Shoe Shining: Three Methods

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   Get out your shoe shine tools. For a professional shine, you'll need a few items that you can buy together in a shoe shining kit or gather separately. You must have a container of shoe polish, a horsehair shoe brush, and a gentle cloth.

   • Shoe polish comes in a wide range of tin colors, from dark browns and blacks to whites and neutrals. Find a nail polish that comes as close to the desired shade as you can!
   • There are also wax and cream polishes available; cream polishes nourish the leather, making it suppler, and wax polishes add water resistance. The best method is to have both on hand and switch between them every other time you polish.
   • It doesn't matter if the soft cloth is a dedicated buffing chamois, shammy, or an old t-shirt.
   • Additional accessories such as a polishing brush, a toothbrush, cotton swabs, sole dressing, and leather cleaner and conditioner are available for purchase.
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   Set up your desk or other place of work To prevent shoe polish from staining your desk, chairs, or floors, it is essential to set up a suitable work area in advance. You wouldn't want to get shoe polish anywhere other than on your shoes because it's so difficult to remove.

   • Shoe shining can take some time, so spread out some newspapers or old paper bags on the floor or work surface, grab a cushion, and settle in.
   • If you want to give your shoes a thorough cleaning, you should probably take off the laces first. You can reach the tongue quickly and easily this way.

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   Shoe cleaning to get rid of grime Start by removing any loose dirt, dust, salt, or other debris from the shoes' surfaces by rubbing them with a horsehair brush or a damp cloth.

   This is crucial because polishing can cause scratches if dirt is left on the shoes.

   • Wait until the shoes are completely dry before moving on.
   • The shoes may require a more in-depth cleaning with a leather cleaner and conditioner before being polished if they are particularly dirty or worn looking.
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   Put on the shoe polish Apply a thin coat of polish all over the first shoe using an old t-shirt or a polishing brush. Work the polish into the leather by moving your hand in a circle. The polish on your toes and heels may need an extra coat because they experience the most wear.

   • Wrapping an old t-shirt or cloth tightly around your hand, work the polish into the shoe with your index and middle fingers.
   • Shining the part of the sole that doesn't make contact with the ground between the heel and the toe may also be a good idea in case it shows as you walk.
   • To get the polish into the vamp's cracks and the upper's seams, use a toothbrush or cotton bud.
   • When you're done shining the first shoe, set it aside on the newspaper and do the same with the second. It's best to wait 15 minutes between each step while the shoes dry. [3]
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   Use a shoeshine brush to remove any excess polish. After the polish has dried, you can start buffing it off with your horsehair shoeshine brush. Use a stiff brush to give the entire shoe a good, thorough cleaning with short, even strokes. Always keep in mind that you should be making the motion with your wrist, and not your elbow.

   • This is necessary for removing excess polish, and the heat created by the rapid strokes is what helps the remaining polish to adhere.
   • You can use an old t-shirt or cloth for most of the steps in the shoe-shining process, but a proper shine brush is required for this one step and cannot be substituted for anything else.
   • For best results, apply each polish color with a separate brush. Otherwise, you might end up mixing the old shoe color with the new one. Particularly if the current polish is lighter than the one being replaced.
   • Extra polish in crevices and cracks can be removed with a clean cotton bud, toothbrush, or cotton bud.
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   Polish the footwear with a rag. Buff the shoes to a high shine with an old (clean) t-shirt or chamois cloth to complete the polishing and shining process. Buff in a quick, side-to-side motion; doing so while wearing the shoe or with a shine butler may help.

   • When buffing, some people recommend breathing onto the toe of the shoe (mimicking the effect of fogging a mirror) for added shine. [4]
   • Sole dressing can be used to add shine to the sole's outer edges if desired, but this is not required.

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   Put on some preparation work and a base coat of polish on the shoes. The first few steps of spit-polishing shoes are the same as those described above. As a first step, wipe the shoes down with a damp cloth or brush them with a horsehair broom to get rid of any loose dirt and debris. Then, using a cloth or polishing brush, apply the first layer of polish to the leather, working it in with small circular motions.

   • To proceed, wait 15 minutes for the polish to dry.
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   Soak a cotton ball or cloth in water. Spit shining entails applying thin layers of polish with a damp cotton ball or cloth. To use a cloth, wrap it securely around your hand so that your index and middle fingers are hidden. Wrap your fingers in a clean cloth, or use a cotton ball, and dip them into a dish of water until they are damp but not dripping.

