Shoe Polishing

Hey guys,

Wondering how often you guys polish a regularly worn pair of leather dress shoes and what type of polish is used?

I have two pairs of which I switch back and forth each day, wearing to work. I try and polish both pairs every 2 weeks, so every 6 wears or so. I use kiwi polish, but am looking for something a better grade and gloss, but not too pricey.

Thanks

I use Kiwi supershine (its not the normal one its a touch more expensive, its called ultra shine or something) I polish my leather military boots every week, when I got them they where matt, now they are almost mirror. It just takes lots of polish. If you want really shiny shoes check out youtube search fire method (thats what I used) or just search military shoe polish

I have a couple of pairs of shoes and boots in the rotation. When I take a pair off in the evening, I brush them off and then wipe them down with a rag I keep in the closet just to remove any loose dust or dirt. If I need a damp rag to remove more stubborn stuff, I'll simply dip it in the sink. It's a rag I've been using for this purpose for some time, and has elements of saddle soap, mink oil, and other neutral polishes in it from years of use.

I use a shine sponge on them each morning before I put them on. I'll do a more thorough job of cleaning and polishing (or mink oil, polish, wax, etc.) every couple of weekends with all my shoes that need care at the same time while listening to a podcast on the iPod or something like that. If it's warm outside, I'll do it out in the sun because it seems to help the wax, etc. work it's way into the warm shoe leather.

Just to sum up mine I dug it up, its called kiwi parade polish

I've only used a couple different wax polishes, but I prefer Kiwi so far. It seems more durable to me. I polish every two weeks or so with it.

For a pair of shoes worn regularly I wipe them with a rag when I take them off and polish with Kiwi about every 4 weeks.

The choice of polish isn't too important, turpentine based ones are a bit better for the leather, and beeswax gives a better shine. You should never use the "instant shine" type polishes, the shine doesn't last long, and they don't protect the leather as well.
I have a pair of full-grain leather shoes which every now and then I treat with shoe cream, then re-polish with wax. The shoe cream sinks into the leather and keeps it in good condition. If you have grain-corrected leather, as most cheaper shoes are, then I don't think it makes any difference, as the coating prevents the cream from getting into the leather.

I use spit-shine to polish, this is a good explanation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1wmjv5O9o
You don't necessarily need a mirror shine, I stop at about halfway between mirror and the shine I get from buffing alone. The big advantage is that spit-shine puts down a thicker layer of wax than ordinary polishing, which means that you can leave longer between polishes. And when it does need polishing again, you can normally just give it a brush and make it last even longer.

I would also add that when buffing, horse-hair brushes help a lot, synthetic brushes just seem to smear the wax around more than anything.

I don't polish mine nearly enough. That being said, I give them a good brushing, hit them with cleaner and then polish them after they dry. I like Lincoln polish a lot. Whenever I've gotten a good, professional polishing they always use Lincoln.

I may do mine today.

Ben

benvh said:

I like Lincoln polish a lot. Whenever I've gotten a good, professional polishing they always use Lincoln.

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When I was in the Army some 20 years ago, I preferred Lincoln over Kiwi. The Lincoln seemed to take and hold a smoother shine, and did not "cloud" up like the Kiwi did. As an aside, the Lincoln had a better smell than the Kiwi. I would only have to do my boots every few days, where my Kiwi-wearing comrades were on the Kiwi drill basically every wear.

Once I get a decent pair of dress shows, I will be using Lincoln. Not Kiwi, even though it's much more available.

I polish my shoes every two to three weeks and use Meltonian products. They seem to be better quality than the usual kiwi stuff.

Thanks a lot guys. I think I am going to try the kiwi super shine. Appreciate the feedback.

I agree that Lincoln Wax seems to give and easier longer lasting shine. I used Kiwi fo years before I started using Lincoln Wax and I'm never going back. I don't have a schedule about cleaning/polishing/buffing what have you. If the shoes look like they need a quick buff they get one, if a buffing doesn't get it done they get a good polish with Lincoln.

Side note: I remember when I was Active Duty and I had an unexpected inspection I would give my boots a quick buffing and then put a couple drops of Mop 'N Glo on them another quick buffing. Man did they shine, if you used too much the boots would glow blue!

I was told by a salesperson at Johnston and Murphy that Kiwi and other brands found at drugstores contain alcohol that can dry out leather shoes. Is there any truth to this? Should I be concerned?

Mancave Jeff said:

I was told by a salesperson at Johnston and Murphy that Kiwi and other brands found at drugstores contain alcohol that can dry out leather shoes. Is there any truth to this? Should I be concerned?

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Was the salesperson trying to sell you some shoe polish? I have dress shoes from the previous century that have only seen Kiwi polish and are still quite serviceable.

The best way to revitalise a pair of shoes is to put a good, not too thick, coating of polish on them and leave them in a warm room for at least 24 hours. Then wipe off with a clean, lint-free cloth. Do this again if the shine isn't rich enough. This allows the leather to absorb everything it needs over an extended time and is really good for it. After this has been done, there should be enough in it to not need anything more than a quick buff for weeks or months if not soaked. Re-apply when the leather is looking a bit tired.

Mancave Jeff said:

I was told by a salesperson at Johnston and Murphy that Kiwi and other brands found at drugstores contain alcohol that can dry out leather shoes. Is there any truth to this? Should I be concerned?

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I have no idea, but I will say that there are much better polishes out there than Kiwi that are loads easier to shine up. Look for Lincoln or Angelus paste wax. These are inexpensive wax polishes that are often sold at shoe repair places and work WAY better than Kiwi. Personally, I like to use some Meltonian cream polish first, then put on a light coat of the Lincoln/Angelus for extra shine. Allen Edmonds also has a tube polish that's a cream/wax combo that works pretty good. However, if you want a higher shine, separate cream and wax are the way to go.

If you're worried about the leather drying out, use some leather conditioner. Allen Edmonds and Lexol make pretty good ones, but lately I've been using Leather Therapy. If you condition your shoes every so often you won't have to worry about dry leather. LT also has some stuff in it to prevent mold growth.

The kiwi is fine, after you have normally polished put a drop or two of water (or spit) on the surface of the shoe and buff out with a horse hair brush.

ruhaggard said:

Hey guys,

Wondering how often you guys polish a regularly worn pair of leather dress shoes and what type of polish is used?

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How often "do we" polish them or how often "ought we" polish them?

The answers, in order: not enough and as often as they need it.



Your practice of polishing after 6 wears (fortnightly) is probably good, unless the shoes get overly wet or dirty in the meantime and need quicker treatment.

Among shoe fanatics, Saphir is generally considered the best ... one source (there are others no doubt): http://www.hangerproject.com/closet/shoe-care/saphir-mdo.html

Doc4 said:

How often "do we" polish them or how often "ought we" polish them?

The answers, in order: not enough and as often as they need it.



Your practice of polishing after 6 wears (fortnightly) is probably good, unless the shoes get overly wet or dirty in the meantime and need quicker treatment.

Among shoe fanatics, Saphir is generally considered the best ... one source (there are others no doubt): http://www.hangerproject.com/closet/shoe-care/saphir-mdo.html

Click to expand...

I've heard great things about saphir renovateur, some of the before-and-after photographs of its use on old abused shoes are remarkable. It costs a fortune though.

On my everyday shoes and boots I use Goose fat, Its hard to find any without salt added but it works in and 'feeds' the leather making it nice and soft. I't dosen't give a mirror finish though.
On my patent leather shoes just a wipe over with a cloth.