Elvis wasn’t the only person concerned about the condition of his blue suede shoes: people everywhere want to make sure their suede and leather shoes look good, are weather protected and last a long time. Here are some tips to achieve just that.

Suede is a difficult material to clean, and you should buy a dedicated product from your shoe store when you buy the shoes. New suede shoes can be treated with a protective suede spray, but you should never use water to clean suede. To restore its nap, rub suede with a bath towel, nail brush or suede brush. Dry stains and marks can be removed by gently rubbing with a pencil eraser or fine grit sandpaper on the affected area.

Leather shoes are easier to care for, but remember that the biggest enemy of leather is mould. If you live in a humid, hot climate, never leave wet shoes in a confined space. They need to be dried out and stored in an aerated location. Leather loves good, old fashioned shoe polish. It gets into the leather and resists water and stains. Well-polished shoes not only look good, they last longer too. If your leather shoes are an unusual colour, buy neutral, clear polish from a specialist shoe store.

It’s not just shoes for men, shoes for women respond to fine treatment too. Buy some neutral polish from a shoe store and work it into those high heels. You’ll find that after a while the shoes become more supple and they will last longer the more care you take of them.