How to Shine Shoes
Gather your shoe shining supplies., Prepare your work space., Clean the shoes to remove any dirt., Apply the shoe polish., Remove the excess polish with a shoeshine brush., Buff the shoes with a cloth.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your shoe shining supplies.
Properly shining your shoes will require certain supplies, which you can purchase altogether in a specialized shoe shining kit or you can piece together individually.
The non-negotiable you will need include a tin of shoe polish, a horsehair shoe brush and a soft cloth.
Tins of shoe polish are available in a variety of colors, from browns to blacks to neutrals.
Try to get a polish that's as close to the original color as possible.
Polishes are also available in both wax and cream varieties; cream polishes feed the leather and make it more supple, whereas wax polishes make the shoes more water resistant.
If possible, get a tin of each and alternate between the two with every second polish.
The soft cloth can be a specialized buffing cloth, such as a chamois or "shammy"
or just an old t-shirt.
Optional extras include a polishing brush (used to apply the polish), a toothbrush or some cotton buds, sole dressing and a leather cleaner and conditioner. -
Step 2: Prepare your work space.
It is important to prepare your work space so you can avoid getting shoe polish on any furniture or flooring.
Shoe polish can be extremely difficult to remove, so you don't want it anywhere but on your shoes.
Lay down some newspaper or old paper bags on the floor or work surface and grab a cushion or pull up a comfortable chair
-- shoe shining can take some time.
If you're planning on doing a very thorough job on your shoes, it is probably best to remove the laces before you polish.
This way you can easily get at the tongue. , Before you begin polishing, rub down the surface of each shoe with your horsehair brush or a dampened cloth to remove any dirt, dust, salt or other debris.
This is important, because if any debris is left on the surface of the shoes it might scratch the shoes as you polish.
Leave the shoes to dry completely before moving on the next stage.
If the shoes are very dirty or worn out looking, you may want to clean them more thoroughly using a leather cleaner and conditioner before polishing., Using an old t-shirt or polishing brush apply an even layer of polish to the surface of the first shoe.
Use a circular motion to really work the polish into every part of the shoe.
Pay extra attention to the toe and heel, which may need an extra layer of polish as these areas tend to get the most wear.
If you are using an old t-shirt or cloth for this step, try to wrap the cloth tightly around your hand and use your index and middle finger to work the polish into the shoe.
You may also want to shine the section of the sole between the heel and toe which doesn't touch the ground, as this may be visible as you walk.
Use a toothbrush or cotton bud to work the polish into hard-to-reach areas, such as the edges of the upper and the crevices in the vamp.
Once you have finished polishing the first shoe, set it aside on the newspaper and begin the same process with the second shoe.
Allow each shoe to dry for about 15 minutes before moving onto the next step., Once the polish is dry, you can begin to remove the excess with your horsehair shoeshine brush.
Brush the entire shoe vigorously, using short, even strokes.
Remember that the movement should come from your wrist, not your elbow.
This step is necessary to remove the extra polish, while the heat generated from the quick strokes helps the rest of the polish to sink in.
While an old t-shirt or cloth can be used for most of the steps in the shoe shining process, a proper shine brush is necessary for this particular step, and cannot be replaced by anything else.
Make sure to use a different brush for each color of polish.
Otherwise you run the risk of adding the previous color to the current shoe.
Especially when the previous polish is darker than the current.
You may want to use a clean cotton bud or toothbrush or cotton bud again at this point to remove any extra polish from cracks and crevices. , The final step in the polishing and shining process is to take an old (clean) t-shirt or chamois cloth and buff the shoes until you achieve a high shine.
Use a brisk side-to-side motion for buffing
-- this may be easier to do using a shine butler or while actually wearing the shoe.
Some people advise breathing onto the toe of the shoe (like you would do to fog a mirror) before buffing to add extra shine.If you like, you can also apply a sole dressing to the outside edges of the sole to give them a nice shine, but this is completely optional. -
Step 3: Clean the shoes to remove any dirt.
