Do you take time to polish your shoes?
My father taught me to polish my shoes when I was very young. As a kid I wore corrective orthopedic
shoes. They were leather and very
expensive so it was important that I take really good care of them. They were also extremely UGLY. I hated those shoes with a passion but that's
a whole other story.
I find polishing my shoes kind of cathartic. There is something said for taking good care
of the things we own. My shoes are no
exception. I try to invest in the highest
quality shoes I can afford so I want to take care of them so I last.
Just as with those ugly orthopedic shoes I try to avoid mud and
puddles. If I do get them wet I get them
dry as quickly as possible, wipe off any mud as soon as I can and keep them
polished so they always look nice.
Polishing does other things as well.
It conditions the leather and helps it to last longer while putting on a
nice protective barrier. Plus I happen
to love the smell of shoe polish.
I have always used KIWI shoe polish. That's what my dad uses and so do I. With a soft cloth I smooth on just enough to
lightly coat the surface of the shoe.
Then I do the other one. By the
time I've finished the second shoe the first one it ready to be buffed. With the soft cloth I buff the show and the
matte finish becomes shiny, the leather is soft and renewed. Then I buff the other one and my shoes look
new again.
It
takes very little time but the effort sure pays off in a big way.
I usually do not polish my shoes- I don't wear dress shoes enough these days to have to polish them. While cleaning out the attic before moving we came across my grandfather's old shoe polish box- one of those old wooden boxes with the slanted top that was used for a person to sit and prop their foot on top of while their shoes were shined. Inside the box were cans of shoe polish and rags- so neat! My brother has it now but we all thought it was great! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool. What a great heirloom.
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