How to shine your shoes

Video: A COMPLETE, DETAILED, & UNCUT GUIDE TO A MIRROR SHINE: A GUARANTEED SHINE

Content

Method 2 of 3: Water shine
Method 3 of 3: Fire Shine
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

1 Prepare shoe polish. To properly polish your shoes, you need certain products that you can buy in a specialty store as a set, or pick up everything you need separately. What you need is a jar of shoe polish, a horsehair shoe brush and a piece of soft cloth.

Shoe polish can be purchased in any color - from brown to black and colorless. Whenever possible, try to find a cream that is as similar as possible to the color of your shoes.
Shoe care products are available as wax and cream; creams nourish leather products and make leather softer, while wax makes shoes more resistant to moisture. If possible, try to get both types of products and use them in turn each time you clean your shoes.
A piece of soft cloth - this could be a special polishing cloth, such as suede, or just an old T-shirt.
Additionally, you may need a cleaning brush (used to apply polish), a toothbrush or some cotton swabs, and a sole cleaner, cleaner and softener.

2 Prepare your workplace. It is important to prepare the work area so that polish does not get on the floor or furniture. Shoe polish is very difficult to wash off, so make sure it doesn't end up anywhere other than your shoes.

Place old newspapers or paper bags on the floor or other work surface, and grab a pillow or comfy chair. Shoe cleaning will take some time.
If you plan to do a thorough cleaning of your shoes, it is better to remove the laces before cleaning. It will be easier to clean the tongue without laces.

3 Wash your shoes to remove dirt. Before polishing your shoes to remove any dirt, dust, salt, etc., wipe each shoe with a horsehair brush or damp cloth. This is very important because if dirt remains on the shoe, it may scratch the shoe during polishing.

Let the shoe dry completely before moving on to the next step.
If your shoes are very dirty or look very worn out, wash them more thoroughly with a leather cleaner and softener before polishing.

4 Apply shoe polish. Using an old T-shirt or brush, apply the cream to the boot in one thin layer. Rub the cream all over the shoe in a circular motion. The toe and heel wear the most, so more cream may be needed in these areas.

If you're using a cloth or an old T-shirt at this point, wrap it around your hand and rub the cream with your index and middle fingers.
You can also smear the part of the sole between the heel and toe that does not touch the ground when you walk.
Use a toothbrush or cotton swab to rub the cream into hard-to-reach areas, such as the edges of the toe and folds of the shoe.
After applying the first layer to the boot, place it on the newspaper and start on the next boot. Let each shoe dry for 15 minutes before moving on to the next step.

5 Use a shoebrush to remove excess cream. Once the cream is dry, you can start scrubbing off the excess with a horsehair shoe brush. Rub the outside of the shoe vigorously in single, short strokes. Remember, the movement should come from the hand, not from the elbow.

This step is necessary to remove excess cream. The heat generated by friction allows the cream to penetrate deeper into the surface.
A rag or old T-shirt can be used for most shoe polishing steps, but at some point there is no substitute for a shoe brush.
Use a different brush for each cream color. Otherwise, you can apply some of the cream of a different color to the shoes. Especially if earlier there was a cream of a darker color on the brush.
You can use clean cotton swabs or a toothbrush to remove excess cream from creases and cracks.

6 Buff your shoes with a cloth. At the final stage of shoe polishing, you need to take an old (clean) T-shirt or a piece of suede and polish the shoes to a shine. Buff with vigorous side-to-side strokes - this is easier to do with the shoes on, and with a special tool.

Some people recommend that you breathe on the toe of your shoe before polishing it to shine (just as you breathe to leave a mark on the mirror).
If you prefer, you can also dab the outsole cleaner on the outer part of the sole to make it shine too. But this is optional.

Method 2 of 3: Water shine

1 Prepare your shoes by spreading the first layer of cream. The first stages of polishing include everything described above. First, brush your shoes with a cloth or horsehair brush to remove dirt and deposits. Then rub the cream into the leather using a cloth or shoe polish brush in a circular motion.
- Let the cream dry for 15 minutes before moving on to the next step.
2 Dampen a cotton swab or rag. Polishing with water consists in applying subsequent coats with a damp cloth or cotton swab. If using fabric, wrap it around your hand, especially around your index and middle fingers. Dip your fingers, wrapped in a cloth, or a cotton swab, in a bowl of water until they are slightly wet.
- The water is used to prevent the cream from sticking to the fabric and staying on the shoes.
- Some people prefer to use rubbing alcohol instead of water.
3 Polish your shoes. Take one shoe and start polishing the first layer of cream using a wet cloth or cotton swab. Use slow circular motions to rub the cream into your shoes.Water polishing is all about thoroughness, not speed.
- Start at the toe and work towards the heel, polishing only one side of the boot at a time.
- After you have rubbed one shoe to a shine, proceed to the second.
4 Dampen the cloth again and apply a second coat of cream. After you've finished polishing and the shoes are completely dry, dip a cloth or cotton ball into the water so that they are completely wet. In the same way as before, use a wet cloth to apply a second thin layer of cream to the shoes.
- After the second polish, you should see the shoes begin to shine slowly.
5 Continue with a wet cloth to apply the cream layer by layer until you achieve the desired shine. The surface should be perfectly smooth and shiny like glass.
- It is very important that you apply not one or two thick layers, but many thin layers of cream - this will allow each next layer to influence the previous one and give the shoes polished in this way a mirror shine.
- If you want, before putting on, you can once again polish the shoes with suede or an old T-shirt. Although not necessary.

