Care tips Wellness for shoes

Good care will keep your shoes comfortable and water repellent for a long time. The following tips are designed for all LOWA models made of smooth, nubuck and split (suede) leather. To make sure that the leather stays this way and that you enjoy your high-quality boots for many years to come, you need to care for them regularly. New boots require no addi­tional care before you wear them for the first time, but they will benefit from regular leather condi­tioning treatments.

If you sweat profusely, a special leather-care lotion should be applied from time to time to leather linings because the salty sweat produced by your feet can dry out the leather, making it brittle and hard. GORE-TEX linings require no special care, but they can be cleaned occa­sionally with lukewarm water and a gentle soap solution. Also, please regularly clean and condition the leather on GORE-TEX boots as the GORE-TEX membrane will lose its effect­iveness if you do not keep the leather uppers in good condition. It is not enough to apply water­proofing or shoe-care spray to intensively used GORE-TEX shoes!

A big myth is that GORE-TEX shoes do not need to be main­tained. The waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX lining is located on the inside of the shoe, so it has nothing to do with the outer care of the leather or synthetic material. That means: even a GORE-TEX shoe needs to be regularly cleaned, cared for and water­proofed according to what the material of the upper requires. And the GORE-TEX lining is also happy about washing with a little shoe cleaning agent and a soft brush.

All adhesive board-lasted shoes in LOWA’s TREKKING and MOUN­TAIN­EERING categories can be resoled. Whether this makes sense or not depends on the condition of the shoes. Age does not play a role here. Even very old shoes can be given new soles and fresh anti-gravel protection. However, the leisure and light hiking shoes in the ALL TERRAIN CLASSIC and ALL TERRAIN SPORT categories can’t be completely resoled on account of the way they are made. On these models the sole is sprayed on using a special process and can’t be replaced. However, they can be reheeled. If required, the LOWA Service Team will be pleased to provide advice.

LOWA shoes are designed to be durable and many details can be repaired or replaced. Never­theless, certain materials have a limited shelf life, e.g. the sole’s impact-absorbing wedge. This synthetic material ages over time and becomes porous at some point. This is a natural wear and tear process. That is why LOWA provides a complete resoling service for its TREKKING and MOUN­TAIN­EERING shoes, which involves entirely replacing both the impact-absorbing wedge and the tread sole, which is subject to wear and tear. Yet even with this kind of makeover, one truth remains: nothing lasts forever.

Be it hiking or walking around town: a good, sturdy pair of outdoor shoes covers a wide range of applic­ations. Never­theless, each LOWA shoe category has a certain limit and the asso­ciated models are not designed to cope with every type of adventure. Safety is the priority here. For example, although the multi-func­tional shoes in the ALL TERRAIN CLASSIC or ALL TERRAIN SPORT categories are really light, they are not suitable for use on scree or for hiking tours in rough terrain. For optimum protection and satis­factory stability, you are better off opting for a trekking shoe. There is a corres­ponding shoe for every application.

Even if lengths of a LOWA shoe size are roughly identical, shoes sizes are not stand­ardised. This can result in minor differences in size from category to category and from footwear manu­facturer to footwear manu­facturer. Furthermore, the shape of the shoe plays an important role in the perception of size. A narrow shape makes the shoe appear smaller, while a wide shape tends to make the shoe appear larger. Of course, your feet also change during the course of your life. As you get older, they get wider and longer. That’s why LOWA recommends you should always try on shoes and check your size in the shop before you buy them. When trying on shoes at a retailer, you should also remove the inner soles and stand on them. This tells you very quickly whether your feet have enough room. A brief guide is provided by the Table of Shoe Sizes on the website.

Dubbins and oils are clearly not the ideal choice for looking after modern leather shoes. It is generally important that shoes made of leather are cared for regularly, to ensure they remain supple and ready for use over a long period. But there are definitely differences in the choice of care products available. The dubbins and oils that are frequently used are generally unsuitable, as they soften the leather over time and can even seal it completely, so that the shoe can no longer breathe. Any adhesive bonds on the shoe may also be rendered inef­fective. You’re better off using special leather wax and impreg­nation spray. Special leather care products for outdoor shoes, e.g. LOWA Active Creme or LOWA Water Stop PRO, are available from specialist retailers.

The miscon­ception that every outdoor shoe is auto­mat­ically waterproof is unfor­tu­nately wide­spread. Yet the various models differ very consid­erably in terms of design and materials. For example, a shoe with leather lining exploits its strengths in warm and dry conditions to the full. The leather lining can absorb plenty of moisture (sweat), cools slightly and is a perfect fit with the foot. These shoes defy moist conditions for a certain period of time. However, this lining is not waterproof and also requires a certain time to dry. In contrast, shoes with GORE-TEX lining are waterproof and therefore very suitable for use in wet conditions – in particular over a longer time period. Which shoe is the right one for whom depends on intended purpose and personal pref­erences.

You should never put leather or synthetic footwear in a washing machine. The mech­anical effect of the washing process in combination with the increased water temperature can wash out leather pigments, damage the upper materials and loosen adhesives. Your boots could suffer irre­parable damage.

Acid, petrol and manure can attack the materials used in the soles of boots and adhesives, and can set in motion a process of deteri­oration that can damage your LOWA boots. Try to avoid these substances and thor­oughly clean your boots if they do come in contact with them.