By polishing your favorite pair of shoes well, you will not only significantly extend their life, but also give your appearance a special charm. The fact is that in high school they do not teach how to shine shoes, and many parents do not consider it necessary to pass on this skill to their children. Because of this, people around the world tend to prefer regular sports shoes, which are less difficult to maintain and less likely to leave a lasting impression.
To help you present the best version of yourself to the world every day, we've put together a quick guide to polishing your shoes properly. These are simple DIY instructions that can be easily followed by anyone. Without further ado, here's the best way to give your shoes that "new-from-the-store" look, no matter how long you've been wearing them.
How to care for leather shoes
Immediately after purchase, saturate the leather surface with a special leather cream selected to match the color of the product. Due to this, the material will become softer, more flexible and comfortable. In addition, shoe polish will create a protective film from moisture, ultraviolet radiation and frost. Leave the shoes for 8-10 hours so that the product is absorbed as much as possible and provides full protection.
In the future, regularly treat the surface with shoe polish. It will protect leather shoes, boots and shoes, and can polish the surface and add shine. However, this procedure can only be carried out after cleaning the leather surface.
To clean leather shoes, wait until the dirt dries. Then brush off any dried dirt and dust with a soft bristle brush. It is better to choose a special shoe brush for leather.
To clean patent leather shoes, use a cloth, as a brush can scratch the delicate surface. After this, the surface of the shoes is washed with a sponge or cloth soaked in running water.
Do not wash leather shoes under running water or in a basin of water! If there is a lot of dirt and heavy stains on the boots, wipe the surface with a cloth soaked in soapy water.
To do this, add a little liquid soap to the water or grate a small piece of toilet soap on a coarse grater and stir the solution until foam forms. In addition, they sell special balms, milk and even shampoos for cleaning shoes.
Wipe the surface of the products with a cloth soaked in the solution. The inside of the product can be wiped with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol. It will clean the material and get rid of unpleasant odors. After washing, wipe the items with a damp cloth to remove soap stains. Then wipe dry and set to dry.
Leather shoes should be dried naturally at room temperature in a well-ventilated area. Do not place products on radiators, radiators or heating devices under any circumstances, otherwise the material will lose its shape, stretch and deteriorate.
After the shoes are dry, you need to polish the shoes until they shine with a suitable cream. Patent leather requires more delicate care. Read more about how to clean patent leather shoes here.
Content:
- 1 Effect obtained from glasage:
- 2 Required attributes:
Glasage is polishing shoes by hand using simple techniques using shoe polish (without containing a large amount of wax!) and water.
An experienced specialist will make an excellent glaze even on leather that has been overdried by chrome tanning of any roughness in 30-40 minutes. For a beginner, this will not be so easy the first time.
↑ Effect obtained from glasage:
- 1. Shoes become mirror-shiny and more elegant.
- 2. The surface of the leather thickens, becomes more protected from possible scratches, and resists abrasions and getting wet.
- 3. With the help of a similar technique, you can practically update any old shoes to the level of almost original new ones, remove or at least minimize the visual effect of scratches on the leather.
- 4. Polished shoes last for about one month without maintenance. If the glaze is not maintained every time you clean your shoes (this takes no more than 2-3 minutes), then it gradually fades away, becoming matte.
- 5. Glazing makes the surface of the skin darker compared to unpolished areas.
Resuscitation methods
The reasons for shoe polish drying out are most often improper storage or expiration of the product. Rapid drying is often due to the presence of a large number of natural ingredients, which, as is known, have a short shelf life.
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There are several ways to solve the problem: from heating the cream to diluting it with hot water and other substances.
Heat
The easiest and fastest way to revive dried cream is to heat it in a water bath.
To do this you need:
- transfer the care product into a small metal or glass container;
- pour water into the pan and bring everything to a boil;
- Place the container with the cream on top and wait until the dried cream begins to melt.
As the mixture melts, it is recommended to stir it gently. To do this, you can use a toothpick, match or cotton swab.
Supplements
It is not recommended to dilute the cream with water. This will worsen its protective properties and consistency. As additional additives you can use:
- petrolatum;
- lanolin;
- vegetable oil;
- glycerol;
- turpentine.
Petrolatum
The simplest medical ointment, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. It costs mere pennies, but at the same time it perfectly softens any leather surface. Vaseline softens shoe leather well and prevents cracking.
Lanolin
A natural wax obtained by washing sheep's wool. Just like Vaseline, it prevents cracks and masks minor scratches and abrasions. Lanolin has good water-resistant qualities and even cleansing properties. For example, products containing lanolin are used to clean horse saddles.
Natural oils
Vegetable oil (castor, sunflower, flaxseed) attracts with its water-repellent properties. Gives shoes shine and gloss.
Glycerol
This substance is used to soften the skin. Glycerin removes the “oak leather” effect and also perfectly softens it, which is why it is often used for breaking in shoes.
