Perfect shine on shoes makes up your confidence every time you go out. Dull looking pair of shoes break that confidence in you in how decent your clothes are. In the 18th-century shoe polish was made with wax, soda ash, and tallow. Different brands use different types of oil with the polish. Leather shoes need polishing and cleaning regularly to keep them shining.
Shining shoes bind with your personality and it is very easy to have a pair of shiny shoes with or without shoe polish. Let’s find out how to shine shoes without polish and do it perfectly with a few ingredients that you can find in every household. These methods can be used only on leather shoes.
Using Olive Oil & Lemon
Things you need
– Few drops of olive oil
– Few drops of lemon juice
– Cotton cloth
How to Shine?
Use an oil sprayer and spray some olive oil onto the shoe. Do not spray too much oil because it may get harder to wipe off olive oil. Olive oil seeps into the shoe leather and creates a smooth texture. Once you let it dry for a few minutes, take a piece of cotton cloth or a polishing cloth and wipe off the shoe. After that, put a few drops of lemon juice on the leather and wipe it with the same cloth.
Using Beeswax
You need
– Beeswax
– Few matches
– Soft cloth
How you do it?
Heat the wax using a matchstick first until the wax is soft. Then gently apply on the shoe covering all leather parts. Then use a soft cloth to wipe off extra beeswax to get a clean and great shine. After you have applied the wax, you will see a layer of coating like plastic wrapping over the leather. Beeswax is less expensive than regular shoe polish. The only disadvantage of using beeswax is that it takes time to peel off of the shoe.
Using Body Lotion
The body lotion is a very easy substitute for shoe polish. Any generic body lotion can be used as shoe polish because most body lotion has natural oils.
What you need
– Any type of body lotion
– Cotton cloth
How to Shine?
Take a small amount of body lotion to a cotton cloth and rub your shoe until it is clean and shiny. Body lotion is more inexpensive than shoe polish and it takes only a few drops to polish an entire shoe. The only disadvantage of using body lotion is if you use more lotion, it can get greasy and dirt can attach to the oily surface of the shoe.
Hair Gel
Hair gel is also a great way to shine shoes and is another easy polishing alternative for shoe polish. All the common hair gels can be used to clean and shine shoes, especially leather. Make sure that the hair gel you are using is alcohol-free.
What you need
– Enough hair gel for the shoe
– Soft cloth
How you do it?
Rub hair gel on the surface of the shoe using a soft cloth. Let it dry for a few minutes After that use the soft cloth again to shine the shoe. Hair gel is usually cheaper than shoe polish but it attracts a lot of dust.
Rubbing Alcohol
To get a perfect shine one of the most used products is rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol has to be in liquid form to use on the leather. Shining shoes without polish by using rubbing alcohol can be tricky because of the alcohol percentage. Watch the level of alcohol mark between 65%-75% to get good results.
What you need
– Rubbing alcohol
– Two Cotton clothes
How you do it?
Soak a cotton cloth with rubbing alcohol and rub the shoe in a circular motion until you cover the whole leather exterior of the shoe. Then take the other soft cloth to wipe without pressing too hard to get a perfect shine to your shoe.
Banana Peels
How you do it?
Using banana peel is a method to quickly shine shoes for many decades if you are short of shoe polish. Inside of a banana peel is very effective on leather shoes to shine and clean. Rub the inside of the banana peel on the surface of the shoe and wipe it off with a soft tissue. Buff it for a shinier look.
5 Quick Ways to Shine Shoes without Polish
Here are 5 more ways how to shine shoes without polish.
01 Using hibiscus flower – Hibiscus is a beautiful flower that can give your shoes a lasting shine. Take a whole flower and rub it onto the leather area of the show. Then gently wipe it with a clean cloth
02 Linseed oil & Vinegar – Mix half a teaspoon of linseed oil and a teaspoon of vinegar together. Use a clean cloth to rub the mix on the shoe. For extra shine, use a soft cloth to shine the shoe.
03 Lip balm – Another product that is generally available in most households that can use to shine shoes. When your lip balm is half used, don’t throw them away. Put a small amount of lip balm on the shoe and wipe it with a clean cloth. Don’t use lip balms that have scents because they can give you a bad smell.
04 Toothpaste – Rub toothpaste on your shoe with a soft brush and then buff it with a clean cloth. You can have a beautiful shiny shoe.
05 Baking Soda – Form a paste of baking soda and apply it to the surface of the shoe. Let it dry for a few minutes and then wipe it using a cloth. Not only does baking soda shine on your shoes, but it can also remove dirt and kill bad bacteria on the leather surface. Baking soda has many uses. You can use it to clean your teeth and whiten them as well.
How to Clean Jelly Shoes?
To refresh jelly shoes, rinse them with lukewarm water to remove dirt and sand. Use a cloth with mild soapy water to scrub any stubborn areas, then rinse. Allow the shoes to air dry, ensuring they’re away from direct sunlight to prevent warping or discoloration.