Spit Shine Boots
Having shiny boots is very important in occasions where wearing a formal military uniform is a necessity. It shows your dedication, showmanship, and reliability to that military or police corps you are in, or in the cadet program you are involved in. Knowing how to shine your boots is also quite important. There are two methods to properly shine military boots, and one of them is covered below.
Steps
- Apply a medium-thick layer of polish over the boot, applying on the area that is from the sole edges up to the lowest lace strand.
- Let the polish to dry for 5 to 10 minutes.
- With your hand that you are not going to use for polishing, stick your hand into the boot so your fist or fingers are at the toe of the boot. Rest the sole of the boot on your lap with the toe facing your other hand that is going to do the polishing.
- With your hand in the boot as such, you are free to move the boot around so that you do not touch the polished area with your hands, creating unnecessary fingerprints and smudges.
- Handle the boot so that the polished side will not be in your lap, but the sole of the boot (primarily the toe-tip sole) is in contact with your lap or knee most of the time.
- Using a cotton ball (or using a soft clean cloth that is wrapped around your forefinger), dip your finger into a container of water. The cotton ball or cloth should be wet, but not dripping wet.
- Buff the dried polish using smooth circular motions (small circles preferred) until the wax becomes shiny.
- Start at the toe of the boot, and work your way along the toe to the heel working on one side at a time and keeping below the lace-line.
- With the damp cloth or cotton ball that you are still using, apply a thin fine layer of polish and keep with the circular motion until a hazy shine appears.
- After application and drying the first heavy coat of polish fine amounts of polish need to be used to build up the shine. If you use too much polish, you'll dissolve the base you've built up instead of building on it.
- Dip the cloth or cotton ball in the water again (keeping it from being dripping wet), and keep applying thin coats of wax to the boot, making sure you work them in uniformly along all parts of the boot that require shining as much as possible.
- When the boot has finally reached its high gloss point, use a clean dry soft cloth (or another dry cotton ball) or a shining brush to give it a final buffing.
- The shiniest part of your boot should be the toe from the laces forward, as this is the most visible and noticeable portion of your foot. The heel and sides doesn't have to be as shiny, as your stance and pant leg will hide most of it.
- Repeat steps above for the other boot.
Tips
- Get comfortable, because it takes time to shine up your boots. Depending on how well worn your boots are, it can take from a half hour to an hour per boot to get them presentable.
- Sit on a kitchen chair to do this, as a recliner, or couch will be less comfortable to work in. Also have a table nearby to hold your jar of water and polish
- Pass the time by having the radio on, listening to music on your stereo or personal listening device, or even watching the television.
- Make sure the music's enough that you can concentrate on doing a good job with your boots and not a poor job. The same goes for the TV.
- Some of you would rather sit where it's quiet to shine your boots, as shining boots can take up as much concentration as talking, listening to music or watching TV, and that's completely fine.
- Make sure the music's enough that you can concentrate on doing a good job with your boots and not a poor job. The same goes for the TV.
- Always work from the toe to the heel when applying polish, or from the area you ended to the area that needs more polish for a more even finish.
- Water helps keep the fine coats of polish from sticking to the rag and encourages more of the polish to stick to the leather.
- Water can also be substituted for rubbing alcohol, as some people claim that rubbing alcohol is better than water.
- This may be because in some areas, the water is too hard or full of mineral to have a desirable effect on having shiny boots.
- You will want to keep on building up the thin layers of wax until you have a completely smooth surface that gives you that glossy shine.
Warnings
- Avoid touching your hand or fingers on the part that is polished or being polished as much as possible. This will minimize smudging, finger prints and having to sit down and re-shine them again.
- However, if you've done a really good job, sometimes even a fingerprint is not even noticeable.
- Don't use cheat methods such as:
- hairspray
- floor polish/wax
- wrapping your boots with electrical tape (BIG no-no for military-issue boots!! Electrical tape, just like duct tape, can come off with sticky spots that are hard to get off and can ruin the polish.)
- Electrical tape can also be quite visible if not applied properly. Nine times out of 10 it will come off within a matter of time and be more visible than you intended it to be. So don't use it!!
Things You'll Need
- Shoe Polish (Kiwi brand works great)
- Water or alcohol
- Water doesn't have to be hot, it can be any temperature you prefer.
- Cloth/rags or cotton balls
- Old T-shirts, cloth diapers or old cotton wash cloths work great as rags for boot shining.
Related Articles
- Maintain Waterproof Leather Boots
- Mend the Curved Part of a Rubber Sole
- Shrink Leather Shoes
- Polish Parade Shoes