Turpentine
Conifer essential oil is most often added to industrial shoe polishes. When applied, it creates a durable water-repellent layer. Turpentine is often diluted with beeswax and linseed oil, producing an excellent waterproof impregnation at home.
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All substances must be added in small portions. This method allows you to control the consistency of the cream. After introducing the necessary components, the entire mass is thoroughly stirred, poured back into the cream jar and left until it hardens.
It is not recommended to cool the cream quickly, otherwise it will lead to uneven hardening.
Looking stylish in winter is more difficult than in summer.
And it’s not so much about weather conditions, but about Russian reality.
We have already written about the ups and downs of the struggle for shoes. The best leather will not withstand Russian roads without proper care. But this is not enough. A stylish man simply has to keep his shoes shiny. Naturally, this does not replace shoe care. And not every couple is capable of sparkling. This applies to products made of suede, nubuck and similar materials. Surely everyone who saw colleagues or acquaintances in shoes with glitter experienced a slight feeling of envy.
But all you need to know is how to properly clean shoes. This art appeared among the French, who gave the process the name "glassage". Exactly translated, the term means bringing shine. If you consider yourself to be a stylish man, then the material about the secrets of glassage will be interesting. Believe me - it's worth your time.
A few more tricks
One of the easiest ways to revive dried cream is to mix it with a fresh, colorless skincare product. Colorless balms and creams are suitable for any type of leather shoes. If the cream has dried out too much, it can be preheated in a microwave oven or in a water bath.
Many people recommend using regular milk as a supplement. A few drops of this product will make the composition soft again. This advice is especially relevant for products intended for the care of light-colored shoes.
Resuscitating dried shoe polish will help you avoid unnecessary household expenses. Most of the components necessary for restoration are literally at hand, and the “revival” procedure itself will take only a few minutes.
Wax gloss
You can achieve not only shine, but also protection from the aggressive effects of moisture on a leather product in different ways.
One of them is waxing.:
- Wrapping your index finger in a cloth, apply a small amount of natural wax to the surface of the shoe in a circular motion. It should be taken into account that at first the product seems to resist, interfering with the movement of the finger.
- Continuing to rub the wax into the leather, you need to evenly treat the surface of the first boot until a shine appears, and then set it aside. Now it’s time to work on the second boot, performing the same manipulations.
- Thus, the master returns to the first boot after 15 minutes, and the second processing cycle begins. Polishing is applied in several layers.
- The applied wax can be evenly distributed using either a cloth or a natural horsehair brush. Use circular movements with moderate pressure to process the surface until a mirror-like shine effect is achieved.
- The final treatment with a piece of suede consists of the same circular movements.
When working, it is important to pay special attention to the junction of the leather with the sole and the seams. These are the most vulnerable places in shoes, boots or boots. To protect these areas from moisture, it is better to apply polish using a toothbrush.
Types of glassage
You can distinguish between amateur and professional glassage. It’s quite possible to do an amateur one yourself if you buy the necessary tools and correctly and strictly follow the instructions. With proper skill, it can be done even in half an hour, but a beginner needs much more time - up to two hours. To perform professional glassage you need to have good experience; It takes a lot of time, but it also stays on the shoes longer, and the appearance could easily be better and more noble.
Oxford shoe glassing process
There is another classification of glassage - according to the shoe polish used. You can use just one color of shoe polish or several different colors of shoe polish to create a unique and picturesque patina. If you get tired of this patina, it can be removed using a special product - for example, Saphir Reno'Mat.
It is worth noting that glassage is usually done only on the toes. This part of the shoe does not bend when walking, and it is always visible, even if you wear long and rather wide trousers.
Sometimes glassage is also done on the back, although some believe that this is pointless: glassage on the back does not last long due to the fact that it experiences constant friction when in contact with trousers or jeans.
Oxford toes without and with glassage
Shoe glider
This technique allows you to give your shoes an elegant look, protect them from moisture, possible scratches and abrasions. However, the polishing process is quite lengthy - it will take at least an hour.
The procedure boils down to alternately applying small portions of just two substances :
- shoe polish;
- water.
The index finger is wrapped in a cotton cloth and these components are rubbed into the leather surface. In this case, you cannot neglect important rules :
- The fabric over the fingertip should be taut. Folds and pilling are not acceptable.
- Just two drops of water are enough for application. Over-hydration will cause the skin to swell and become less durable.
- You need to rub in shoe polish and water carefully, without exerting force, otherwise you can damage the outer layer of the leather surface, and this will be impossible to fix.
- Polishing should be multi-layered, with each subsequent ball of shoe polish distributed carefully so as not to damage the previous one.
- The pressure during polishing of each subsequent layer should gradually weaken.
Depending on the skills available, the characteristics of the shoe model and the degree of dryness of the leather itself in the product, gliding sometimes takes two hours.
But such treatment will protect shoes for about a month , during which you will only need to spend two minutes wiping the shoes with a dry cloth to make them shine.
