SIX FUNDAMENTAL WAYS TO Correctly Care For Your Work Shoes

How To Extend The Lifespan Of Your Work Boots & Safety Shoes.

Like a forestry worker’s saw or a tiler’s trowel, your work shoes are an essential part of your everyday working life. Just like your tools, your shoes should be treated properly too. It’s the only way to ensure they function properly & protect you in the long run.

FACT ONE: Even The Toughest Safety Shoes Experience Wear & Tear.

Without proper care, a saw quickly goes blunt; in the same way, even the toughest shoes can lose their protective edge without proper attention. Inadequate care or simple carelessness can cause you to destroy certain features of your shoes that are supposed to protect you. This can quickly turn from an annoyance to a real danger. We often hear of defects resulting from improper care, or because shoes are not used as intended.
Unfortunately, we do not accept returns of such shoes.

In line with our motto, “Lift Your Game”, we want to provide you with tips for optimum shoe care for your steel toe cap runners so that you can enjoy a safe pair of work boots from StitchKraft for as long as possible.

WHAT DOES SHOE CARE MEAN?

For many people, shoe care primarily means scrubbing, & they’re not wrong. However, that’s just one element. Shoe care can be active & passive. Passive shoe care begins when you choose your shoes: they have to fit well.

FACT TWO: A Great Fit Greatly Extends The Shoe Lifespan.

Unlike trainers, safety shoes do not wear in overtime. As such, an incorrect fit can lead to additional stresses on the shoe in the wrong places which can result in premature damage over time. A poor fit can affect your gait, cause pain in your feet & can put you off wearing the shoes altogether. However, shoes don't just need to suit your feet, they need to suit your work too. So check carefully to find out which shoes are best suited to your job & your foot type. For example, if you often work on your knees, your shoes should have scuff caps. Or, if you have wide feet, you should find shoes that cater for that.

Different surfaces require different qualities of soles and the level of safety required also plays an important role. With our intuitive shoe filter, you can compile a personal selection of shoes with the exact features that you require. Your new work shoes should feel good when you first try them on and be well suited to your field of work. They are truly an investment as you will wear them every day for many months to even years of work. It might sound trivial, but how you put your safety shoes on also matters. Our tip is to use a shoehorn to avoid wearing out the heel area unnecessarily.

FACT THREE: Two Pairs Of Shoes Extend The Life Span Of Both Pairs.

There’s much more to passive shoe care. Professional work shoes & boots have to take a lot of strain, so sometimes they need a little break. For example, leather shoes absorb moisture very well, however, they need up to 24 hours to release them again. For this reason, we recommend using two different pairs. This allows one pair to rest before they are put to work, extending the life span of both.
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THE THREE NO GO’s When It Comes to Safety Footwear That Lasts

Your work shoes are a practical part of your life assurance. Improper use, care, & handling can have fatal consequences + destroy the shoes. We would like to show you a few concrete examples which illustrate improper handling particularly well.

1. WASHING MACHINE | A Sure Way To Destroy Safety Footwear

   Work shoes do not belong in the washing machine! This can destroy the outer materials and safety features. Which can result in losing the protective features of your shoes. To properly clean your work boots, use warm soapy water, a wet cloth, or a brush to gently clear away dirt and smells. To extend the lifespan of your work shoe, we recommend using our powerful shoe protector spray . You can also combat odours with our specialized shoe spray.  Both are formulated to be compatible with the work shoes without inhibiting their breathability or performance.
   
   

2. ADJUSTMENTS | Always Choose Scientifically Proven Compatibility.

   The components of our shoes are scientifically proven to work together efficiently & safely. If you choose to use any foreign parts such as insoles or make any alterations to the shoe, it can result in damaging the integrity of the shoe. For example, ESD shoes quickly lose their protective properties if unsuitable insoles are used! If you wish to make changes to your shoes, you should speak to a specialist or buy compatible accessories that work with your shoe model. You can check out our specially made ESD soles here. 
   
   

3. SOILED WORKSPACE | Remember A Clean Workplace = Clean Shoes.

   It’s a simple formula: clean workspace = clean work shoes. Check to see whether you can keep your immediate workspace clean & free from additional dangers. If, for example, you are always standing in oil or other chemical fluids, the soles will become damaged. With gratings, you can not only make your workspace safer but also increase the life span of your shoes.

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