My grandfather sold shoes for decades before he was asked to join the ranks of his union as a labor organizer. Proper shoe attire, fitting and maintaining was paramount in my family!
I have heard of the lighter fluid tip too.
But regarding your question, I like to use a dedicated leather cleaner first. I do a quick wipe down with a damp towel to remove loose dirt. Then I like to use Coach leather cleaner (the same folks who make women's hand bags and leather goods). You can use a quality car care product with equal results. I allow to dry real well. To wax, I lightly moisten a few cotton balls with water and apply the polish. I let sit for a minute or so and then buff off with a horse hair brush. I reapply a light coat and then flick some water on it and buff off. I flick a little more water on it and continue buffing. This brings out the luster and shine. I dress the heels with Kiwi dressing.
I would basically treat the cleaning of your leather shoes like the interior of your car.
I could bore you to death with shoe stories regarding my grandfather. He sold to local boxers and would get free tickets and take my dad as a kid to the old school boxing matches in the 40's in Newark, NJ. He sold shoes to merchant marines often times swapping goods with them for the shoes since they didn't have the money. One guy gave my grandfather a genuine star saphire he got in his travels and my grandfather had a ring made out of it which I wear to this day. I wear on nice occassions since it was apraised rather high. Every new pair of shoes as a kid required my grandfather's inspection. I have fond, vivd memories of it. I'll never forget the proud look and joy he got when he fitted me for my Bar Mitzvah shoes
I love going to NY Penn Station or Newark Penn station and getting my shoes done there by the real professionals! When I worked in NY City, for $3 I would get a shine by the same guy in an open storefront on the corner of 5th Avenue and 23rd Street. It was a ritual for me.
Accumulator, ever heard of Church's? The best leather shoes IMHO. When they closed their store on madison Avenue, my friends and I aksed if we could buy the winged back chairs customers used to try on the shoes! I love those followed by Aldens, Allen Edmonds, Bally and Cole Haan.
Sorry for the rambling, it's things like this that I appreciate
Nothing beats a good pair of men's shoes. It makes the man - or at least that's how I was raised. This, along with a Mont Blanc pen and a Rolex :xyxthumbs
:sosad that it'd damage the leather, but it never did, even after many years of very frequent shines (my dress shoes are 20 years old and will last another 20 easily). Whenever I'd ask about the potential for damage they'd say how none of their customers ever had a problem, and I knew some guys my father's age who patronized that shop for decades.
). It was something I had done every friday after leaving the University, sorta a reward for having done another week's teaching.