In 1943, a booklet titled Make Do and Mend was widely distributed in England in an effort to encourage and teach households how to make their clothing last longer in a period of clothing and other shortages. This booklet became the cornerstone for households with information on how to reuse and reinforce old clothing as well as heaps of laundry tips and ideas on how to upcycle old clothes into something new. In today’s world, clothing has become disposable with most of what we buy to wear only being worn on average 7 times before it’s thrown out; this is causing so much destruction to our planet and it’s environment so sharing knowledge from decades ago, might just inspire us to take care of our garments better and reduce the amount we discard.

Previously, I shared some general tips on washing and ironing from the Make Do and Mend booklet, this post proved to be really popular so I thought it might be fun to share some more tips from the booklet. I also plan to expand my previous post with more detailed hints from the book but I love the fact you guys are so keen to learn these retro laundry tips with me. Today, I thought it might be great to share how the booklet encourages you to make your clothing last longer. The booklet points out, that “if you want to feel happy in your clothes as long as they last, start looking after them properly from the very beginning”. So let’s look at some helpful tips!

Boots and Shoes
Since boots and shoes are so important you cannot take too much care of them. Have them repaired as soon as they show signs of wear: in particular, never walk down the heels. You can get half-soles and toe-pieces put on, which will save you money and save the country leather. Take advise of your repairer. Don’t ask for the heel to be raised or lowered or extra pieces to be put on the top. This throws the shoe out of balance, and corns and callouses will probably result.
Regular cleaning and polishing prolongs the life of shoes by keeping the leather supple. Shoes should be put of trees or stuffed with paper as soon as you taken them off because the leather is warm and supple then and can be coaxed into shape.
Never dry wet shoes near heat. A leather sole may be ruined in this way. Even if it looks normal, the fibers inside will have so deteriorated that it feels hard and brittle, and is scarcely recognizable as leather.
Don’t put trees in wet shoes or they may stretch; stuff them tightly with paper, then leave them in a cool, dark place Of course, sitting in front of the fire with them on isn’t any better than putting them on the fender to dry.
Don’t wear newly-repaired shoes out of doors in wet weather. If you give them a chance to “settle down” under dry conditions, first they will last much longer. Don’t wear coloured calk or glace kid shoes in wet weather at all if you can avoid it. The wet may cause stains which are impossible to remove.
Perspiration ruins shoes, so in hot weather sprinkle dusting powder sparingly inside the feet of your stockings or, if you are not wearing stockings, inside the shoe. (The powder will help to protect your stockings too). In the case of feet which perspire excessively it is better to avoid patent leather and rubber footwear, which make the feet hotter. Change your shoes as often as you can and when you get home, take them off, put your feet in cold water. This helps to reduce perspiration the next day. Keep an old pair of shoes at your place of work and change into them when you arrive.

Cleaning Shoes
When did you last wash your shoe brushes and polishers? Clean equipment will always get better results. First clean all mud and dust off the shoes. All reasonably strong leather shoes can be washed with soap and warm water, if you pack them first with rags or paper. But never wash rubber shoes with soap. Put on the polish very sparingly Clean your shoes in the sunshine or warn the brushes by the fire before using them. The warmth will help to make a very little polish go a long way. Put the polish on overnight if you can , and leave it to soak in. This will feed the leather and you can get a much better polish in the morning. Rub a little polish well into your shoes before putting them away for any length of time. Then there will be less danger of the leather cracking.

Heavy Shoes
Stout walking shoes can be made more serviceable and waterproof if dubbin is used, but remember it removes the shine. Don’t ear the shoes immediately afterwards, but give the grease time to dry, for wet grease may let in the water.

Rubber Boots
Keep rubber boots in a cool, dark place; strong light, particularly sunlight, helps to perish rubber. Keep them clear of grease and use clean water to wash them, never soap. Grease, oil and fat or anything in the nature of petrol or benzine rapidly rots rubber. Try to get them repaired before the sole wears too thin, as they are difficult to men if there is nothing for the new sole to grip.

Suede Shoes
Keep well brushed.

Wooden-soled shoes
Never let wooden-soled shoes wear down to the wood: always have the leather reinforcement repaired in time. Your repairer will not be able to replace the wood.

Work Boots
Heavy work boots need daily care, to keep them pliable and waterproof. Remove clinging mud and earth, which causes them to deteriorate, and rub dubbin well into the uppers and sole. Apply while they are still wet, and again when they are dry. Do not dry near heat.

Why not exchange children’s outgrown shoes?
In countless cupboards throughout the country, children’s shoes are lying idle, not because they are outworn but because they are outgrown. What a help it would be if mothers would pass these shoes on to a friend, whose child could wear them. Or perhaps the local school, welfare clinic or some local women’s organization may already be running a children’s shoe exchange – or planning to run one. It’s worth finding out, anyhow.

Taking care of your items was paramount in the 1940s given the war, rations and material shortages. By sharing these tips, it gave households a chance to make their items last as long as possible to conserve materials. Taking care of my items is a personal philosophy of mine and I’ve certainly had shoes resoled (I have one pair of boots, I’ve had them resoled four times). By adding some of this vintage knowledge to our modern lives, we are able to breathe new life into our items, curb our consumerism and no longer see items as easily disposable. Sure, some of these tips are a little strange, the tip that confused me the most is probably putting your shoes on a tree… yeah I have no idea why or what that means (look under Boots and Shoes). I do love the idea of the children’s shoe exchange as it can build a sense of community and I can see these kind of ideas being helpful done through day care centers, possibly libraries and of course, ops shops. But by sharing the knowledge of the past, we can hopefully have a better future.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.