-
Step 4: Apply the shoe polish.
-
Step 5: Remove the excess polish with a shoeshine brush.
-
Step 6: Buff the shoes with a cloth.
Detailed Guide
Properly shining your shoes will require certain supplies, which you can purchase altogether in a specialized shoe shining kit or you can piece together individually.
The non-negotiable you will need include a tin of shoe polish, a horsehair shoe brush and a soft cloth.
Tins of shoe polish are available in a variety of colors, from browns to blacks to neutrals.
Try to get a polish that's as close to the original color as possible.
Polishes are also available in both wax and cream varieties; cream polishes feed the leather and make it more supple, whereas wax polishes make the shoes more water resistant.
If possible, get a tin of each and alternate between the two with every second polish.
The soft cloth can be a specialized buffing cloth, such as a chamois or "shammy"
or just an old t-shirt.
Optional extras include a polishing brush (used to apply the polish), a toothbrush or some cotton buds, sole dressing and a leather cleaner and conditioner.
It is important to prepare your work space so you can avoid getting shoe polish on any furniture or flooring.
Shoe polish can be extremely difficult to remove, so you don't want it anywhere but on your shoes.
Lay down some newspaper or old paper bags on the floor or work surface and grab a cushion or pull up a comfortable chair
-- shoe shining can take some time.
If you're planning on doing a very thorough job on your shoes, it is probably best to remove the laces before you polish.
This way you can easily get at the tongue. , Before you begin polishing, rub down the surface of each shoe with your horsehair brush or a dampened cloth to remove any dirt, dust, salt or other debris.
This is important, because if any debris is left on the surface of the shoes it might scratch the shoes as you polish.
Leave the shoes to dry completely before moving on the next stage.
If the shoes are very dirty or worn out looking, you may want to clean them more thoroughly using a leather cleaner and conditioner before polishing., Using an old t-shirt or polishing brush apply an even layer of polish to the surface of the first shoe.
Use a circular motion to really work the polish into every part of the shoe.
Pay extra attention to the toe and heel, which may need an extra layer of polish as these areas tend to get the most wear.
If you are using an old t-shirt or cloth for this step, try to wrap the cloth tightly around your hand and use your index and middle finger to work the polish into the shoe.
You may also want to shine the section of the sole between the heel and toe which doesn't touch the ground, as this may be visible as you walk.
Use a toothbrush or cotton bud to work the polish into hard-to-reach areas, such as the edges of the upper and the crevices in the vamp.
Once you have finished polishing the first shoe, set it aside on the newspaper and begin the same process with the second shoe.
Allow each shoe to dry for about 15 minutes before moving onto the next step., Once the polish is dry, you can begin to remove the excess with your horsehair shoeshine brush.
Brush the entire shoe vigorously, using short, even strokes.
Remember that the movement should come from your wrist, not your elbow.
This step is necessary to remove the extra polish, while the heat generated from the quick strokes helps the rest of the polish to sink in.
While an old t-shirt or cloth can be used for most of the steps in the shoe shining process, a proper shine brush is necessary for this particular step, and cannot be replaced by anything else.
Make sure to use a different brush for each color of polish.
Otherwise you run the risk of adding the previous color to the current shoe.
Especially when the previous polish is darker than the current.
You may want to use a clean cotton bud or toothbrush or cotton bud again at this point to remove any extra polish from cracks and crevices. , The final step in the polishing and shining process is to take an old (clean) t-shirt or chamois cloth and buff the shoes until you achieve a high shine.
Use a brisk side-to-side motion for buffing
-- this may be easier to do using a shine butler or while actually wearing the shoe.
Some people advise breathing onto the toe of the shoe (like you would do to fog a mirror) before buffing to add extra shine.If you like, you can also apply a sole dressing to the outside edges of the sole to give them a nice shine, but this is completely optional.
About the Author
James Thompson
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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