Shoes are prone to wearing out quickly just due to their very nature of daily pounding. This is the reason it is even more crucial to maintain and care for your shoes even more than other items in your wardrobe. There are some tips that can help you prolong the life of your shoes, some of which are basic repair and cleaning routines that can be handled at home. It doesn't take a huge amount of time, effort, or money to do the maintenance that will help to protect your investment and prolong the life of your quality shoes. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever to invest a hundred dollars or more on a pair of shoes and then not take the necessary steps to care for them properly. One of the easiest things you can do for your shoes is to clean the dirt off them gently with a soft brush and if they are wet, dry them off and stuff them with dry newspaper to help absorb any moisture and help them keep their shape while they are drying.

For leather shoes you can and should use cream to polish and protect them. After polishing you should always be sure to remove the excess with a non-abrasive cloth. Just the mere act of polishing can make your neglected shoes look almost new again, but if you keep them polished in the first place they will be more likely to never look bad to begin with. Okay, those are the easy things now let's look at the maintenance tips that take a little more elbow grease or assistance from a professional. If you have a pair of high quality leather shoes that the heels are becoming worn on you can have the heels replaced with rubber heel caps that will not only last longer than the original ones but also be more comfortable to walk on.

Another popular replacement is that of the original leather sole. Leather soles wear out quickly and replacing them with high quality rubber soles such as Vibram will help to prolong the life of your shoes and also make them less slippery. If you live in a colder climate you will appreciate that the rubber soles help keep your feet warm better than the leather ones as well give you better protection against slipping on icy areas.

Another method of shoe maintenance that can be applied to your favorite pair of shoes is to replace the leather sole with a rubber one. Although the leather does allow room for the foot to breathe, it is less warm and more slippery. This can be a concern during the winter month especially in snowy and icy conditions.

The rubber sole would provide more traction for your foot and prevent slipping and falling.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as dress shoes at http://www.designershoesplus.com