How To Polish Shoes

Polished and well maintained shoes confer style and elegance on the wearer. They not only add style to an outfit but their shine gives an appealing glossy finish. Polished shoes preserve their workmanship and quality by moisturizing the leather and adding years to their life. Untreated shoes tend to dry and crack the leather and make it fall apart. If the shoes are worn on a regular basis, they should be polished once a week to maintain their life. In case they are worn seldomly, they should be cleaned once in a month and polished and shined only when needed. Follow the given straightforward guidelines to get the perfect shine on your new pair of shoes or restore pride to an older vintage.

Shoe Polishing Tips

Using a cloth, wipe off the dust from the shoes.
For applying the polish, use either a soft cotton cloth or a fine natural bristle brush whose hairs are tightly packed to the handle.
Wrap cloth around your finger and apply polish to the shoe. Or you can use the brush to apply a thin coat of polish to the shoe in a small circular movement.
In case your shoes have creases, be sure to reach the polish inside them also.
Keep the shoes either in the sun or under warm heater for 2 to 3 minutes to let the polish “go off” on the shoe. By doing so, the leather will absorb the polish and help the thin layer of polish melt across the shoe.
Fill an atomizer or pistol grip sprayer with water and adjust its nozzle to a fine mist or spray. Now spray the shoe to cover it with tiny droplets of water. Use the same bristle brush to polish the shoe dry.
Repeat the above steps till you reach the desired level of shine required by you.
Remember to keep the polish damp to absorb it in the shoe. If the polish has dried out, use water or white spirit or mineral oil to dampen it again.
You have finished polishing your shoes when you are able to see your face in them. Soak a cotton ball in cold water and wipe your shoes or use a cotton cloth to lightly buff them.
To end it, run the shoe over with a silicone cloth but this will scratch the shoe at a microscopic level. Although by doing so, the polish will supercharge the shine; it will not last for more than 10 minutes. Apply this method only in absolute emergencies.
To give your shoes a further shine, use fine women’s stockings to even out the polish when your shoes have dried up a little. You can add moisture by spraying or even breathing on the shoes. (Human breath has quite a bit of moisture).
Dry the polished shoes either in a cold room or under the shed. The best method to dry them is by keeping them in a shoe box with a lid.

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