Shoe Care Basics

Even though I personally don’t enjoy polishing shoes, it really can make or break the whole outfit look. Brush up on shoe shining basics to keep yours looking great and have them last much, much longer.

Step-by-Step Guide to Shining Your Shoes

1. Collect the Goods: Gather your polishing kit or the supplies, which include a shoeshine and polish brush, matching shoe polish, a shoehorn, one cleaning cloth, and a chamois or soft cotton cloth.

2. Squeaky Clean: Check if your shoes are clean before you begin applying polish. Wipe off dirt or dust with a soft cloth, and take care not to scratch the leather.

3. Polish, Polish, Polish: Apply a small amount of polish with your polish brush, and then wait for about 15 minutes for it to dry.

4. Clean It Up: Use a shoeshine brush to wipe off the polish onto your shoes. Keep a toothbrush or swab handy for tricky corners.

5. Buff Away: Use a soft cloth or piece of chamois to buff your shoes and get them shiny. This step is essential to making all your prior work look right. The shinier, the better!

Tip for Solving Shoe Scuffs: For leather shoes, just rub a tad of non-gel toothpaste onto the scuffed areas and rub with a damp cloth. Apply polish, and scuffs will fade away during shining.