by William C. Eberhart

Created on: November 21, 2006   Last Updated: April 15, 2007

The infamous sneaker, a shoe the whole world wears, was born in 1892 when Keds introduced the first rubber-soled canvas shoe. Converse followed in 1917 with its All Stars version, in an attempt to capture the basketball crowd, and by the mid 1970's, the advent of leather athletic shoes as casual wear gained the publics eye. But it wasn't until 1984, when Michael Jordan signed a contract to wear Nike's Air Jordans that the leather sneaker took a firm hold upon American society, as well as the rest of the world They just never told us how to care for those expensive sneakers.

To care for leather sneakers, preventive maintenance is the key to increasing their longevity, and the first step in this process is to apply a water and stain protector to the shoes when they're first purchased. There are a variety of products to choose from, but the pump or aerosol spray is the easiest to use, with virtually no messy clean up. Just follow the directions and apply the protector about every two weeks.

Once the leather sneakers have been worn, but haven't been exposed to some unnatural circumstances, like ankle-deep mud, wiping them with a moist sponge or soft cloth will suffice as a means of cleaning off dirt and grime. Over time, though, tiny particles of dirt will eventually embed themselves into the pores of the leather, acting like sandpaper, grinding away at the leather fibers. At this point, it's best to clean the footgear with a soft bristle applicator and a non alkaline leather cleaner, which purges the leather of the dirt. Always make sure to remove the laces when cleaning too, to avoid a buildup of dirt and grime around the tongue area.

For heavy-duty cleaning, such as removing black marks from the surface of the leather or to refurbish the synthetic cushioned base of the shoe, a spot remover should provide adequate cleaning power. If you believe a stronger solution is needed, ask the leather care technician at your local shoe repair shop for his or her advice on deglazers.

Keeping the leather soft and pliable on sneakers is the most important aspect of preventive maintenance, and like rejuvenating your skin with lotion, this step will prolong the life of the footwear many times over. There are many brands to choose from and every leather care technician has their favorite. Just make sure to apply a conditioner to the leather once a month, especially if you wear the shoes in or near a wet environment.

Although not part of preventive maintenance, a troublesome occurrence

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