How to Properly Shine Your Combat Boots

If you are going to learn how to shine your boots, there are several things you need to know.

Rule #1: There is no such thing as a pair of boots that will not shine. If you know how to do it right, they will always shine.

Rule #2: There are no short cuts in shining your boots. It takes time and elbow grease, but if you shine them correctly, they will look a thousand times better than if you use a quick fix.

To properly shine your boots, you need*:

• A hard-bristled scrub brush
• A soft-bristled scrub brush
• Black Kiwi polish
• Several rags (an old t-shirt works well)
• Water
• Other supplies you can use include saddle soap and a toothbrush, leather dye, edge dressing, and steel wool

* Military Shoe Shine Kits can be found locally or online; look for Kiwi shoe kits, they should have everything you need.

You can clean your boots in five basic steps:

1. Clean any dirt or dust off your boots. You can do this using saddle soap and a tooth brush or using a rag. You may need to take off the laces to clean out some of the dirt. Make sure the entire boot is free of dirt and is completely black. You may need to use leather dye so that the boot is completely black.
2. Use edge dressing on the sole of the boot to make the boot uniformly black. If you use honor guard edge polish it must be put on before polish because it will eat the polish.
3. Use the small soft bristled brush to rub polish on the leather of the boot. Then use the hard bristled brush to even out the polish and to rub it more into the boot. This ensures that the entire boot is black before you begin to focus on the toe and heel of the boot.
4. Take the clean white rag and wrap it around your index finger. Make sure that the surface on the rag at the top of your finger is pulled tight. Dip the tip of your finger into the water. Then dip the tip of your finger into the boot polish. Rub your finger in small circles over the surface of the toe of one boot. Continue to dip your finger into the polish and rub on the toe in small circles until the toe begins to shine. When you finish shining the toe, continue on to the heel and to the other boot.
5. Do the same process as in step #3 several times over each boot until the boots develop a glassy shine. It may take a good amount of time, but the eventual shine is worth it.

Note: This same process is applicable to use for leather low quarters.