Who shines their shoes?

[Joe1]

As a former military member, I try by best to keep my dress shoes polished for work. The majority of commuters I run into in NYC would fail a military inspection in a convincing fashion based on the condition of their shoes. I'm curious about the shoe shine habits of other BITOGERS.

 

[Astro14]

Well...as you might imagine...my dress shoes are highly polished...even my work boots are maintained...though not to the same degree...

 

[tom slick]

I also polish my black shoes. Not to the same level I did when I was in the military though.

 

[simple_gifts]

15 years in the ANG, no where close to mil spec shine.

 

[Bob Woods]

kind hard to polish Nikes.

 

[Shannow]

My steel cap work boots are always polished with Parade Gloss, even if they are generally trapseing through coal, ash, and turbine oil... even managed to polish a black suede pair when the fuss wore off.

 

[Shannow]

Oh, and my 8yo daughter will not attend a school presentation unless we polish all the scuffs out of her shoes...by her own choice.

 

[tommygunn]

Originally Posted By: Bob Woods

kind hard to polish Nikes.

indeed. I'm in the same boat there...only I wear Converse...as noted: kind of hard to polish them :P I do spot clean them about once a month though! I've learned a long time ago to not put tennis shoes in the wash/dryer, they just never fit the same :P

 

[crinkles]

you can't polish japanese safety boots either...

 

[dwcopple]

I shine my RedWing shoes and my Brooks Brothers oxfords. I occasionally shine up the loafers too just to darken them a bit.

 

[kb01]

I gave up on OCD shoe polishing when I got out of the Army. I only have one pair of shoes that requires shoe polish and I wear them so infrequently, they just need to be dusted off when I break them out for the occasional wedding.

 

[CivicFan]

My shoes are always clean and shiny. My pants and shirts are always pressed and crisp. It's part of the image. Gotta have your gimmick to stand out, in a positive way.

 

[Papa Bear]

Shined my RBK black leather runners and Rockports just yesterday. Used KIWI polish.... Crinkles could at least polish his feet.

 

[bigmike]

I haven't shined a pair of shoes since the day before my wedding.

 

[01rangerxl]

The shoes I have that can be shined almost never get worn, so I don't bother shining them. Everything else gets pressure washed if it gets real nasty.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I made the decision a long time ago that life was too short to waste time doing certain things; shining shoes or wearing a suit & tie were toward the top of the list. It's been 40+ years since I've owned a pair of shoes that might need to be shined, and I never will again. But then I've never paid attention to other peoples shoes, and couldn't care less if their footwear would pass a military inspection.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

my work boots get the mirrors dusted about once a week, unless some knuckle-dragger steps on em, I get a lil red in the face when that happens..

 

[65cuda]

Haven't really sat down and shined a pair of shoes since I got out of service. Otherwise I just hit them with a soft cloth. In my case though shined shoes just don't get much use anyway.

 

[mechtech2]

We just buy new shoes, nowadays. There used to be 10,000 shoe repair shops in the Chicago area, but now only a handful. BTW, when you got them back, they were polished! I have been polishing/protecting/maintaining shoes since I was 4.

 

[saberz]

Because shoes were a big thing back then(cost sometimes) and the fit/finish much better. I'm not that old compared to you guys(30) but I had a pair of shoes last me 9 years(yes size 12 all the same) and they finally bit the dust 2 years ago. Heel came off as I was walking around at work. Best pair of shoes i had, and unfortunately couldn't find anyone to repair them for a fair cost let alone nearby. I drove some 25 miles to a guy who wanted to see the problem and I coulda bought a cheapie throwaway pair for that cost. That's basically what I've been doing. Every 6-8 months my shoes get tossed(rubber wears unevengly, shoes get killed due to the salt in winter etc). I shine them occassionally but not really worth it.