Smooth Leather Care Guide

Step-by-step

  1. Remove any laces from the shoes and insert shoe trees into the shoes to help maintain the shape. Then brush the leather with a stiff bristled brush to remove any surface dirt or dust. Make sure to use a clean brush for this job.
  2. Before you polish your shoes, we recommend to use Saphir Medaille D'Or renovator cream to cleanse and moisturise the leather. To apply this, use a soft cotton cloth and wrap round your first two fingers , dip the cloth into the product and work into the leather in circular motions. Less is more with this product. Leave this product to soak in before applying any polish.
  3. Once the renovator has dried, apply a small amount of shoe cream or wax polish to the shoes with either a cotton cloth or an applicator brush. Work the polish into the leather making sure to get the product evenly all over the shoe. Wax polish can be shined to a high shine whereas cream polish will only come to a soft sheen. Leave the polish to settle for a few seconds before moving onto step four.
  4. The polish now needs to be brushed out to provide an even finish to the shoe. Brush the shoes all over with a back-and-forth motion, using a fine/soft horsehair brush. If any brush marks are visible after brushing you can buff the shoes with a soft selvyt cloth to remove these lines and get a greater shine, be careful not to buff too much as this can cause the leather to darken. 

Recommended Products
AFPOS Cedar Shoe Trees, a great generic sized tree, ideal for filling out the shoes, stopping creases and helping you to polish against a firm surface.
AFPOS Horsehair Polishing Brushes, perfect hand sized brush stuffed with stiff horsehair bristles. Makes the ideal choice for brushing loose dirt from your footwear before polishing.
Saphir Medaille D’Or Small Polishing Cloth, Available in a large and small size. The ideal fabric for applying polish, the small cloth being just the right size to wrap around your fingers. A staple for any care kit.
Saphir Medaille D’Or Renovator Cream. Saphirs’ No.1 product, something no shoe care kit should be without! A cleaner and conditioner for smooth leather, used either by itself or before applying polish. Keeps your leather supple, soft and free from cracking when used regularly.
Saphir Medaille D’Or 1925 Pommadier Cream. The highest quality shoe cream, because the Cream polish has a higher concentration of pigment than Wax pastes, it is excellent at restoring the original colour of shoes as they wear and, especially, scuffs. It covers really well and achieves a nice, soft sheen.
Saphir Medaille D’Or Pate De Luxe. The Saphir Médaille d'Or Pate de Luxe Wax Polish is the perfect wax for your shoes. It contains excellent colour pigments and a high shine wax to leave your shoes well coloured and protected.
AFPOS Premium Maxi Horsehair Brush. Ergonomic ‘shoemakers’ extra large shoe shine brush, ideal for final buffing. Made from hand finished wood with black or grey horsehair bristles.
SELVYT Premium PR Polishing Cloth. Known by the military and jewellery trade for their high quality job-specific cloths, these velvet feel cloths are an ideal addition to your shoe care kit. Lint free woven cotton velvet with a raised surface to lift particles to leave a perfect finish.