What Causes Dry Rotting in Shoes and How to Prevent it?

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Skin peeling between toes: Causes and treatment

Everyone feels a certain level of thrill when they buy a new pair of leather shoes. Not only are leather shoes luxurious, but they also look sophisticated and last you several years with the proper care.

However, anyone who’s owned any leather accessory before, whether it’s a shoe or a bag, will tell you how tiresome the upkeep is, especially when you’re living in a climate that is not ideal for leather.

However, once you get the hang of it, taking care of your leather shoes will be short regular maintenance done a few times each year to preserve the quality of the shoes over the years.

What is Dry Rot?

Dry rot is due to a fungus (Serpulalacrymans) and causes deterioration in your shoes over time. Keeping your shoes from dry rot

can only be done once you understand what and how dry rot on your shoes can look like.

Wood and rubber can also fall victim to dry rot. In leather, dry rot typically looks like a white and powdery substance (fine powder) on the surface of your shoe. It can cause your shoes to fall apart at the seams or even crumble away.

Cause of Dry Rot in Shoes

There are several common reasons why dry rot occurs in leather shoes. It starts happening when natural oils begin to dry out in leather shoes, which can cause the leather material to become dry and brittle. It can happen to shoes that are:

  • Made of low-quality leather
  • Have been used for more than a few years
  • Exposed to high levels of moisture
  • Exposed to constant sunlight
  • Stored at fluctuating temperatures

Investing in High-Quality Shoes

An ideal way to prevent dry rot from even occurring is to invest in a pair of good-quality leather shoes. Cheap leather shoes are made with lower-grade leather with stitching that is only meant to last the short term.

The original life span of these shoes is not long, so they tend to wear out quickly. When dry rot sets into such shoes, it shortens the short lifespan of the shoe even further, making your shoes completely unusable.

Moisture Control

Moisture is the biggest enemy of leather shoes. Besides causing dry rot, moisture can cause leather shoes to crack or dry out completely. You can prevent moisture by:

  • Stuffing your leather shoes with newspapers to absorb moisture
  • Using silica gel sachets inside your shoes
  • Store shoes in dry ventilated areas inside cloth bags

Keeping your shoes from dry rot is not extremely difficult when you follow through with these points to prevent moisture from affecting your shoes.

Making Your Shoes Last Longer by Preventing Dry Rot

Regular maintenance of leather shoes includes polishing and treating them with a leather conditioner at regular intervals. It’s only when you continually do maintenance and moisture control that your shoes will be able to last for a long time without dry rot.

Polish and conditioner can also create an additional protective layer that prevents dry rot in your shoes. Treat your leather shoes properly and wear them for years without worrying about weather elements or dry rot ruining them.