In short: polishing leather shoes properly starts with choosing the right product: conditioner to nourish the leather, colour polish to cover scuffs, wax polish for shine.
Most people buy one tin of polish and use it for everything: conditioning, covering scuffs, shining. Those three jobs need three different products, and mixing them up is why many leather shoes look dull after a few years, with a thick, caked surface and cracks at the folds.
Polishing is the last step of cleaning leather shoes. The full process and prices are on our shoe cleaning service.
This article explains the three types first, then how to do it.
Three things often all called polish
| Type | What it does | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Leather conditioner | Replaces oils, keeps leather supple, prevents cracking | Every 1 to 2 months |
| Coloured polish | Covers faded spots and evens out the colour | When you see fading |
| Wax polish | Creates a shine, only on the toe and heel | When you want shine |
Order matters: condition first, colour next, shine last. Put wax polish on unconditioned leather and the wax seals it in; the leather underneath stays dry and keeps cracking, you just cannot see it.
Do not use any of the above on suede or nubuck. Polish mats the nap and cannot be removed.
What you need
- A soft horsehair brush for dusting and buffing.
- Two soft cotton cloths, one for applying and one for buffing. A cut-up old T-shirt works.
- Colourless conditioner, or coloured polish that matches the shoe.
- A little clean water if you want a wet shine on the toe.
If you are unsure of the shade, choose colourless. Polish darker than the real leather colour makes shoes blotchy, and removing it takes far more effort than accepting a slightly lighter colour.
Six steps
- Remove the laces. Otherwise the tongue and eyelets always get missed, and over time they become two different colours.
- Brush off the dust. Brush the whole shoe. Putting polish on dust grinds the dust into the leather.
- Wipe with a damp cloth and let it dry completely. Use a thoroughly wrung damp cloth, wipe once, and wait until the leather is fully dry before applying. On damp leather the polish will not take.
- Apply a thin layer. Put a very small amount on the cloth and rub it in evenly in small circles. Little and even is far better than a lot and thick. Do not forget the heel and the edge of the sole.
- Wait 10 to 15 minutes for it to soak in. This is the step people often skip. Buffing immediately just wipes off the layer you applied.
- Buff. Brush with the horsehair brush, then rub with a clean dry cloth until it shines.
For a mirror shine on the toe, build up many very thin layers, each with a small drop of water, patiently rubbing in circles. There is no shortcut; one thick layer only creates a patch of wax that flakes off easily.
Four common mistakes
Applying too thick and too often
The wax builds up into an impermeable layer that clogs the pores of the leather. The leather underneath cannot breathe, dries out and cracks. The shoes still look shiny until the day a crack appears at the toe fold.
Using coloured polish to cover deep scuffs
Polish only covers surface scratches. A scuff that has torn into the leather underneath will look darker than the surrounding area once polished, and more noticeable than before. This needs colour restoration, not polish.
Polishing suede or nubuck shoes
The nap mats into shiny, blotchy patches. This is the hardest damage to fix in the suede group, because the whole area has to be recoloured.
Polishing shoes while they are wet
Polish and water do not mix. The result is a patchy layer that takes in some spots and not others, and dries into streaks.
When polishing is no longer enough
- The leather has faded in large patches, especially at the toe and heel. It needs colour restored to the right shade, not a coat of polish.
- The leather has cracked. Polish does not close cracks, it only makes them less visible. Treat them early and they can be saved; leave them and the cracks spread.
- The finish is peeling, feels rough and has small flakes.
- The shoes have mould, with white or green spots. Polishing over mould traps it underneath.
See our shoe cleaning pricing for the cost of colour restoration and leather conditioning, or see the before and after photos. If you want to ask about a specific pair, take photos and book online, and we will tell you upfront whether conditioning can still save them or it is time for colour restoration.
Frequently asked questions
How often should leather shoes be polished?
It depends how often you wear them and how dry the leather is. The clearest sign is the surface going dull and the toe crease starting to whiten; that is the moment to condition and then polish.
Will coloured polish change the colour of my shoes?
It can, if you use a polish darker than the leather several times in a row. Test on the inside or at the heel first, and use neutral polish if you only want to condition.
Can suede shoes be polished?
No. Polish mats the nap and leaves uneven shiny patches. Suede and nubuck are treated dry with a dedicated brush.
Do you offer this at the shop?
Yes. Dress shoe cleaning at 250,000d covers cleaning, conditioning the leather soft and polishing. See shoe cleaning pricing.