During the cold season we put sports shoes aside for a bit and wear leather ones a lot more . There are some that we are particularly fond of and, even if they are ruined, we just don’t think about putting them away.
We can certainly give a good polish at home, and there are many natural remedies to do so. Some time ago I tried a different method, which I never thought I would use for my shoes: coconut oil .
I’ll tell you how I did it, listing the whole process . Then we will evaluate together whether it is a valid remedy for polishing leather shoes .
Why Coconut Oil?
Since I approached natural remedies , a jar of coconut oil at home is like having a bit of an ace up my sleeve. We know it for its nourishing virtues , so much so that many people also use it in the kitchen and for their health.
Personally, I love using it on damp skin , to deeply nourish it after a shower; or as a pre-shampoo pack to regenerate damaged hair and ends . Or, again, put it on chapped heels before wearing socks, so as to always have soft feet, all year round.
Since it is an oil (like olive oil) I thought: “What if I used it to shine the leather shoes and boots I have at home ?”.
How to use it for shoes
To guide you in this shoe polishing practice , we will divide the cleaning into several phases .
Step 1: Removing dust and dirt
The first thing to do is definitely dust your leather shoes carefully . Let’s imagine that we have used them for several days, so it is natural that there are traces of dust, dirt or mud .
If the shoes are not very dirty, I take a dry microfiber cloth (which I use only for this purpose) and quickly pass it over the entire surface. Otherwise, the cloth will be slightly dampened , so as to remove the stains .
Step 2: Using coconut oil
Now let’s move on to using coconut oil as a shoe shine remedy . Depending on the season, you may find it very liquid (summer) or very solid (winter).
On the damp cloth , I take a small amount of coconut oil and let it adhere to the cloth . At this point I carefully rub all over the shoe , including the sole.
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Then I remove the excess with a sheet of absorbent paper , finally wipe with a clean cloth and rub vigorously.
Phase 3: drying
All we have to do is let the leather shoes dry in the open air . It is very important that they are not in the sun , because it could fade them.
You can see the whole procedure with coconut oil in this video :
Is it a valid remedy?
If you are wondering if using coconut oil is valid for polishing shoes, my answer is yes : I got the same result I would get with olive oil and I noticed that the shoes were well nourished.
Obviously, I advise you to always try first in a hidden corner of the shoe , to evaluate its tolerability.
With a few simple steps we can have leather shoes like new. But if they are very damaged, ask those responsible to find the best method.