Monthly fashion magazines are a great source for the latest trends and how we indulge our pocketbooks. What they don’t do well however, is keep us informed on how to care for our latest splurge, especially when it comes to our beloved shoe collection.

Here are 5 tips to keep shoes looking like new.

1. a small investment

Invest in Cadillac Boot & Shoe Care Lotion. This inexpensive, magic elixir is wax-free and cleans, polishes and protects leathers, reptiles, exotic skins, patents and vinyls. Apply a liberal amount of lotion with a Kiwi Express Shine cloth (skip the paper towel or rag, which can disintegrate or leave your kicks a little linty), let dry and then buff lightly. Stash a bottle at your desk and shine everything from shoes, handbags, wallets and belts while checking emails or making calls.

2. mini-makeover

New shoelaces will give your shoes an instant face-lift. Strutting around with crusty laces is like walking around with food stuck in your teeth––swagger foul! Give your sneaks or oxfords a makeover with lux laces from Stolen Riches, an online boutique devoted to taking the esoteric brown/black/white laces to a new level.

3. brush your…shoes?

Toothpaste is not just for your pearly whites. Try brushing the unsightly gunk that accumulates on the outer rim of your shoe soles with a paste––as opposed to a gel-based formula––and an old toothbrush. Lightly coat the outer rims of your sole and get scrubbin’. Guaranteed to fight asphalt grime, dirt crust, chewed up gum, doggie doo and other miscellaneous debris.

4. taking it up a notch!

Meet tip #3 on steroids, the electric toothbrush. This device, which offers up to 31,000 brush strokes per minute, will clean the crevices of any shoe with more panache than the shoeshine guy at the airport. Just be sure to store the ‘shoe cleaning’ brush head where you don’t mistake it for your mouth brush (unless you’ve got an axe to grind with your better half).

5. just stuff it

Before you send discarded wastepaper to the recycle bin, use it to stuff the insides of your shoe collection to maintain their shape while on hiatus from your feet. This trick works great for every kind of shoe, but it is particularly wonderful for keeping the shaft of tall boots imbibed with newness. Just avoid newspaper, as you don’t want the classifieds seared into your beloved Cole Haans.

Cheryl Style

I have a pair of black patent leather shoes that I’ve word for 15 years. The secret? I make certain to buff and then store away from my other shoes so the shine does not slough off.