CARE GUIDE

HOW TO LOVE AND LAST

With our Care Guide, we want to show you how to best care for your favourite shoes so that they will last as long as possible. 

Terhi Pölkki as a brand stands for high-quality and long-lasting shoes. We design our products to be both durable and as sustainable as possible. That is why we want to highlight the importance of shoe care and help you to maintain your shoes in good condition for the long haul.

General tips for Terhi Pölkki shoes:

• Your newly bought shoe pair might feel a bit stiff in the beginning because they haven't adjusted to your own feet. The leather will quickly start to soften in use and the shoes will soon be adjusted to your right fit.

• Don't wear same shoes everyday. Give them some rest as well by changing your shoe pair daily.

• Keep shoe trees or crumpled tissue paper inside your shoes when you're not wearing them. This will help to maintain the original shoe shape and prevent creases and cracking.

• Clean, condition and protect your shoes when ever needed.

Our shoes have been designed with love and care by Terhi. Our factory has produced them with pride and craftsmanship in close collaboration with our brand. So maintaining and prolonging the life of our shoes is important to us. On this page we want to offer you a step by step guidance of how to maintain and take care of your Terhi Pölkki Shoes. 

Care for your shoes according to their use. Trust your own eyes and take the weather conditions into consideration. Make sure not to leave your shoes dirty for too long so the dirt does not ingrain.

We use mostly vegetable tanned leather, so always test your shoe care products before use on a non visible surface. 

Brushing or cleaning with a damp cloth can improve the outlook of your shoes, quick and easy. 

However we recommend to maintain a monthly 3 step shoe care ritual for shoes that are used regularly. 

2. CARE & CONDITION

Leather needs regular conditioning so that it doesn't dry out and start cracking. Condition your shoes with a delicate shoe cream that will moisturize the leather.

Smooth leather shoes

For smooth leather shoes use a clear delicate cream. It is especially well-suited for our Mila, Brandon and Jade shoes but can be used for all smooth leathers. Apply thin and even layer and rub off immediately with a soft cloth. Leave to dry.

Suede & Nubuck shoes

For suede and nubuck shoes, use a dry cleaning kit that includes a brush and a cleaning stone.

Lightly brush the stained areas in one direction. Make sure the suede/nubuck leather is completely dry before you start brushing it. If brushing doesn't remove all the stains, rub the cleaning stone over the stains until they are gone.

If the shoes are still dirty, use a cleaning foam which can be used on all shoe materials. Shake the bottle well. Pump foam out onto a damp cloth. Clean the shoe using circular motions and allow it to dry naturally. If necessary, polish smooth leather with a cloth and brush suede and nubuck with a suede brush.

Use the cleaning foam at least every 4th or 5th time you're doing shoe care. It will remove all the old product remains and enable the shoe to better take in new products.

The final step is to protect the shoes with a waterproof spray. The spray can be used on all shoe materials. The spray is biodegradable water based and has Swedish Miljöval ecolabel mark. It doesn't include propellants nor fluorcarbon compounds.

Shake the bottle before use. Spray an even and thin layer from a 15 cm distance, preferably outdoors. Do not soak the surface. Leave to dry for 24 hours.

REMOVING SALT STAINS FROM YOU SHOES

It is imperative that you remove salt quickly from your leather shoes, as salt will dry out your leather shoes and can cause cracking or creasing.

To remove salt from a leather shoe:

-Make a solution that is two parts water and one part vinegar.

-Dampen a clean cloth with the solution and gently wipe the shoe.

-Remove the solution with a cloth dampened with clean, pure water.

-Make sure the shoe fully dries out, as you do not want the leather to be soaked in water for long.

STORAGE BETWEEN SEASONS 

Storage shoes in shoe boxes if possible. Protect them from the sun and dust. Put clean newspaper inside your shoes to keep them shaped during storage. Avoid any plastic bags as leather shoes dry and can be damaged. Avoid basements and attics with humidity and temperature changes.

Read also our guide on how to measure your shoe size from here.