   • To keep the polish from transferring from the cloth to the shoes, water is used.
   • It is a personal preference, but some people would rather use rubbing alcohol than water.
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   Shoe shine Grab a damp cloth or cotton ball, and start buffing off the first layer of dried polish on a shoe. Put the polish to good use by working it into the shoe in small, circular motions. The art of spitting shine requires delicacy, not haste.

   • You should do one shoe at a time, working from the toe to the heel.
   • After the first shoe has been polished to a uniform sheen, you can move on to the other.
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   Polish it again by dipping the cloth in water and applying it in a thicker coat. When you're done buffing and the shoes are dry, re-wet the cloth or cotton ball and squeeze out the excess moisture until it's barely damp. Apply a second, thinner coat of polish to the shoes' surface using the dampened material and the same careful method as before.

   • A hazy shine should appear on the shoe's surface after the second polishing. [5]
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   Use a damp cloth to apply more thin coats of polish to the shoes as necessary until you reach the desired shine. Each shoe's upper must be flawlessly finished to a mirror sheen.

   • In order to achieve a mirror-like sheen on your spit-polished shoes, you should apply several thin layers rather than one or two thick ones.
   • You can give the shoes one last polish with a chamois or an old t-shirt if you like, but it's not required.

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   Shoes should be cleaned. First, use a damp cloth or horsehair brush to clean the dirt and debris from your shoes. Only then should you fire shine them. This will keep you from scratching the shoes as you polish them. Before doing a fire shine, some people will also use a technique called "stripping," which entails removing all previous polish from the shoes. Put off your shoes in order to:

   • Put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton cloth and rub it all over the shoes. Eventually, you'll see polish from previous applications rubbing off onto the cloth.
   • Getting the shoes stripped evenly over their entire surface may take some time, but the end result is footwear so reflective it's worth the effort.
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   Light the polish on your shoes on fire. Here comes the enjoyable part. To make a cigarette lighter work with shoe polish, simply open a can of regular shoe polish and invert it over the lighter. Lighter in hand, start a fire on the polish's surface. Flip it over quickly so that the polish doesn't drip when it melts. Shoe polish can be extremely difficult to remove, so you don't want it anywhere but on your shoes

   • The polish should be allowed to burn for a few seconds before the flame is extinguished or the lid is replaced with care.
   • The nail polish should be melted and sticky when you open the tin again.
   • Use this method of shoe shining at your own risk. Burns and other injuries are possible from fire. Wearing gloves and keeping a bucket of water nearby are both good ideas while performing this task.
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   Use a damp cloth to apply the molten polish to the shoes. Wet but not dripping, wrap your hands in an old t-shirt that you have dipped in warm water. Shoe polish is applied by dipping a damp cloth into the liquid and then rubbing it in small, circular motions over the shoes.

   • Polishing shoes properly requires taking your time to ensure an even coat. Polish those inaccessible nooks and crannies, too!
   • When the polishing cloth dries out or when more polish is required, rinse it in water and continue polishing.
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   To make the shoes shine, continue applying thin coats of polish. To get the desired shine on some shoes, multiple coats of polish may be necessary. Always follow the same procedure, melting polish in a bowl and applying it to the shoes with a damp cloth.

   • Keep in mind that several thin coats of polish are preferable to one or two heavy ones.
   • Be sure to wait for each new coat of polish to dry before applying it. Shining shoes is an arduous task that calls for calm concentration.
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   Preheat the shoe upper with a lighter or hair dryer. You don't have to do this, but if you do, your shoes will look much better. Use a flame (from a lighter or a hair dryer set to high heat) to scorch the upper of the shoe all over.

   • The shoe should never be directly in the path of the flame, but it must come close enough to melt the polish.
   • Do not keep the flame focused in one area, as this will cause the leather to burn. Move it around constantly, like you're spray painting. When the polish starts to melt and the shoes start to look wet, you should stop.
   • Wait 15–20 minutes for the melted polish to dry before wearing the shoes again.
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   Do some last-minute polishing. One last coat of polish can be applied in the same manner as before. At this point, the shine on your shoes should rival that of glass. You can give the shoes one last polish with a chamois or another clean, lint-free cloth if you like.

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