Shoe polishing tips...

 

You would probably have guessed by now that I'm a shoe-phile/shoe-holic/shoe fetishist/insert other obsessive-related adjectives. Over the years I have amassed quite a sizable amount of footwear composed of leather and consequently these babies (yes, I'm that delirious) need to be taken care of and buffed appropriately.

Trust me, what I did was anything but properly take care of the shoes, which means the most that I do usually is just dust off any dirt or dust with a rag cloth. Not until recently I have managed to find ample time for myself, sit down and properly clean/cream/shine my footwear collection...

Polishing shoes is actually quite a simple task and not as daunting I thought it could be. With a few simple repetitive steps your leather kicks could look brand new all over again. Let me share with you my personal tips of the art of taking care of shoes.




Step 1:  First and foremost remove the shoe laces so we can actually  reach the eyelet area to be cleaned.

 

Step 2: Wipe/brush  off any dirt and dust. Use a toothbrush to remove that stubborn dirt hiding away in the nook and crannies of your shoes. 

Step 3: Apply a thin coat of shoe cream onto the leather. Here I use a product from Woly, a German label which is quite good and affordable as well. Leave the cream on for 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Start polishing the shoes with a brush - in this case I use a horse hair brush. And during this step you will notice the leather to be shinier.

Step 5 (optional): If you want, you could add an additional layer of wax just to provide that extra protection from humidity. But this intriguingly will matte down the previous shiny effect from the cream, I'm afraid.

Now you can bring out your shoes to the Christmas party / dinner and even on the dance floor...

P/S: After posting this entry I found this shoe care thread in styleforum. It is very informative, with self-experimentation tips to get that mirror effect on your shoes, polish versus wax etc.

Happy holidays, dear readers!