Shoe gimmicks for the frosty time of year Small tricks, big payoffs

You have already slipped on your jacket, and now you just want to quickly jump into your shoes – a shoehorn will really come in handy if you are planning to wear winter boots. But what do you do if you do not have one? You simply have to look in your clothes closet. A leather belt will work just fine. Simply place the perforated end of the belt into the shoe, slip on the boot and then pull out the belt. Simple, but clever.

If you spend the entire day out in the cold while wearing your pleas­urably warm shoes, your feet will usually work up a sweat. By the time evening rolls around, your nose may be in for a shock. But there is a fast way to take on smelly shoes. The simplest trick of all: expose them to fresh air. The cold is a great bacteria killer. Frequently, the only thing you have to do is leave your shoes out in the frosty cold for 30 minutes. You can certainly bring in more fragrant artillery if you would like, things like a shoe deodorant or fragrant tissues. You can find them at health and beauty shops. If you cannot place your shoes outside or stop by your nearest health and beauty shop, you can simply draw on items in your own household. Things like a dried-out tea bag that you can place inside the shoe. The tea bag will emit its own pleasant fragrance.

When buying outdoor shoes, many customers wonder about which lining material will be the best choice for them. In selecting hiking boots, they are often drawn to soft leather as a lining material. Because such boots lack a waterproof GORE-TEX membrane, these customers face a perplexing question once the weather turns nasty: Can I still wear my leather-lined outdoor footwear? The answer: Yes! If you have taken good care of your leather boots and impregnated them, you can certainly wear them once dreary weather sets in. But the boots will not be waterproof, only water repellent. You should use a spray designed for leather to waterproof your footwear – a product like LOWA WATER STOP ECO.

GTX is an abbre­viation frequently applied at LOWA that some customers may use in a store when asking for “LOWA GTX”. But just what do these three letters mean, and what do they have to do with shoes? The answer is quite simple: The abbre­viation stands for the brand GORE-TEX. This company produces high-quality membranes that make shoes waterproof and breathable. The thin layer of laminate is simply attached to a shoe’s inner lining. As a result, sweat and moisture can be trans­ported from the shoe, but no water or wind can penetrate it. The membrane comes in a range of versions – including as a lining. Shoes with a GORE-TEX membrane are ideal for the frosty time of year.

Who hasn’t exper­ienced this problem? It’s raining or snowing, and suddenly your shoelace becomes unlaced. Securely retying the wet laces frequently turns out to be a fairly trying task indeed. You can apply one practical tying trick to ensure that the knot will not come untied in the first place. If you use it, you will definitely get through the wet and chilly time of year in great shape.

Once snow has fallen or temper­atures have dipped below freezing, municipal snow-removal services will spread salt on streets. White salt stains that frequently develop during strolls through town are one unfor­tunate side effect of this practise. Here, too, you can apply a trick or two and solve the problem: For classic boots made of nubuck or smooth leather, all that it normally takes is a mild soap solution. Care products like LOWA Shoe Clean are another excellent way to clean the footwear. Instead of aggressively cleaning the leather, they gently remove stains from the footwear. Suede leather is another story entirely, however. Salt stains on it are generally somewhat more stubborn. This is a job for special brushes that can work the salt out of the leather. A brush made of plastic and brass is the best choice. You can use a special eraser as well. The LOWA triangular brush meets all three criteria. But keep this point in mind: You should use the brush and eraser only for suede leather. The bristles can cause scratch marks on smooth leather and permanently damage it.

Let’s say that you have just gotten caught in a downpour, and, somehow, rainwater has seeped into your shoes. At some point, your socks may feel as though they have just completed the rinse cycle of a washing machine. Once you finally get home, you squeakily pull your feet from the sodden shoes. After you have towelled off your feet, you face one vexing question: “How will I ever be able to get my favourite pair of shoes dry?” All you have to do is apply an old, but effective trick. You simply have to place your shoes in a warm place. But remember this: You should not place them directly on or under a heating unit or an oven. This could damage leather shoes, turning them porous and brittle. The better place is near a heating unit or in a warm room. Once you have found a good place, stuff newsprint into the shoes. But be careful and do not pack the paper too tightly into the footwear. The shoe will curl up if you do. The paper will absorb the moisture inside the shoe. You should remember one other thing as well: Remove the moist newsprint from the shoes the next day.

Once autumn sets in, it is time for your summer shoes to go into hibernation and for some different foot soldiers to be called up for duty. But how can I store my sandals, sneakers and light summer shoes and prevent them from becoming misshapen and dusty? You should keep a few tricks in mind when you store these shoes if you want to enjoy them next year. It’s very important, of course, that you first clean your shoes. Then keep a few small things in mind: The best place to store your footwear is a generally dust-free, cool place. Such places include the basement or attic. But you have to make sure that the area has little humidity and good vent­ilation. This will help to prevent the shoes from becoming mouldy. If you store your shoes in a closet, you should ventilate the closet every now and then. If you store them in a shoe box, all you have to do is cut one or two vent­ilation holes in the box. Of course, breathable bags made of a light material can also get the job done. You can use shoetrees to help your shoes to retain their form while being stored. Once the rays of summer reappear, you can slip back into clear, dust-free shoes that have perfectly main­tained their form.