This section outlines how to take care of shoes.
- Clean shoes. Start off by taking the shoelaces off the shoe. Using a wet cloth or towel, rub the shoe to wipe away dirt, then towel the shoe dry.
- Apply polish. When the shoe is clean, apply polish using an applicator brush or cloth (old T-shirts work fine). Try to use a color as similar as possible as the shoe's. There's also neutral polish for any colored shoe. Consider whether you want a glossy finish or not, and select the correct polish. Note that you want to keep a separate applicator brush per color. Finally, make sure you do this somewhere were polish bits that fly away won't ruin your carpet or anything.
- Buff the shoe. After the polish has set (about 3 minutes), use a horse hair brush for the initial brushing. Again, you will need a brush per color, although because the polish has already set, you might get away with using a brush for blacks and a light brush for for browns and tans. On a pinch, you can use the applicator to buff your shoes.
- Shine way. Use a cloth in a side-to-side motion, again keeping separate cloths for black and browns.
- Apply heel and sole dressing. For an extra-fancy shine, you can apply a heel and sole dressing (very carefully!) around the outside of the soles. Wait a few minutes until it dries before continuing to handle the shoe.
- Extra shine. If you go for the glossy look, you can apply a shine that typically comes in a spone applicator with silicone, oil and some scent, or in aerosol spray.
Finally, consider using shoe trees to keep your shoes in shape.
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