How to clean your shoes

With the onset of bad, rainy weather, every man begins to think about the problem of clean shoes. Although there are many options for how to protect our shoes from dirt and water (for example, put on galoshes or just rubber boots, and change shoes in the office), we are sometimes lazy to come up with something or think that it is not so scary to wet your shoes. However, I have to disappoint you. Good leather shoes, if not cared for, will deteriorate after the first 'wet' season and your favorite shoes will have to be thrown away. That is why, in this article, we will tell you how to clean your shoes to a shine and protect them from dirt and water in one step.

How to clean your shoes

As you probably noticed in the previous statement, a key component of shoe care is cleaning. If you are going to work or even more so for some official event, your shoes should be clean and polished to a shine. This is a strict rule that, in my opinion, a man should follow. Why, you ask? The point is that a clean and tidy look is the key to making people feel good to you. Once again, I remind you of the saying: 'They meet by their clothes, but they are escorted by their minds.' If you have a nice suit, a clean shirt, a well-fitting tie, but dirty and unclean shoes from the time you bought them, you are a sloppy person. I assure you, as soon as a person shakes your hand, smiling benevolently, and then accidentally sees dirty shoes, he will immediately change his face (well, or pretend not to notice), and change his opinion of you.

I will repeat it again. Every self-respecting man should wear clean shoes and, moreover, classic shoes. There are, of course, cases when on the way from home to work, your shoes managed to get dirty, even if you were as careful as you could. For this case, there are small sponges for cleaning shoes on sale, which will fit even in a small portfolio. Ideally, you may have a special shoe shine machine at work, but it is found only in large office centers or in the halls of large companies, where there are many top managers. Either way, find a way to quickly clean your shoes.

So, in addition to looking good, well-cleaned shoes will be protected from moisture and dirt. This will have a positive effect on its lifespan, especially if you buy expensive shoes and want them to please you for more than one year.

What you need to clean your shoes

Shoe polish

There are two types of shoe polish to choose from: cream and wax. Whether you choose a polishing cream or just a wax depends on how highly polished shoes you need. Shoe polish gives medium shine, but moisturizes the skin well and renews the color of the shoes Keep in mind that if you choose the wrong shade of cream for your colored leather shoes, you can change the color of the shoes, so be careful when choosing a cream.

Shoe wax, in turn, wipes off minor damage to the skin, abrasions and gives a strong shine after polishing shoes. But it does not update the color of the shoes, as the wax is sold in its natural color – beige.

For routine care, I still recommend using a color-matched shoe polish for your leather shoes. There are fewer problems with it, and it copes better with moisture protection.

Polishing cloth

A shoe polish cloth is essential to polish your shoes to a shine. A special polishing cloth can be purchased at a shoe store, but a plain old cotton T-shirt will do as well. All you need to do is wrap a little cloth around your toes and polish your shoes.

Clean rag

Use a clean rag to wipe off excess cream. Any soft fabric is fine.

Brush for footwear

A shoebrush is a must-have tool. I highly recommend buying a natural horsehair brush. Why horsehair? The fact is that such hair is tough enough for the brush to clean the shoes properly and soft enough not to damage the leather on the shoes. A good brush is inexpensive and will last for many years. Don't be stingy.

Small brush with handle (optional)

To clean shoes in hard-to-reach areas, you need a small brush with a handle. You can of course buy a special brush from the store, but a regular, old toothbrush will do.

A glass of water (as needed)

You will need water to clean up dried dirt and to final polish your pair of shoes.

How to clean your shoes and make them shine

The method that we will discuss next is not quite suitable for daily shoe care. It is more suitable for the case when you stepped into a puddle, soiled your shoes in mud to the bottom and you urgently need to put a pair in order so that it does not deteriorate. An easier and faster way to clean your shoes, we will look at the end of the article.

So, having collected all the listed items that we need for work, place them side by side so that they are always at hand. Before you start cleaning your shoes, spread out a newspaper or rag so that you don't have to wash the floor afterwards, as dirt can fly from the shoes.

Step 1. Preparing the shoes

We remove the laces from the shoes and insert a wooden spacer or just crumpled paper into the shoes so that the surface of the boot is elastic. It is much easier to clean and polish your shoes this way.

Step 2. Cleaning from dust and dirt

Take a prepared rag and wipe the entire surface of the boot from dirt and dust. If there is too much dirt or it gets stuck in hard-to-reach places, use a small handled brush or an old toothbrush. If the surface of the shoe is very dirty, wet a piece of cloth and walk around to be sure to remove any remaining dirt. Before moving on to the next step, let the shoe dry for about 10 minutes and finally inspect the pair to see if all the dirt has cleared.

Step 3. Apply shoe polish

Apply just enough shoe polish to the shoe to cover the entire surface. Rub the cream in a circular motion, this will allow the cream to be better absorbed into the surface of the skin and distribute the cream evenly over the shoe. Apply more shoe polish as needed until the entire surface is finished and matte. Don't forget the small brush and use it to spread the cream in hard to reach areas. Let the cream absorb and dry slightly for 10 minutes.

Step 4. Polishing shoes

Take the prepared horsehair brush and polish the shoes by moving the brush from side to side with sharp strokes. The shoes will begin to acquire a little shine.

Take a polishing cloth and put a little water on your shoes (you can just soak the cloth in water). Use a circular motion to polish your shoes to a shine, dampening the cloth as needed. Note that too much water is not needed, just a damp cloth is enough so that no water drips from it.

Step 5. Shoe lacing

After putting the shine on your shoes, take out the spacer or paper, lace up the shoes and let dry completely for 15-20 minutes, after which you can go to the streets of the city.

Express shoe shine

Of course, there is neither time nor desire to spend 30-40 minutes every day cleaning shoes. Therefore, you can reduce shoe cleaning to just 3 steps:

Step 1. Cleaning shoes from dust and dirt

Without unlacing your shoes, dampen a cloth with water and wipe the entire surface of the shoes. First one shoe, then the second. Perform operations with one shoe one by one, then with the second. While one is drying, you clean the other.

Step 2. Applying shoe polish

Apply the cream to the boot and in a circular motion using a horsehair brush, rub the cream into the skin. After application, polish the shoes slightly by moving the brush from side to side in sharp strokes.

Step 3. Final polishing of shoes

Dampen a rag with water, wrap it around two fingers (middle and forefinger), and in a circular motion, bring the shoe to a shine.

The time that you will spend on such shoe cleaning will be about 3-4 minutes, but even this express option will protect your shoes from bad weather and will make you look good.

Shoe Care Tips

• If you spoil your shoes with salt that is sprinkled on the streets in winter, take a glass of warm water and add a teaspoon of table vinegar (concentrate not diluted with 6%). Soak a cotton rag in the vinegar solution and apply it to the salt water before cleaning your shoes well.
• Use wooden shoe spreaders, they prevent the shoes from wrinkling during summer storage and allow the shoe to 'breathe'.
• Always wear your shoes with a spoon (shoehorn). You will save the heel of your shoe and will not compromise its integrity.
• If your shoes are dry and frayed, buy a good shoe conditioner and get them back to normal.

This, perhaps, is all. I am sure that now there should be no difficulties for men, and they will know how to clean shoes and their shoes, in particular. I wish everyone to keep their favorite shoes for many years and look good in the eyes of the people around you. Good luck!

Shoe care; shoe polish and other cosmetics – video