- I uploaded a video a couple months ago
about the best ways to shorten or conceal your laces
in which I included these shoes.
And, as several people correctly noticed,
these are pretty battered,
to the extent where I'm probably gonna replace them soon.
And that gave me the idea for this video
because when do you replace your shoes?
Well, in this video, I'm gonna show you some obvious signs
to look out for that may indicate
that your shoes are wearing out and might need replacing,
as well as a couple of hints and tips
that may make your shoes last a bit longer next time.
Let's begin with some obvious signs.
One of the first things to look out for
is the sole of the shoe wearing down.
The more you walk in the shoes,
the more erosion is gonna take place, and it's gonna slowly
start chipping away the bottom of your shoes.
The rate at which this happens will depend
on the quality of the sole of the shoe and also the type
of material that's used, which we'll talk about later.
You'll usually notice the most wear around the heel area
and also underneath the balls of your feet.
These areas will eventually become really thin
and may even start forming holes.
If it's at the extent where you've got holes in your shoes,
they probably need replacing.
Another common sight is the sole of the shoe
peeling away from the main body.
This is more commonly seen in low-cost shoes
where the sole has been glued onto the upper.
Over time, that adhesive was gonna lose its potency,
and the sole may start folding away.
If you can see your toes poking out,
you know it's time to get them changed.
That being said, for both of those issues,
things can be a little bit different
if you've got leather-soled shoes
because with the vast majority of these,
if you start to experience severe wear
on the bottom of the shoe, you can get these resoled,
something's that quite rare
with the majority of rubber-soled shoes.
Another sign that your shoes might need replacing
is if they're letting in water.
If you're in torrential rain, this probably can't be helped.
However, if it's light
and you can feel your feet getting soaked,
there's likely a hole somewhere in the shoe.
If water is getting in through the upper
of the material itself,
then this can be somewhat prevented using protective sprays.
I'll like to one of those in the video description.
They're a pretty useful thing to have.
If it's a leather-soled shoe that you've got,
then you need to be aware
that these will let water in through the sole
because these really like to soak up water like a sponge.
Your shoes may also need replacing if you see split leather.
This typically happens with more low-end shoes and trainers
that have a lower quality grade of leather.
You can see that on these Adidas shoes.
This normally occurs in the places that the material folds
which normally starts around the toe area.
Often this damage will get really substantial,
and the material will start getting really thin.
Generally, higher-quality leathers will last longer
in this regard, many of which can actually
start to look better as the leather ages,
but for lower-cost shoes like these
that's not really the case.
Another thing to look out for is material discoloration.
Now this can occur for a variety of reasons.
Really, I see two main things,
the first one being some sort of discoloration
around the tongue often caused by wearing denim jeans
which, especially in wet conditions, can leave a residue.
You can see the slight blue tinge
to these trainers at the top.
Some of these stains can be removed,
but others are really hard to get out
and, if this increases, you're left with a shoe
that's got a weird colour at the top.
The second type of discoloration I see a lot
is due to light exposure.
Now this one's pretty self-explanatory.
If your shoes are in direct light,
they're gonna start fading.
To keep things looking even between your shoes,
try and ensure that both are stored
in the same light environment,
ideally somewhere that's out of direct light.
Another thing that you may not necessarily be able to see,
but that you will feel, is the lining of the shoe
because the more that you wear your shoes,
the more that you're gonna erode away the lining.
This is really noticeable in shoes
that have got a fabric lining,
as these will normally wear away
quicker than those with a leather lining.
With these shoes, for instance,
there is some wear around where my little toe sits,
which will not only make the shoe more uncomfortable
but could potentially result
in more water being able to get into the shoe.
And while we're talking about moisture,
let's talk about mould, which is a trouble that I have
to face in this house because we do have some damp issues.
If your shoes are stored in damp conditions,
usually you'll have trouble
when it comes to mould on your shoes,
whether this be the upper of the shoe or the sole.
Sometimes this can be removed, but I have to find,
even when you remove it, it still seems to recur.
