of replacing, you’re reducing waste and cutting down the demand for cheaply made, resource-intensive products.”

Shoes made of cheap materials or those with molded rubber soles, which includes many types of sneakers, can be more difficult to repair, said Jim McFarland, whose family has been in the cobbler business for 100 years.

Footwear that uses polyurethane can be particularly challenging, said McFarland, who owns McFarland Shoe Repair in Lakeland, Florida.

The synthetic material “has a shelf life, just like bread and milk,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you wear them or not. It doesn’t matter if you drink it or open the bread bag. After it reaches a certain expiration date, it crumbles just like stale bread.”

If a shoe’s polyurethane layer is still intact, a professional can attach a replacement sole. But when it starts to disintegrate, a repair can become more complicated, McFarland said.

Trying to glue a rubber or leather sole to a crumbling layer of polyurethane “is equivalent to you going to the beach, taking some duct tape and taping your towel to the sand,” he said.

The first step to buying a higher quality pair of shoes is to look for leather, experts said – because it can be restored, reconditioned and recolored. Well-maintained leather shoes can last years, even with regular wear, said Karen Pearson, chair of the sustainability council at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

If you’re concerned about cost, consider shopping on resale sites or at thrift stores.

“You can find good shoes for the same price that you’re buying cheap shoes,” said Randy Lipson, a third-generation cobbler and owner of Cobblestone Shoe Repair in St. Louis.

– – –

Taking care of what you have

Protecting and taking care of your shoes are critical to helping them last longer.

“Prevention is less costly than repair,” Lipson said.

When you buy new leather shoes, make sure to polish, moisturize and waterproof them right away, he said. It’s important to do this regularly to maintain your shoes.

There are treatments that can be applied to protect soles from wearing out too quickly. Using shoe trees can also keep the shape of your leather shoes and help them dry out after you’ve worn them.

You can bring shoes to a repair shop to have these services done or talk with a cobbler who can provide you with the right products and guidance to do some things on your own at home. Some shoe retailers such as Neiman Marcus and DSW also offer repair services.

“The first bit is to get the right education,” McFarland said.

You should also think about how often you wear your shoes. Experts recommend rotating shoes and not reaching for the same pair every day to help prevent wear and tear.

– – –

Repairing damage

Simple fixes, such as dealing with scuffs or replacing broken laces, can be done at home, some experts said.

But if your shoes are starting to show more significant signs of wear, cobblers recommend thinking twice before you attempt to fix them on your own.

Repairing a shoe that’s coming apart at the sole, for example, involves more than just grabbing any strong glue you might have handy.

“It’s just not simply sticking something in there,” McFarland said, adding, “You’ve got to know what material you’re working with, so you know what primers and what adhesives to use on that shoe. There’s definitely a lot of science to it.”

Glue won’t adhere to dirt, so products applied to a soiled shoe probably won’t stick, he said. Certain household glues, such as super glue, can also cause damage. Applying super glue to leather can make the material very brittle and ruin the shoe, he said.

Damaged heels or soles should also usually warrant a trip to a repair shop, Lipson said. There are about 3,000 shoe repair shops across the United States. The Shoe Service Institute of America, a trade group, maintains an online shop locator.

“It’s hard to put a dollar sign on repairs, but you can save money on almost any repair – all while giving them longer wear,” he said.