Dress shoes are an important part of a men’s formal attire. If you plan on wearing a suit, you’ll need the right footwear to compliment it. Wearing a pair of old tennis or athletic shoes isn’t going to cut. Instead, consider a pair of brown or black leather oxfords. Additionally, though, you should polish your dress shoes to improve their appearance. So, what’s the best way to polish men’s dress shoes?
What You’ll Need
Before you can start polishing your dress shoes, you’ll need to pick up a few basic items. This includes shoe polish, a shine brush, a polish brush, some cotton balls, and a piece of shine cloth. You should be able to buy these items from a local footwear store. If you cannot find them, look online. There are countless retailers and vendors that sell shoeshine supplies, both locally and online.
Clean ‘Em
With your supplies in hand, it’s time to get to work. Start by cleaning your shoes to remove all dirt, dust and debris. This is best done using a horsehair brush with thick, hard bristles. Go over the surface of your dress shoes multiple times, adding a small amount of water for stubborn spots. This should make easy work of even the dirtiest dress shoes.
Polishing
After cleaning your dress shoes, you can now polish them. It’s important to note that shoe polish is sticky and messy. So, keep a roll of paper towels nearby to clean up any mess you make. To polish your dress shoes, apply a small amount to the shoe and rub it in using the polish brush. Make clockwise rotations with the polish brush, going over every square inch of exposed leather/material, until you’ve covered the entire shoe. When you are finished, wait 20-25 minutes for the polish to dry.
Remove Excess Polish
You aren’t out of the woods just yet. There’s probably an excess amount of polish left on your shoes, in which case you should brush it off using the horsehair brush. Ideally, you should leave only a very small — almost unnoticeable — amount of polish on your dress shoes. When you are finished, rub the shoes down one last time and look at them from afar. Assuming they are clean and polish-free, they are good to go.
Congratulations, you’ve just cleaned and shined your dress shoes!
References: