When putting together the perfect outfit, one cannot forget the shoes. Adding a nice pair of leather shoes to an outfit can really make an outfit pop.
But before running out that door to get a pair, owning a pair of leather shoes is quite the investment.
First of all, a pair of leather shoes can be expensive and secondly, if not properly cared for they will not last.
Part of the responsibility of owning leather shoes is going the extra step to take care of them. If one does not want to put in the time and effort to take care of them, stick to a pair of loafers. With that being said, there are some tricks out there that can make the process a little easier. So, grab those shoes and remove those laces and let’s start buffing.
Shoe Shining Tricks
If you have shoe, you should polish your shoe perfectly. To polish any shoe perfectly, need the best way and best shoe polisher. So here are 10 useful shoe shining tricks and tips you can follow to make your shoe like new.
1. New Shoes vs. Old Shoes
New shoes are much more difficult to shine due to the pores not fully open and ready to absorb polish. This makes it harder for the polish to hold. Thus, polishing an older more worn shoe is much easier.
2. New Wax vs. Old Wax
Wax works the same way. Newer polish will be very moist, and it will simply just sit on the top of the leather. This essentially means that the wax will not set into the leather making it very easy to wash away. This prevents the buildup of layers that will protect the leather.
Older wax will tend to be tackier and will bind to the leather and eventually set into the pores. Want to know what to do with a new can of wax? Stick it into the freezer overnight to help it harden up making it stick better.
3. New Rag vs. Old Rag
The same applies to the cloth rags. It is much harder to shine a shoe with a new rag. Rags that have old polish on it will allow the rag to stick to the leather much easier. Keep in mind that an old cloth will make it more difficult to get that mirror shine at the end. The old polish could scratch up the new polish.
4. Hold on to that New Cloth
When finishing up, check your mirror shine. Notice any scratches? If looking for the perfect mirror shine, you may be wondering how to eliminate these scratches. Get a brand-new cloth and put a little bit of polish on it with a small dab of water on the shoe and rub it as quickly as you can. This should get those scratches out for that final mirror shine.
5. Shoe Tree
Always use a shoe tree when shining leather shoes. It is much easier to shine leather shoes with a shoe tree than without one. More importantly, one should place a shoe tree into the shoes as soon as the shoes are done being worn.
6. Hair Dryer
Want wrinkles and creases gone? Use a hairdryer. Mind you the wrinkles will not go away forever, but it will alleviate them for the time being. Be careful holding the hair dryer to close to the shoe for fear of burning them. This method will not work with tan shoes because they will darken them. Make sure there is a shoe tree in the shoe when doing this.
7. Blue Wax
Believe it or not blue wax gives a brighter shine than black polish.
8. Mirror Shine
Stick to the mirror shine on the heel counter, toe caps, and even sometimes the facing. On the rest of the shoe, stick to more of a blending look instead of the mirror effect. This is because this part of the shoe bends which will cause the polish to crack and leave a not so favorable look. There are stiffeners located underneath the caps and heels that should technically keep from bending.
9. Brushes
Don’t wash the brushes. Let the wax build up on the brushes, allowing it to really get into the pores, especially when applying polish. Try to use one brush per color, one for black, one for brown, etc.… That way the colors will not blend.
10. Spit Shine
Oh yeah and finish it off with a good ole’ fashion spit shine. Another trick is to use women’s hose to clean the shoes. It will give a nice buff and shine.
Conclusion
Hopefully, these tricks will make the process a little more straightforward and easier to maintain the charm behind owning a pair of leather shoes. So, go out and get a pair. They say that a nice pair of leather shoes will improve the man.
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