Keeping your shoes shined will not only add to your overall look, but will also add to the maintenance and care of your shoes. This will help them to last longer. While getting them shined professionally might feel good, its not always practical. So, here are some basic steps you can take to shine your own shoes:
1) Find some newspaper to cover the floor. Cover the area where you will be shining your shoes. You don’t want stains on carpet or even hardwood and so this first step is of utmost importance.
2) Take out shoe any shoe trees if present.
3) If your shoes have laces, take them out too – this will allow for the tongue of the shoe to be polished as well.
4) Now clean off your shoe with a damp cloth to get all dust and other particles that don’t belong off. After this cleansing process, allow for your shoes to dry before proceeding.
5) Now you can use a toothbrush or perhaps the “on-brush” to get the polish onto areas that are hard to reach. Once you’ve reached the hard to reach areas, you can apply the polish elsewhere.
5a) Quick note on types of polish – a wax-type will help waterproof your shoes whereas a cream-type will make your shoes shinier.
6) After applying the polish, let your shoes dry a bit. Once they are dry enough, you can then use the off-brush to start polishing your shoes.
7) After polishing with the brush, you can use your chammy to do some extra polishing.
Let your shoes dry and they should have a beautiful shine.