They say that you meet people by their clothes. No, they greet you primarily by their shoes. You can be dressed to the nines, but unkempt shoes will ruin all the shine. Shoes polished to a mirror shine will tell a lot about their owner.
Cleaning the boots until they shine
The military is especially sensitive to the appearance of their shoes. Great attention is paid to its care. Both on weekdays and on holidays, ankle boots should look perfect. Let's get acquainted with the methods that are used to bring boots into ceremonial form.
Preparatory process
Before cleaning your shoes you need prepare the necessary tools, a workplace and the boots themselves.
You will need the following:
- cleansing cream;
- soft and hard brushes;
- soft cloth for polishing;
- water.
Additionally, an old toothbrush, ear sticks, a lighter, and a cloth for moistening with water (or cotton wool) are used.
The place of work also requires certain preparation, because the process itself is slow and does not exclude accidental contamination of furniture and the interior as a whole:
- spread newspapers or old oilcloth on the floor to keep the floor clean;
- for convenience, take a chair or stool - while squatting, you will want to speed up some steps, and quality will suffer as a result.
Berts should also be prepared:
- First, remove the laces.
- Now work on the boots. They need to be washed thoroughly. This doesn't mean you need to bathe them in water. The best solution is to clean them with a brush dipped in water at room temperature. Careful removal of dirt and dust from each area will contribute to high-quality shoe care results.
- After the berets have dried, you can begin applying the cream.
Important! All work is carried out outside; moisture should not get into the interior of the boots. If such a problem occurs, dry your shoes using a special dryer. In the absence of it, baby powder is poured inside, which will dry and remove the smell from wearing shoes. As an option, stuff the boots with newspapers; they will absorb moisture.
Stages of work
Classic shoe cleaning, or the simplest step-by-step method:
- Lubricate the dried berets with a thick layer of cream;
- leave to absorb and dry for 10–15 minutes;
- take a soft rag in both hands;
- Use a cloth to polish your shoes with intense movements from side to side;
- leave them for 10 minutes;
- To consolidate the result, apply the cream again;
- Now polish your shoes to a mirror shine.
Important! The best fabric for polishing is wool suiting or dress fabric. A piece of a thin blanket, perhaps a soldier's, or a strip from a thin officer's overcoat will do. It would be nice to use a velvet fragment.
There are more labor-intensive methods - with water, with fire, but the stunning result after their use speaks for itself.
In the following method of cleaning shoes, water plays the first violin:
- Apply the first layer of cream and let it absorb;
- using a cloth soaked in water, rub a layer of cream;
- apply the next layer and rub it in with water again;
- then repeatedly spread the cream on the shoes and polish with a wet cloth.
If everything is done correctly, with each subsequent layer the shine should increase to a mirror finish. The process involves applying two thick and several light layers of cream.
The stages of wet exposure of boots should alternate with their mandatory drying in natural conditions.
Important! Rubbing the product should be done slowly and thoroughly, from toe to heel.
Another method that takes a lot of time and patience, but in return you are guaranteed to get ankle boots with a mirror shine:
- tilt or turn the jar of cream (only iron!) over a lighter and set the product on fire;
- quickly return the jar to its original position so as not to stain anything;
- let the contents burn for a few seconds until partially melted, and then close the lid - the fire will go out;
- Apply thin layers of softened cream with a damp cloth until the desired result is obtained;
- Warm the very last layer applied to the boots with a warm stream of a hairdryer or walk over it with the fire of a candle (lighter), and after 15 minutes, apply control polishing by rubbing an additional layer with a damp cloth.
Tips and tricks
- It will be more convenient to polish ankle boots if the shoes are worn on the foot or on a blank.
- If the laces are slightly different in color, they can be tinted with cream at the final stage, but without polishing.
- In hard-to-reach places, applying or removing the care product will be easier with an old toothbrush or a cotton swab for the ears.
- Never use alcohol to care for shoes: it degreases the leather, making the surface dry and brittle.
- Shiny, polished boots don't look good with matte soles; lightly polish these areas with polish.
- The thickest layer of cream should be applied to the places where the shoes wear the most: on the toe and heel.
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