If you can prevent this from happening in the first place,
that's your best bet.
Another clear sign that it might be time
to replace you shoes is not particularly to do
with your shoes, it's to do with your body
because, if you find that your feet are hurting more
or your legs are hurting more,
it could be down to your shoes.
Especially when certain areas of the shoes are worn down
more than they should be
it can result in you not walking properly
or not having the correct amount
of support inside your shoes,
and there isn't much worse
than an uncomfortable pair of shoes.
Now I want to go over some general principles to look for
when choosing shoes or when considering replacing them.
The first one is that, generally,
more premium shoes tend to last longer,
and I mean premium here as in higher quality.
Price isn't always representative of quality,
but generally the more that you pay,
you tend to get higher quality in most cases.
Better quality leather, linings and soles
are really gonna benefit you and will generally mean
that you can hang off replacing your shoes for a bit longer.
There is one specific thing
I wanted to mention here, as well.
The fake leather, that polyurethane
that you see loads of cheap shoes made out of,
that stuff is terrible.
Shoes made out of this material
may be much lower-price point,
but they get absolutely destroyed really fast.
Often with the upper of the shoe peeling away,
it's not worth spending that little on a pair of shoes.
In the long run, you're gonna have to keep replacing 'em
so it works out as more expensive.
Also, I want to point out the real advantage
that is leather-lined shoes.
You'll struggle to find this on low-end shoes.
But the advantage of leather-lined shoes
over fabric shoes for most people is just enormous.
When I'm wearing my shoes, the first thing
that I often have problems with is the lining,
even before the sole and the heel.
Also, in this video,
I have mentioned two different soles of shoes.
Shoes with leather soles will generally be more expensive
to buy and actually won't last as long
as rubber shoes in most cases.
They tend to wear down quite quickly,
but they can be replaced,
whereas with most fused rubber shoes
you just have to chuck 'em.
Many leather-soled shoes will also come
with welted construction which can add to water resistance
and will preserve the shoe structure for longer,
meaning you don't have to replace them quite as often.
So, if you're in the market for leather-soled shoes,
then keep an eye out for that.
When storing your shoes,
these can be really important as well.
For quite a low cost, shoe trees can actually really help
when it comes to reducing the amount of creases.
Just pop 'em in your shoes when you're not wearing them,
and it keeps the material tight and prevents the shoe
from staying folded and creased for a longer amount of time.
These aren't expensive, and they also make it easier
to clean your shoes as well.
So I'd certainly recommend getting some of these,
whether it's the wood ones or just the cheap plastic ones.
This'll ensure that you don't have to replace your shoes
as often due to this heavy creasing.
And I have mentioned storing things
away from direct sunlight which is important.
But also, you need to maintain airflow
especially when you've got rubber-soled shoes.
I used to work at a shoe shop and saw loads of guys
bringing in shoes with soles
that had just completely been destroyed
due to a process called hydrolysis,
where the shoes have been in sealed containers for ages,
and the rubber sole had essentially just dried up so much
that it was crumbling away,
and the leather was really damaged.
Just like you, your shoes need to breathe,
so ensure that they've got some sort of airflow.
And the final thing
is moisturising your shoes is really important.
Just like with your skin,
the drier it gets, often the worse it gets.
The splitting of the leather, as I mentioned earlier,
is only gonna happen faster
if your shoes are really dry all the time.
This is extra important in warm environments,
so occasionally using some sort
of moisturising balm is gonna be helpful.
But I went into much more detail on those sorts of things
in a video I did a couple years back, but I'll link it now
in iCards anyway so you can watch it next.
And you'll have to let me know in the comments
if you want to see an updated version of that one.
Also let me know in the comments
if you think that there was anything I missed on this one.
I'm sure there probably is, but there's so much to cover
with this topic it's difficult for me to remember.
Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed this video.
If you did, press the like button and subscribe
for more handy tips just like this one,
and I'll see you in the next video.
(light pleasant music)