“Shoes make the man; Shoddy Shoes make the man a lonely bachelor”
-Feb, 2005 Car & Driver, Kiwi Shoe Polish ad

By Izzy Jaecks

Ever since Billy Batts told Tommy DeVito to go home and get his shine box, new Planet Zman contributing writer, Izzy Jaecks has had an affinity for making his fellow man look sharp.

While I was growing up, my parents didn’t seem to agree on many things, but something that they both taught me in both words and actions were that if you care about something, you need to take care of it… because there just might not be the money to REPLACE it. For me, this translates into great and grand ways in quality leather care.

I bought my first pair of combat boots (yep, I was one of those kids…) back in 1990, and I quickly discovered that they needed proper care if I wanted them to last at all. I grabbed from the junk drawer the can of Kiwi that was probably older than I was, but it was still better than nothing. Four months later, when I had moved to Milwaukee, I had learned enough to get hired as the shoe shiner at the County Courthouse.

Along with a good haircut and a hot shave from a BARBER, sitting for a shoe shine is like the Man equivalent of a woman going for a pedicure and a spa day. But shoe shiners and bootblacks are not anywhere near as common as they were even twenty years ago. The County Courthouse here doesn’t support one anymore, and the one we have at the airport usually just sits around with nothing to do (if he is even there at all). If you are lucky enough to have a shoe shiner near you, sit for them. If you like what you see, go back again and again!

But if you don’t have a local shoe shiner, you can still take care of your shoes and boots yourself with not too much back breaking work and with supplies you can pick up at the drug store, grocery store…

1. Shoe polish in the right colors.
2. Saddle Soap.
3. Buffing brush with NATURAL BRISTLES not plastic (and one for each color polish)
4. Nail brush or any similar small brush, also with natural bristles
5. Small towels that you won’t be using for anything but your shoes
6. Cotton buffing cloth
7. Leather conditioner

Before I start… I want to dispel some myths: NEVER dry wet leather with a heat source. This will cause more damage than letting the leather dry at room temperature. NEVER use mink oil or other animal-fat based leather conditioners because the fats can go rancid on the leather; my personal favorite boot oil uses bee’s wax and pine tar.

Now, these basic tips will really apply to anything you own that’s leather: boots, shoes, jackets, briefcases… but shoes will need more care and more often just because they get more wear and tear and dirt…

Great leather care ALWAYS starts with immaculately clean leather, because if it isn’t clean, you are just sealing the dirt into the leather with polishes and conditioners.

Clean the leather thoroughly using saddle soap and a little water, applied with the small nail brush. A lot of dirt collects in seams, around the edges of the tongue, and where the upper meets the outsole. Wipe off the soap residue with a damp cloth, and then wipe dry. I always apply polish or conditioners with my hands because your body heat will help “melt” them into the leather, and abrasive hand cleaners (found at auto parts stores) will get it off your hands… but you can use a dauber instead. With polish, “less is more”… too much will just look sloppy, so start off light and only use more if the first coat doesn’t look like it’s covering. Let the polish rest on each shoe for a few minutes before buffing with the buffing brush and then lightly buff with the buffing cloth. Each morning before you put your shoes on, give them a light brushing to bring back the gloss. If this quick buffing is no longer enough to make them look good, then you know it’s time to start over down to cleaning them and reapplying polish.

For garments and softer leather shoes and boots, instead of using polish, use conditioners. Polish will just flake off soft leather anyway.

But whenever you can… sit for a shoe shiner/bootblack. Look for us in airports in larger cities, classic barbershops, government buildings, military bases, and even in some bars. Even better if you find one where you can bring a cigar as well…

-Izzy Jaecks, Master Bootblack