I went out and purchased some lovely green Clark's 'Hamble' brogues. These normally cost around £60 [I got 20% off as it was Black Friday] Since then I picked up a virtually new pair of lighter brown Hambles in a CS for £4, and a similar pair, with a small heel in darker brown for £5. Both pairs had no wear at all. Dress code at school means wearing 'proper' shoes - so these are ideal.
Similarly Bob has some formal 'Oxfords' in black and brown. He has rather large feet, and these shoes cost a lot of money [and they never appear 'as new' in CS shops!]
If you are paying around £50 for something, it deserves some TLC now and then. The wet weather, and walking across damp grass has dulled the shine. So last week I lined them all up and treated them to some proper spit'n'polish. This is the way Grandad taught me to clean my shoes before I joined the Brownies. You can find a wonderful explanation and helpful tips on the British Legion site here. I freely admit that I do not go for the full mirror shine - which can take around 2 hours work per pair. I am more concerned to remove surface mud and bring a little gleam to my toecaps.
But even a small amount of occasional attention will 'feed' the leather, smarten the appearance and prolong the life of the shoes thus saving money, and helping the planet. An inexpensive tin of shoe polish lasts ages [but I am still hunting down some appropriate green polish- those ones are currently being buffed up with the 'neutral' cream which feeds the hide, doesn't produce much shine at all]
How often do you polish your shoes?
Are yours synthetic ones you can just wipe with a damp cloth?
Is a biscuit tin under the sink, containing polish, brushes and dusters a thing of the past, nowadays only owned by members of the Armed Forces [present and past], uniformed youth organisations, and middle aged housewives?
Hi! Ooh, you were lucky finding those Hambles in a CS! I bought some lovely neutral polish from the Shoe mender/shoe shop in Northumberland. It is made by an Irish family firm and is huge! I bought it to use on my teal Dr Martens boots (which are still going strong 3+years later!) which have scuffle marks on the toes. I do wish I'd done it immediately though. I've used it on other shoes too.
ReplyDeleteDo you really spit on them and then rub?x
It's very rare for you to make a spelling mistake, unless you are in fact moderately famous!.
ReplyDeleteWe have a large Tupperware container under the kitchen sink with dusters, shoe polish and so on, although nowadays I'm in Wellington boots a lot of the time.
Oh well spotted! Error now corrected. I am not aware of any statues [diminutive or otherwise] Does one have to be dead to get a statue? I am trying to think of a living person who has one...
DeleteHow often do you clean your shoes? *Hangs head in shame*
ReplyDeleteNot as often as I should. Last time was June I think!
DeleteYou do post some interesting links, I've always wondered how army personnel get that mirror shine! I won't be aiming for that, just a normal polish is enough for me. My dad cleaned his shoes every night and taught us to do our own. While I don't do mine that often I certainly have a plastic box with brushes, polish and dusters. I use a beeswax based polish from Chainbridge Farm, it's the best I've ever found.
ReplyDelete