1. Correct shoe care before
No piece of clothing needs more care than the shoe. You only need normal shoe polish, e.g. from DEICHMANN to make your smooth leather shoes weatherproof. How often do you need to polish? Quite simple: wearing a lot means polishing a lot. Anybody, who spends al lot of time outside during wet weather, should complement the shoe polish by using a special impregnating spray for example from DEICHMANN.

Carefully spray your shoes before you wear them for the first time. The same formula applies: the more, the better. Repeat this procedure again later, so that the leather can absorb the spray. There are special impregnating products for leather soles. Velour and suede shoes should only be treated with a shoe brush and an impregnating spray.

Here too, you should be generous. You will need ca. 100 millimetres per pair. Antique leather is best cared for with leather fat, which retains the spotted look of the leather. In particular difficult cases, you may assist the process with some impregnating spray.

2. Correct shoe care for salt stains
If your shoes have become soaked through, the moisture flushes tannic salts and minerals out of the leather, thereby causing the well known white salt stains on the shoes.  

In order to remove the white stains, wash these with warm water and a clean soft cloth. Afterwards let your shoes dry slowly. After the drying, intensive care with a shoe polish, for example from DEICHMANN, is called for.

3. Shoe care and proper drying
Shoes dry best when they are carefully stuffed with creased newspaper. After having been stuffed, they should be placed at an angle so that the soles can also dry thoroughly. But be cautious: never put shoes on top of a radiator, as the fine leather pores might swell, thereby destroying their structure.

4. Shoe care and shoe comeback
How you should clean your shoes after getting wet and drying depends on the leather. Tough leather is best greased with shoe cream out of a tin for example from DEICHMANN, whereas for more delicate leather types, a tube cream should be used. Use a shoe brush to remove dirt and debris from velour and suede; stubborn dirt on the upper material can be removed with an eraser for roughout leather. Afterwards, the shoes are again treated with an impregnation spray. Antique leather needs to be additionally treated with leather fat.

5. Warm feet in rubber boots
Yes, that is also possible. For this purpose, it would be best to wear functional socks. These socks consist of a wool-synthetic mixture, whereby the inner core (polyester) keeps the moisture away from the skin.  

Apart from that, you can support the socks with a thermo insert within the boot. Hint: When the boots are worn for a longer period, you might get wet feet in spite of the insert, as the sweat cannot evaporate.