How often to polish and condition shoes?

My routine is to always brush off shoes after each wearing and then as needed (after 5 wears?):
-brush
-wipe with damp sponge
-saphir mdo cream on upper, welt, heel, etc. (once every 1-2 months use saphir renovateur)
-buff upper with chamois and brush welt, heel
-sometime glaze at the toe with wax
-ocassionaly use lotion/conditioner on sole and inside (probably should do this more often)

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Am I the only person who uses a shoe shine guy (and just gets them cleaned and creamed, no shine)

Where do you people find the time for these 15 step shoe cleaning processes??

I enjoy cleaning a pair or two on a Sunday morning after breakfast.

Originally Posted by mr monty

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We are not sewing together trousers

It takes long to write but the whole process takes about as long as it takes for you to get your shoes shined by someone else. http://yfrog.com/03img1114swj

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Am I the only person who uses a shoe shine guy (and just gets them cleaned and creamed, no shine)

Where do you people find the time for these 15 step shoe cleaning processes??

Does he do them on or off your feet?

I do the following:

1. brush off dirt, wipe with damp cotton cloth
2. apply a liberal coat of Tapir oil, leave to dry
3. buff to a dull shine
4. soak in Pusser's Navy Rum
5. leave to dry
6. buff
7. spit shine

Or use a good quality wax polish.

Originally Posted by mr monty

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You are the only person sewing together trousers in between shoe shines

Well, I don't sew my trousers together, but I do cuff them myself. And I cuff them long enough for a break, which means the bottom/inside of the cuffs buff my shoes with each step I take, thus minimizing the need to polish.

But seriously, folks, I condition my smooth leather shoes with cream and polish them with wax of the appropriate color when new. After that, I condition and polish only when a vigorous brushing and buffing does not restore the level of shine I want. I attend more frequently to the sole edges and heels since the finish gets scuffed and looses its luster there with every couple or three wearings. Here's a pair I wore earlier this week that have been maintained as described and kept on trees when not on my feet. They are six years old and have been worn once or twice a month since new; and I'd be surprised if they've been fully polished even a dozen times:



And here's a pair maintained the same way but worn in harsher weather conditions because of the thicker leather and double soles. They are more than ten years old.

Respectfully oldog, those shoes are not shiny. Shoes should gleam.

I admit to more of a fetish than most men think necessary but there is a considerable loss of shine on even the second wear after a polish. Men who polish once every ten wearings or so are wearing dull shoes. Not the end of the world perhaps, but dull nonetheless.

And since I am usually wearing a pair once a month or less, the shoes need conditioning every wearing as well.

Originally Posted by Will

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Respectfully oldog, those shoes are not shiny. Shoes should gleam.

I admit to more of a fetish than most men think necessary but there is a considerable loss of shine on even the second wear after a polish. Men who polish once every ten wearings or so are wearing dull shoes. Not the end of the world perhaps, but dull nonetheless.

And since I am usually wearing a pair once a month or less, the shoes need conditioning every wearing as well.

I feel like the level of shine one desires is a personal matter.

I like Will 's procedure and it is very similar to what I follow. But, I don't do it every week - only when the shoes begin to look dull.

Originally Posted by Manton

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When they start to get dull, I polish them. Whether one week or ten, two wearings or twenty.

Agreed.
Additionally, I apply lotion/conditioner about once per 3 months to maintain leather suppleness,
whether or not they are getting wear.

PS-
Manton...
What on earth are you doing using that cockroach Henry Kissinger for an avatar?
Please bring Lincoln back.

I polish about once a month, just on GP. But if my shoes are holding a decent shine, I'll push it back a week or two.

Originally Posted by Fashion Camelion

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Shoe shining instructions.

Much appreciated for the detailed steps and tips.

I brush them after every wearing and polish as needed. Maybe once a year (during football season), I'll polish every pair up real nice, but generally I apply "condiments" only 3-4 times per year. I have a lot of freaking shoes, so I don't wear any particular pair too often and I never allow them to get to a sad state.

Liberally using the conditioner has a couple of benefits. The obvious one is that it does moisturize the leather and help prevent drying and cracking. It may even cause the creases to be more like rolls than small wrinkles.

However the application of the conditioner (Lexol, Meltonian, Saphir) will help to clean the dead polish from the shoes. And it will also carry some of the polish color into the leather. I came to realize this when reading Rider's essays on how he recolors and polishes shoes. If I first apply conditioner liberally and let it sit just a bit it will somewhat dissolve the existing polish.
when I brush that first conditioner coat I will be removing any real excess polish that is not within the leather. I should also open the pores a bit for the new cream polish to go into.

The light application of the cream polish will follow the first conditioner. A light coating gets the job done pretty well and I don't let it dry for more than a few minutes. Hit it with the brush. After brushing shoe one, I apply additional conditioner to that one, giving shoe number two a little more time for the polish to cure and haze. Brush shoe number two and apply conditioner. Brush the cured condiotioner on number one. Brush the cured conditioner on shoe number two.

It reads as if it is more work or time. Actully the conditioning steps add very little to the time required as there is very little cleanup effort required and never any wax buildup to deal with. If you read some of the Rider instructions I expect you will find that he applies more of the conditioner than I suggest. I do believe that the conditioner does somewhat keep the polish alive longer so that all that is necessary is a brushing to restore the shine. for several wearings.

Someone mentioned that the degree of shine is a personal preferrence. I prefer more of a soft clean glow rather than the glare of a mirror. Others may differ and use different methods to get the result they want.