Polishing your leather shoes

David Rudisha in an advert of a shoe polish brand couldn’t have said it any better when he said ‘Wakati fiatu fyako finang’ara sio fiatu fyako pekee finafyong’ara’  I was standing at the stage waiting for a matatu and there was a guy having his shoes polished and I couldn’t help but stare and observe how the guy did it. The shoeshine guy was my main inspiration for doing this article and that evening got to research on how one can polish their shoes like a pro and here are the steps that you should follow when polishing your shoes.

1.                   Cover the surface you are going to work on with an old newspaper or an old rug. This is to ensure that the polish does not dirty the surface.  If the shoes are dirty wipe them down using a damp rag or brush with a horsehair shine brush. If the shoes are wet after wiping them down leave them to dry before you start polishing.

2.                   Apply the shoe polish on your shoe. You can apply using a cloth or a shoe polish brush. When using a cloth wrap the cloth around the finger and use it to apply the polish on the shoe. Apply the polish in small circular movements and evenly around the shoe. Do not however apply too much polish it is best to layer up through the process with thin layers of polish. Ensure that you apply the polish even on the creases and the seams of the shoe. Brush off the excessive polish. Once you are done applying leave shoe to absorb the polish for fifteen minutes for better results keep it in the sun.

3.                   Using a pistol grip sprayer, spray each shoe with water but not too much you just want to get the shoes cover with tiny water droplets. The water ensures that the polish does not dry out. Using a shoe brush or cloth polish the shoe. You can repeat the three steps until you achieve the shine level that you want.

4.                   Once you are done with the above steps dip a cotton ball into water and then get a little polish on the damp cotton. Apply the polish onto the toe and the heel of the shoe in small circular motions until you get the shine desired. The above steps may take some time if you want your shoes to really shine so be patient.

I also did some research for the various shoe products that are used. There is shoe polish, which contains wax and acetone like chemicals to keep it pliable. It produces a superior shine. However it clogs the pores of the leather adding some water resistance. The polish builds up over time and makes it very had to apply leather oils to the leather later on unless removed.

Shoe cream is a leather conditioner with lots of dye in it. It will produce a moderate shine after two applications. It contains no wax so it mostly does not hinder leather oils being applied later.

Leather oil is a product that lubricates the fibers of the leather keeping them from cracking. Leather will last for many years if treated this way. Leather shoes come with oil in them and it is when the oil leaves that the shoes begin to really deteriorate.

You must be wondering why I have placed a photo of a banana peel. Well the inside of a banana peel can be used to shine shoes. The green bananas are best for shining. Rub the inside of the banana peel all over the shoe surface. Use a cloth to rub the stickiness onto the shoe. Use another cloth to rub off the banana traces and to polish the shoe.

Hope to see shiny shoes in the street this week.

SK