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quick question on shoe polishing routine

Craft

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hello there, ive searched for this answer on the web and on the forum but it has yet to be absolutely clear to me as to how a routine polish is done. I have always assumed when your shoes get dull you pop out the polish and cream and get to work. However, now that I have decided to invest in quality shoes I want to make sure im doing this right. ok the question, I thank those in advanced for your help.


when you bring your shoes out for a routine shine do you have to apply conditioner to the shoe? and if so do you just apply it over the shoes pre existing wax and cream (after dusting off the shoes of course) or must you fully clean the shoes with a cleaner , apply conditioner, cream, than wax?


Thank you :)
 
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Hi, There,

My name is KeaLani, and I am one of the partners of A Shine & Co. We are the nation's premier luxury shoeshine provider and have been pioneering proper leather care for 18 years. I have personally been a shoeshiner for 9 years, and the following answer to your question is based on our combined 18 years of shoe care experience, having shined hundreds of thousands of pairs of shoes, many of them repeatedly for our return customers over several years.

Although each pair of shoes is different and will require care uniquely suited to its needs, there are some general guidelines that we can offer. Keep in mind that without seeing the shoes, these are only a basic set of principals, however, they should be applicable in most cases.

It is important to shine a new pair of shoes before wearing them. When new and unworn, it is advisable to start with a round of conditioning - deeper cleaning is not necessary at this point and will do more harm in stripping off the finish than what good it would do (none!).

When shoes are older and have been routinely shined, provided that the polish used is of a high quality (we recommend the Saphir line of products) and has been skillfully applied, it is also advisable to start with a round of conditioning, forgoing any deeper cleaning. An acceptable leather balm - we recommend Saphir Creme Universelle at a minimum - will provide adequate cleaning as it conditions. Leather balm should be applied thoroughly and evenly with a very gentle massaging pressure, allowed to sit on the surface briefly (1-2 minutes) so that the skin can absorb what it needs, and then all excess should be removed completely by buffing it off with a rag and/or brushing it off with a shoeshine brush. We strongly recommend that you use conditioner before polishing every single time you shine your shoes. Keeping the skin properly conditioned may do more for your leather goods than any other leather care practice. Brushing the shoes off lightly with a soft bristle shoeshine brush before applying any conditioner will keep you from rubbing loose dust and dirt into the surface when applying leather balm.

The only time a "full cleaning" is advised is when the shoes have a "bad" buildup of product on the surface - usually caused by sub-par polishes with detrimental chemicals or the unskilled use of products, i.e. too heavily applied - or they are excessively dirty, e.g. caked in mud. Proper shoeshines should leave a beautifying and protective foundation that will then work in concert with subsequent shines to keep the skins supple, protected, and aging with a nice patina, making it unnecessary to completely clean shoes and start fresh every time you polish them. In fact, it is desirable to have a foundation of previous shines to build upon, and a full cleaning down to the original finish would defeat this benefit.

Products used for deeper cleanings also tend to be more harsh, more drying, and more aggravating to leather, and they tend to have stronger solvents in them that run the risk of stripping the finish off of your shoes. While this may not be a concern with cheap shoes, it is very important to keep in mind when dealing with higher-end shoes, particularly when they have any kind of hand-painted finish/patina. Use these cleaning agents sparingly, cautiously, and only when necessary.

I hope this answers your question, and please forgive the length of my answer, as I do care very much about the subject at hand. We welcome any other questions that you may have about this or any other shoe care topic.

For a catalogue of the Saphir shoe care product line that we use exclusively because of its superior quality, visit our website!

Best Regards,

KeaLani
 
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