How often to polish and condition shoes?

[lullemans72]

I brush my shoes before and after every wear and polish them when they begin looking dull. Shoe trees are a must.

Conditioning is done twice a year or if they begin looking a little dry. I've tried a mirror shine and decided it was not worth the effort to build so I just concentrate on keeping my shoes looking nice. There was a time when I was much more dedicated to keeping my shoes as shiny as possible however I've since decided that it's not necessary.

Interesting about the mirror shine. I was pretty much in the same boat as you. That is, I insisted each pair of shoes required a proper mirror shine, which obviously took time, but was incredibly enjoyable to create. But, after using Renomat during a yearly maintenance session and accidentally removing part of the patina of one pair of shoes (used too much and pressed too hard), I realized not every shoe needs a mirror shine. Now I have maybe one or two pairs like that at most while the others just look normal.

 

[JFWR]

Interesting about the mirror shine. I was pretty much the same as you, i.e. I insisted that each pair of shoes required a mirror shine, which took time but was enjoyable to create. But after using Renomat during a yearly maintenance session and accidentally removing part of the patina of one pair of shoes by using too much and pressing too hard, I realized not every shoe needs a mirror shine. Now I have maybe one or two pairs like that at most while the others just look normal.

I personally try to put a mirror shine on pretty much every shoe I wear. It's not that difficult. It just requires about an hour or two for the first application, after which it really only requires a bit of polish to bring it back again.

 

[dogjaeja]

There was a time when I was much more dedicated to keeping my shoes as shiny as possible however I've since decided that it's not necessary.

I much prefer maintaining a soft shine for most pairs now.
Easier to wear, easy to maintain with a goat hair brush, easier to blend the overall shine, and less stress from potential accidental scuffs and cracking.
Still have a few pairs reserved with a high mirror shine, but buffing up the soft shines would just take a bit of time if needed.

 

[lullemans72]

I personally try to put a mirror shine on pretty much every shoe I wear. It's not that difficult. It just requires about an hour or two for the first application, after which it really only requires a bit of polish to bring it back again.

Yeah I agree it's easier to reshine them once the base layer is already on there. But back last year when I had nearly every pair of shoes mirror shined, I saw cracks starting to form on the toe over time, and no amount of extra coats could get rid of that. So I ended up having to strip the shoes off their mirror shine and start afresh anyway. FWIW, I think I'm in a phase right now where I prefer my style to be a bit more understated, with white pocket squares as opposed to colored ones, more subdued ties than lively ones etc. But this may swing the other way again later on.

 

[JFWR]

Yeah I agree it's easier to reshine them once the base layer is already on there. But back last year when I had nearly every pair of shoes mirror shined, I saw cracks starting to form on the toe over time, and no amount of extra coats could get rid of that. So I ended up having to strip the shoes off their mirror shine and start afresh anyway. FWIW, I think I'm in a phase right now where I prefer my style to be a bit more understated, with white pocket squares as opposed to colored ones, more subdued ties than lively ones etc. But this may swing the other way again later on.

The easiest way to get rid of cracks is a hair drier.

 

[daizawaguy]

Brush after every use, put a cream on weekly - you are set!