How to Care for Your Shoes

First Step: Be Careful!  A good pair of leather dress shoes makes a statement about you and your tastes.  The condition of them and the quality of their shine makes a statement about you as well.  To always be ready to impress keep your shoes in top condition.  For this we turn to the master, Jeeves.  In Jeeves Takes Charge we find that Wooster's shoes have been carelessly ruined by applying black polish to brown shoes.  On seeing the shoes Jeeves is devastated.  He understands the basic principle of matching polish color to shoe color.  Follow the guide below to keep your shoes top notch.

1: Keep the shoe as clean and dry as possible.  Immediately remove any grit, dirt, or debris they may encounter as this can scratch the shoe.  If you happen to soak your leather shoes do not place them near a heat source (hair dryer, heater, fire, etc.) this causes the leather to crack.  Instead place newspaper inside the shoes.  Every hour or so replace the paper until the shoes completely dry.

2: Polish your shoes regularly.  This keeps them moist and helps last longer.

3:  Store your shoes with a cedar shoe insert.  This keeps the leather in the right shape.

How to polish your shoes:

1: Clean the surface with a warm damp cloth using a dry or slightly damp toothbrush for sole and stitching.

2: Warm the appropriate colored polish over a candle or lighter, but be careful not to melt the polish.  You only want to soften it.  Alternately you can use a little water on the top of the wax.

3:  Using a warm slightly damp cloth pick up some of the polish and rub it into all the surfaces of the shoes using small circular motions.

4: Using a polishing brush buff the shoes until they have a partial shine.

5: Repeat step 3.

6:  This time get a nylon stocking.  Used ones work best, so sweet talk some girl in your life for her spares.  Buff out the shoe to a high shine using back and forth motions of the nylon.  As a shine begins to develop, breathe warm deep breathes onto the shoe.  The moisture from your breathe accentuates the shining.  Continue to work the shoe over with the nylon.

7: Repeat for the second shoe.

8:  Place both shoes next to each other and polish the caps until they have the same level of shine.  Once you have established a good base for your shoes will get easier.

A few extra tips:  wear disposable gloves, polish can be a pain to remove from your hands.  If you find that you need to remove polish from shoes or other items, isopropyl alcohol works well.