What You Should Know About Canvas Shoes
Masni Rizal Mansor
Canvas is a coarse cloth material made of hemp that is used in a
number of things including sails, tents, boards (used for
painting on, i.e. painting canvasses) and shoes. The canvas shoe
is a very basic form of casual shoe or sneaker. It is
constructed very simply with a canvas upper and a rubber sole.
Canvas shoes can be purchased in high top or low top and are
available in almost any color you could ask for. Some canvas
shoes, especially those made for children, have cute designs on
them as well. On the other hand canvas shoes do not have much
shock absorption, cushioning or support and therefore are not
suitable for any type of "pounding the pavement" sort of
activities. If you run, do aerobics, play tennis or any other
sports then go in for an honest to goodness pair of sneakers and
leave the canvas shoes for the beach or backyard. Canvas shoes
are fun, casual, and versatile and are also not that pricey. You
can buy a decent pair of them for anywhere from twenty to thirty
dollars (and sometimes less).
A big advantage of canvas shoes is that they are a "low
maintenance" and "no fuss" kind of shoe. In other words taking
care of them is a snap. First of all it is a good idea to
protect your canvas shoes before wearing them (or even better,
upon first purchasing them) by applying a cloth care spray or
starch to them. If you have sensitive skin it is wise to wear
vinyl or rubber gloves when you spray your shoes and then give
your hands a good washing afterwards. If you have asthma or any
other respiratory problem always wear a mask and if the spray
gets into your eyes or causes your skin any irritation then
rinse immediately with lots of water.
Canvas shoes can easily be thrown in the washing machine when
they are dirty. Before you do so always remove any surface dirt
from the sole or sides of the shoe with a slightly damp cloth.
If the shoes are caked in mud then gently scrub them with a soft
brush and water first. Any commercial detergent (such as Tide,
Ivory Snow, Sunlight or Gain) should get them nice and clean. It
is advisable to remove the laces and either wash them with the
canvas shoes, hand wash them or wash them the next time you do a
load of laundry. Canvas shoes can easily be hung up on a line to
air dry. They generally should be ready to wear in a relatively
short period of time.
If you wear a pair of canvas shoes in the wintertime (although
this is not recommended- too cold!) and end up with thin white
wavy lines on the upper of the sole, with a concentration of
them around the sole of the shoe then these are salt stains from
the road and must be removed as soon as possible. If left in
place, salt stains will cause the canvas to go hard and then
crack and the stitching is likely to unfortunately, rot away.
Avoid this by washing your canvas shoes with a 'suede and
fabric' shampoo and then set them somewhere to air dry. Never
allow canvas shoes to dry by placing them near a radiator,
fireplace or any other form of direct heat as the intensity of
the heat is likely to destroy the material of the shoe.
Canvas shoes don't always retain their natural shape and
sometimes it is because of the way we wear them such as how we
walk in them. Some people put more weight on one side of their
shoe than the other and this could potentially serve to wear
down the sole or heel of a shoe and cause the upper to be
stretched unnecessarily. To remedy this problem, use shoetrees
(which can be purchased at most department and fine shoe stores)
or pack the toes of your shoes with newspaper (or regular paper)
to help them retain their original shape. And keep in mind that
shoelaces need to be replaced once in awhile. Always tie up your
laces and don't buy ones that are either too long (dangerous and
sloppy looking, not to mention they get dirty so easily) or too
short (they will draw the shoe together unnaturally to
compensate for their lack of length).
About the author:
Masni Rizal Mansor provide tips and review on
ballroom dance shoes, childrens dance shoes and
irishdance shoes.
Canvas is a coarse cloth material made of hemp that is used in a
number of things including sails, tents, boards (used for
painting on, i.e. painting canvasses) and shoes. The canvas shoe
is a very basic form of casual shoe or sneaker. It is
constructed very simply with a canvas upper and a rubber sole.
Canvas shoes can be purchased in high top or low top and are
available in almost any color you could ask for. Some canvas
shoes, especially those made for children, have cute designs on
them as well. On the other hand canvas shoes do not have much
shock absorption, cushioning or support and therefore are not
suitable for any type of "pounding the pavement" sort of
activities. If you run, do aerobics, play tennis or any other
sports then go in for an honest to goodness pair of sneakers and
leave the canvas shoes for the beach or backyard. Canvas shoes
are fun, casual, and versatile and are also not that pricey. You
can buy a decent pair of them for anywhere from twenty to thirty
dollars (and sometimes less).
A big advantage of canvas shoes is that they are a "low
maintenance" and "no fuss" kind of shoe. In other words taking
care of them is a snap. First of all it is a good idea to
protect your canvas shoes before wearing them (or even better,
upon first purchasing them) by applying a cloth care spray or
starch to them. If you have sensitive skin it is wise to wear
vinyl or rubber gloves when you spray your shoes and then give
your hands a good washing afterwards. If you have asthma or any
other respiratory problem always wear a mask and if the spray
gets into your eyes or causes your skin any irritation then
rinse immediately with lots of water.
Canvas shoes can easily be thrown in the washing machine when
they are dirty. Before you do so always remove any surface dirt
from the sole or sides of the shoe with a slightly damp cloth.
If the shoes are caked in mud then gently scrub them with a soft
brush and water first. Any commercial detergent (such as Tide,
Ivory Snow, Sunlight or Gain) should get them nice and clean. It
is advisable to remove the laces and either wash them with the
canvas shoes, hand wash them or wash them the next time you do a
load of laundry. Canvas shoes can easily be hung up on a line to
air dry. They generally should be ready to wear in a relatively
short period of time.
If you wear a pair of canvas shoes in the wintertime (although
this is not recommended- too cold!) and end up with thin white
wavy lines on the upper of the sole, with a concentration of
them around the sole of the shoe then these are salt stains from
the road and must be removed as soon as possible. If left in
place, salt stains will cause the canvas to go hard and then
crack and the stitching is likely to unfortunately, rot away.
Avoid this by washing your canvas shoes with a 'suede and
fabric' shampoo and then set them somewhere to air dry. Never
allow canvas shoes to dry by placing them near a radiator,
fireplace or any other form of direct heat as the intensity of
the heat is likely to destroy the material of the shoe.
Canvas shoes don't always retain their natural shape and
sometimes it is because of the way we wear them such as how we
walk in them. Some people put more weight on one side of their
shoe than the other and this could potentially serve to wear
down the sole or heel of a shoe and cause the upper to be
stretched unnecessarily. To remedy this problem, use shoetrees
(which can be purchased at most department and fine shoe stores)
or pack the toes of your shoes with newspaper (or regular paper)
to help them retain their original shape. And keep in mind that
shoelaces need to be replaced once in awhile. Always tie up your
laces and don't buy ones that are either too long (dangerous and
sloppy looking, not to mention they get dirty so easily) or too
short (they will draw the shoe together unnaturally to
compensate for their lack of length).
About the author:
Masni Rizal Mansor provide tips and review on
ballroom dance shoes, childrens dance shoes and
irishdance shoes.
posted by The Editor at
5:52 AM
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