How To Shine Shoes with Petroleum Jelly – Easy Tips!
One of the perks of owning and wearing leather shoes is the shine they give off, especially when they are new. A nice leather shoe has a certain aesthetic appeal to it with its smooth texture and shiny surface. But the sad reality is the shine starts to wear off after some time, even if you are careful.
Though it is inevitable at some point, the good news here is that you can get the shine back if you want with some leather polish and conditioner. It is the easiest and arguably the most common way to give your old and cracked leather shoes a breath of new life.
But what if you do not have any polish or conditioner in your home? Does that mean you have to throw away the shoe? Well, not really. There are many homemade solutions to this problem. And using petroleum jelly to bring back the shine of your leather shoes is a simple and easy one.
In this article, we will give you a quick rundown of how to shine shoes with petroleum jelly, along with a deeper look at how petroleum jelly can benefit your shoe in the long run. So without further ado, let us get started.
Table of Contents
How to Shine Shoes with Petroleum Jelly
Here are the steps to shining your leather shoes with petroleum jelly:
- Rub off any loose dirt from the shoe using a cloth or a soft-bristled brush
- Take modicum amounts of petroleum jelly and cover the surface of the boot
- Leave the boot to soak up the jelly for about an hour
- Use a clean cloth to wipe off any residual petroleum jelly from the boot
- Use a soft-hair brush to give your boots a final buff-up
Voila, your shoe should be shiny and new.
Can Petroleum Jelly Harm Your Leather Shoe?
If you are quite emotionally attached to your leather shoes, which you should be, then this would be the first thing on your mind. The truth is, that petroleum jelly, if used sparingly, has little impact on the overall quality and durability of leather shoes. But it has a lot of potential benefits.
Here are the major advantages of using petroleum jelly on leather shoes:
Remove Scratches
Petroleum jelly has the unique ability to treat any minor scratches or scuffs on your leather shoes. Even if you have a high-quality boot that has protective design elements on its surface, it will get scratched over time. This much is inevitable.
When that happens, a bit of petroleum jelly can save the day. It can rejuvenate the fibers of the leather and get rid of any cosmetic inconsistencies.
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Enhance the Color
The appeal of leather boots often lies in their rich texture and natural color. But over time, the natural color of a good leather boot starts to fade. If you wear your boots often, you will see them losing some of their colors only after a couple of months.
Thankfully, this is another field where petroleum jelly shines. Just apply a bit of jelly on the surface, and you will see the rich color of the leather returning after a couple of hours.
Make the Leather Soft
Leather boots contain many natural oils in their fiber that make them soft and flexible. However, with constant wearing, the oil starts to dissipate. Weather and moisture can wreak havoc on the leather which often leads to cracking and peeling.
Since petroleum jelly contains oil, it can replace the missing elements of leather once it dries out. It is a great way to ensure your leather boot does not crack.
Clean the Shoe
Apart from its excellent restoration ability, petroleum jelly also works as a fantastic cleaning agent for your leather boots. If your boot has some stubborn stains that you just cannot get rid of, consider applying a bit of petroleum jelly on the surface.
Since petroleum jelly is not silicon-based, it will not harm your shoes if you use it. It can penetrate the tiny pores on the leather surface and clean it up without affecting the overall quality of your boots
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Enhance Durability
Did you know, that petroleum jelly can also enhance the durability of your leather shoes? Since leather boots require frequent conditioning, it can get quite annoying, having to buy new conditioners and polish every few months.
If you cannot afford shoe polish or conditioners, or simply do not want to, petroleum jelly can work as a great alternative.
Make the Shoe Waterproof
One of the major drawbacks of leather shoes is that you cannot get them wet. Water and leather usually do not mix. The waterproof leather shoes you find on the market are usually treated specially to give them water-resistant properties.
With some petroleum jelly, you can condition your leather boots yourself, to make them waterproof to some extent. Sure, you will not be able to swim with it, but a light drizzle or splash of water will not ruin your shoes.
With so many different advantages, you should not have to worry when you are applying petroleum jelly to your leather boots. Although using a dedicated leather polish or conditioner is the right way to go, petroleum jelly can work great when you need something in a pinch.
However, we do not recommend solely sticking to petroleum jelly to condition your shoes as it will slowly break down the strength of your boots. Get yourself a high-quality conditioner as soon as you can.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, using petroleum jelly to shine your leather shoes is really not that complicated. It is a simple hack that can give your leather shoes a much-needed cosmetic touch-up.
Since almost everyone has petroleum jelly like Vaseline at their home, this would also not require any extra investment.
We hope our article on how to shine shoes with petroleum jelly was easy to follow. Now you should be able to keep your shoes shiny and fresh without any issues.