Method 3 of 3: Fire Shine

1 Wash your shoes. Before you rub your shoes to a fiery shine, you need to remove all dirt and plaque using a suede or horsehair brush. This will prevent your shoes from scratching when polishing. Before polishing shoes to a fiery shine, some people like to use the “wash” technique, which is to remove the old cream from the shoes:
- Apply a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol to each shoe and rub over with a cotton cloth. Old layers of cream should remain on the fabric.
- It may take some time to completely remove all layers from the surface of the shoe, but it will be better, and as a result, you will be able to see your reflection on the shoe!
2 Light the shoe polish with a lighter. Now comes the fun part. Open a can of cream (most shoe polish will work), turn it over and hold it over a burning lighter. Let the surface of the cream light up. Turn the jar up quickly so that not a single drop of the cream drips onto the floor.
- Let the cream burn for a few seconds, then gently blow out the flame or cover.
- When you open the lid, the cream should melt or become stringy.
- Be very carefulpolishing shoes in this way. The fire is dangerous and can cause burns. Just in case, it's best to wear gloves and keep a bucket of water close at hand.
3 Apply the melted cream to the shoes with a damp cloth. Wrap your hand in an old T-shirt and lightly moisten your hand in a bowl of warm water. Dip a wet cloth into the melted cream and rub it into your shoes with short, circular motions.
- Take the time and try to apply the cream to your shoes in one even layer. Don't forget to apply the cream to tight curves and cracks.
- If you need more cream, or if the rag is too dry, dip it again in the water and the cream jar.
4 Continue to rub the cream in a thin layer until the shoes begin to shine. Depending on the shoe, you may need to apply several coats of cream to achieve the desired result. Use the same technique every time. Dip a damp cloth into the melted cream and immediately apply it to your shoes.
- Remember that it is always better to apply many thin layers instead of one or two thick layers of cream.
- Make sure the previous coat is completely dry before applying the next coat. It takes a lot of patience to get your shoes shiny.
5 Use a hair dryer or lighter to heat the surface of the shoe. This is not necessary, but will definitely help add some shine to the shoe. Take a lighter (or turn on the hair dryer at full power) and run the fire over the surface of the shoe.
- The fire should not reach the shoes, but the lighter (or hairdryer) should be brought close enough to melt the cream on the shoes.
- Never hold a flame in one place.Move it constantly, as if you were spraying it with a spray can. Stop as soon as the cream has melted a little and the surface of the shoe looks slightly damp.
- Set your shoes aside for 15–20 minutes until the melted cream dries.
6 Apply the last layer of cream. In the same way as before, apply the last layer of the cream. Your shoes should now shine almost like glass. If you want, you can polish your shoes again with suede or any lint-free cloth.

Tips

A quick brushing will remove the dirt and dust that collects on the shoe as you walk.
If you have a lot of shoes of different colors, you'd better buy a colorless cream so as not to spend money on a bunch of creams.
If you use a silicone sponge instead of a cream for a long time, the shoes may become dull. Use it only on the road or when absolutely necessary.
Apply special liquid creams to your leather heels and the outside of the sole.
Shoe polish affects the skin (may cause cracking). So use shoe soap and leather softener from time to time to clean your leather.
Shoe creams contain alcohol. The leather on your shoes is the same as yours. If you pour alcohol on it, it will dry out the skin and soon cracks will appear on it. Creams have less alcohol than liquid and solid waxes, so use everything wisely.
If absolutely necessary, you can also polish your shoes with a banana.
For a stronger shine, use wax and add it to liquid products. The wax will protect your shoes from water and will not stain them after rain.
Are you in a hurry? A quick polish can give better results than outdated methods.
The skin can be damaged by brushing.

Warnings

Shoe polish is easy to stain, so place a few newspapers in the area where you sweat over your shoes.
Basic polishing technique is good for regular shoes, but for a really “strong” or “military” shine, you need a brush and polishing cloth. You can only polish to a high shine by polishing with fire or water (it is better to use water for polishing, not your own saliva).