Have you polished your shoes?

[Nords]

How do you shine flip flops?

No I only wear sandals and flip flops. California culture.

Yeah, I'm still stuck on that whole "wearing shoes" problem...

 

[W2R]

Yeah, I'm still stuck on that whole "wearing shoes" problem...

I wear shoes or sandals most of the time when I go outside the house (mainland culture). But inside my house I am barefoot all the time (Hawaiian culture).

Even though I haven't lived in Hawaii for 41 years, I still have a place by the door where I slip out of my shoes whenever I enter the house. Old habits die hard, I guess. It makes me feel at home.

 

[Bestwifeever]

DH loves polishing shoes--it's a distracting yet productive ritual, as Gumby and MichaelB mentioned above. He also loves ironing. Perhaps the military connection. Go figure.

We wore saddle shoes every day to school until I was twelve or so. Two colors of polish required, once a week, although the white barely covered the scuffs. And I remember using white liquid polish on white Keds to keep them new looking. And now I never polish my shoes or wear shoes if I'm indoors, like W2R!

I know DS (he has to dress up for work) enjoys the professional polish when it's available.

 

[FI by 2024]

Probably the best change to the military uniform - ever - was switching to combat boots that didn't have to be shined. I understand why our dress shoes should be shiny. I will never, ever understand why combat boots were supposed to be shiny.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Reading over more of these posts reminds me of other things regarding polishing shoes. As mentioned in my earlier post, I shined shoes for a "living" when I was a kid in 1950. The ritual carried over the years even until today. I still have the shoeshine kit my father made for me many years ago. Still have the Kiwi and Shinola polish, saddle soap and sole dressing. In my management work years I always wore Florsheim Imperial wingtips with the steel wedge in the heel. All of my dress shoes are blocked with shoe trees and boxed. Can't remember the last time I wore any of them. Funny story: sometime ago a golf buddy died and I went to his wake. Expressed my sympathy to his wife who walked me up to the casket. She pulled back the cover and there he was in his black and white golf shoes. I was shocked. She told me that "John always said you never know when you might run up on a game".

 

[papadad111]

Living over the world, I've come to appreciate footwear as both practical and in some cases a status symbol.

While living in one particular location, people has a phrase about flip flops. If they were hurting for money, between paychecks, they would joke that they didn't have enough money to buy a set of flip flops of the same color .... Implying their flip flops were from the junk pile.

Another time in said country we built a factory and equipped all local construction workers with proper PPE...personal protection equipment. Typically a hard hat, an orange safety vest, and steel toes safety boots. One month in and we had to halt construction for countless PPE violations - everyone was back to wearing flip flops - from the guys laying concrete to the guys 6 stories up the scaffolding doing the welding.

Turned out those boots were worth a couple months salary and no sooner did we give them out than they landed for sale in the local market ...


I just don't get the (pajama bottom and) flip flop wearing youth fashion. Looks lazy and impractical to me...

Comfort? My arches would be aching as would the space between my big toe and pointer toe.

Anyway, I like a nice shoe shine. Did it a few times at the airport for real bad cases... Usually just DIY.

Grandpa owned a shoe store - Paul Parrott and Buster Brown--- when I was old enough (5 maybe?) he taught me how to use all the wares- the tins of kiwi polish, a cotton cloth, saddle soap, mink oil, sole saver liquid, and an old toothbrush. Fond memories.

 

[Dog]

My dad was career Navy. I use to
polish his shoes for a dime. I still polish my shoes and have soles replaced if the shoes are at least reasonably fashionable.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[ponyboy]

Ive always found it comical when im at an airport and I see men dressed up getting their shoes shined.

I want to walk up to them and let them know how silly it is to wear leather on your feet that is rock hard...provides no support...and has absolutely no traction...all while the insert is also leather so your foot slips around and sweats. I never understood it but its socially accepted so it is what it is.

 

[Aerides]

Growing up I remember my dad always polished his own shoes ready for the work week, on Sunday evenings. I would sit with him and do my pair for school.

I can smell the polish now reading this thread.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Those who mentioned the meditative quality of shining shoes made me remember a task I used to enjoy and haven't done in a long time: polishing silver. A chore relegated to the kids before big holiday meals, it was one of my favorites.

DH sent me pics from Morocco, one of a shoe shine he got on his ancient Ecco loafers and another of a street-side shave from a local barber. He loves getting haircuts and shaves when traveling, and no one has sliced him yet.

I used to polish my riding boots regularly, but hardly ever bother with my work shoes unless they get to looking terrible. Boss wears flip flops all summer, so I don't think he cares.

 

[friar1610]

I enjoy polishing my shoes and always have. It is mindless relaxation, and a nice spit shine always makes me happy. When I was in the Navy, I eschewed the Corframs, because they make your feet sweat and are irrecoverable once scratched. Instead, I shined my leather shoes every day.

I didn't like Corfam shoes either but I wore the white ones because they were so much easier to clean. Much preferred leather for the black ones.

Best deal ever was my first tour (Philippines), at least with respect to shoes. For a few pesos a week I'd just put my shoes outside my door in the evening and in the morning they'd be beautifully shined.

Old habits die hard and when I got my first civilian job after 28 years in the Navy people commented that my shoes always looked like they'd just been shined (probably because they had been.) However, this was a habit that has been very easy to break in retirement.



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