Cleaning shoe polish cloths

[otc]

Hey, new poster here

What do you guys do to clean your polishing cloths?

I've got cotton cloths that I use to polish my shoes but they get quite dirty in the process of applying and buffing. I try to wash them out with water and dish soap or laundry detergent but it doesn't really clean it off well (though I am hoping this wont be as much of a problem once I find a horsehair brush).

Thanks

 

[VMan]

I use squares from old cotton t-shirts and throw them away when they get too dirty.

 

[otc]

Yeah, my cloths are from t-shirts but I feel bad about wasting them so I'd like to clean them.

Also on the topic of shoe shining...Anyone know where I could pick up a horsehair brush in the chicago loop area? I tried to buy one from the shoe repair place by my apartment and all he could find were 2 dirty and mangled (yet strangly unused) brushes.

 

[Tarmac]

I throw them away. Don't think of the waste involved in the cloth. Think of the waste involved in washing them. If you put them in the machine, think of all that dirty crap that will get rubbed off onto your machine.

You can get a horsehair brush at K-mart, wal-mart, target, and at every shoe repair shop I have ever walked in to.

Originally Posted by otc

Yeah, my cloths are from t-shirts but I feel bad about wasting them so I'd like to clean them.

Also on the topic of shoe shining...Anyone know where I could pick up a horsehair brush in the chicago loop area? I tried to buy one from the shoe repair place by my apartment and all he could find were 2 dirty and mangled (yet strangly unused) brushes.

 

[mimile]

From old T-shirts. I throw them away after a while. Yeah.

 

[lee_44106]

+1 on old T-shirt. And throw them away.

Shoe brush is available at your local supermarket if you look.

 

[JayJay]

I use old t-shirts. I wash them about every two weeks.

 

[bmulford]

http://stores.ebay.com/Kentbrushes Kent outlet on ebay. $20 gets you an awesome brush indeed.

 

[JLibourel]

Department stores like Nordstrom will have brushes. I use two Nordstrom Synovia brushes--one for black (with black bristles), one in brown. Some fellows like to get a third brush for merlot/oxblood/burgundy/cordovan--that color range--but I just brush such shoes with my brown brush and have never had cause to regret it. In fact, some guys just use one brush for everything, but I don't know how well that works, never having tried it.

Using a brush to shine your shoes if far more efficient than trying do it with just a T-shirt. I use an old T-shirt to apply the polish, let it set, brush off and then apply a final burnishing with an old flannel shirt.

 

[wiimii]

...

 

[StylenotFashion]

Try any of these sights for a great selection

http://www.joesshoeservice.com/defau...45B70359990S85

http://www.shoeshineexpress.com/?gcl...FQMxiQodkyxIPA

http://www.shoetreemarketplace.com/?...FR_NiQodswHKOg

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

Using a brush to shine your shoes if far more efficient than trying do it with just a T-shirt. I use an old T-shirt to apply the polish, let it set, brush off and then apply a final burnishing with an old flannel shirt.

I use a multi-step process that includes brushing and buffing. The t-shirt is for buffing.

 

[Almighty2]

Speaking about shoe polish, I have a question. Will the shoe polish as in the tin can affect the texture of the leather since it seems like with shoe cream, the leather will look the same as before but with shoe polish, wouldn't the wax just act like a layer on top of the leather and then after polishing, you'll just be looking at the wax instead of the leather? Never polished before.

 

[EuropeanInterloper Redux]

If we're talking about the very last stage of shoe-polishing, where there is nothing on the cloth and you are simply buffing the finish...

... Use your girlfriend's tights.

Not, of course, pairs which she is wearing (unless you enjoy stirring up trouble), but an old pair. Wad them up so that the seams are all inward-facing and polish away. I guarantee you the best shine you've ever seen, and this is coming from someone who used to polish jump boots.

Consider it quid pro quo for the dress shirts she borrows to sleep in.

EIx2

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by Almighty2

Speaking about shoe polish, I have a question. Will the shoe polish as in the tin can affect the texture of the leather since it seems like with shoe cream, the leather will look the same as before but with shoe polish, wouldn't the wax just act like a layer on top of the leather and then after polishing, you'll just be looking at the wax instead of the leather? Never polished before.

It sure can. You can build up a layer of polish and bring it to a mirror shine even if the leather is much more porous looking. Of course somewhere in there you get too much polish which is what I did last night. I thought I would try to bring these older shoes back to life...

The toe and the heel still look great but the flex area flaked apart (and even on the toe you can tell the finish will crack if you push on it)....Clearly the shoes need some conditioner or cream to fix the dry cracked looking leather before I polish them. Putting on layer after layer of polish only works if it isn't going to flex.