20 Ways To Shine Boots Without Polish At Home

Wearing dull and shine-less boots is just like wearing dirty and stained clothes that won’t give a very nice impression to the world about your personality!

Therefore, keeping your boots clean and polished is very essential. Obviously we all want to have a good impression on others because “First impression is the last impression” and you do not know if someone is going to see you the other day for the first time!

But in this hectic world no one has time to rush to the store immediately if we run out of a specific item suddenly. So, if you run out of your boot polish or just want to give it a skip as your pocket might be pinching for the month, we have some great tips for shining your boots without the aid of a boot polish by using items that are readily available at your home!

As an alternative to boot polish, you can use olive oil, walnut oil, banana peel, aloe gel, beeswax, vinegar, hair gel, lip balm, rubbing alcohol, paraffin, baking soda, etc to polish your boots and bring back the lost shine to the dull boots!

In this article, I am going to share 20 such amazing tricks with you to shine your boots without polish using your household items.

So, let’s get scrolling….

20 Ways to Shine Boots without Polish

1. Using olive oil:

Olive oil is something that is readily available in every kitchen. 

Steps to follow:

• • • First clean your boots using a clean lint free cloth to wipe off the loose dirt
    • Next on a piece of clean cloth take a few drops olive oil and rub in small circular motions on the boots
    • Leave in for an hour and then using a tissue paper dab on the boots to take off the excess oil
    • Brush with a good horsehair brush
    • You are done

2. Using banana peel:

Banana peel works as a great shining agent and is used as an ingredient in many of the hair oils too nowadays.

Steps to follow:

• • • Take ripe bananas and take out the peel off the banana
    • Clean your boots with a soft lint free cloth
    • Take the banana peel and rub it on the boots in the direction of the fiber hairs
    • Let it stay for half an hour
    • Wipe out using a damp cloth
    • To bring on the excess shine, buff with a horsehair brush

3. Using petroleum jelly:

Petroleum jelly not only brings shine and adds moisture to the boots but also coats the boots with a waterproofing coating.

Steps to follow:

• • • At first clean your boots using a brush or clean cloth
    • Next take a generous amount of petroleum jelly on your finger tips and spread it over the boots
    • Let it sit for 1 hour
    • Then take a clean cloth and rub off the excess petroleum jelly off the boots
    • Buff with a good horsehair brush

4. Using vinegar:

Vinegar too is easily available in all kitchens and acts a great shining agent for boots.

Steps to follow:

• • • Take a few drops of vinegar on a clean lint free cloth and rub on the boots in the direction of the fiber hairs
    • Wipe out excess product by dabbing a tissue paper
    • Dry the boots under the fan
    • Buff with a good horsehair brush

5. Using beeswax:

Beeswax has been used since ages to not only shine boots but also to give it a bit of waterproof coating.

Steps to follow:

• • • Heat the beeswax by taking out a spoonful of it on a heating bowl
    • Spread the melted beeswax using a brush or a clean lint free cloth
    • Rub the boots in small circular motions to let the beeswax absorb in the boots thoroughly
    • Buff with a horsehair brush to bring on the shine

6. Using hair gel:

Leather fibers are just like human hairs which need nourishment for retaining the shine. So, applying hair gel to the boots works the same way on leather boots to bring on the shine to the dull and lifeless leather.

Steps to follow:

• • • Brush off any loose dirt from the boots
    • Clean with a damp cloth to take off settled dirt on the boots
    • Dry the boots under the fan
    • Apply hair gel on the boots and brush with a soft bristled tooth brush
    • Using a tissue paper take off any excess product from the boots
    • Buff with a horsehair brush

7. Using linseed oil and vinegar:

Vinegar might be sometimes a bit drying for the boots especially in the cold weather countries. Therefore, mixing a bit of linseed oil to vinegar will work like magic for returning the shine to your boots.

Steps to follow:

• • • Mix linseed oil and vinegar in the ratio of 2:1 in a mixing bowl
    • Rub the mixture on to the boots using a soft lint free cloth in small circular motions
    • Let it sit on the boots for an hour
    • Remove excess mixture using a clean cloth and brush with a horsehair brush

8. Using lip balm:

Lip balm works similar to petroleum jelly. Just be sure that the lip balm you are using should not contain any tint or color.

Steps to follow:

• • • Rub a little bit of lip balm on a clean piece of cloth
    • Take the cloth and rub it over the boots in small circular motions
    • Take off the excess lip balm residue using a tissue or a cloth and brush using a horsehair brush

9. Using rubbing alcohol:

Rubbing alcohol brings excellent shine to the boots.

Steps to follow:

• • • Take a small amount of rubbing alcohol on a small cotton ball
    • Rub in small circular motions until you get the desired shine
    • Let the boots dry under the fan for some hours

10. Using walnut oil:

Walnut oil works excellent in bringing shine to the boots.

Steps to follow:

• • • Take a generous amount of walnut oil on a clean piece of cloth and rub on the boots in small circular motions
    • Using another clean lint free cloth keep on buffing until you get the desired shine

11. Using paraffin:

Paraffin too helps to restore shine to the boots.

Steps to follow:

• • • Sprinkle a little amount of paraffin on the boots
    • Scrub it using a soft lint free cloth till you get the desired shine

12. Using paste of baking soda:

Baking soda is used since ages to remove stains and foul smell from boots, but what many don’t know is that it is an effective agent for shining the boots as well.

Steps to follow:

• • • Make a paste of baking soda by mixing 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 2 spoons of water
    • Rub the paste in the boots using a cloth
    • Leave it for 5 minutes
    • Wash with a clean damp cloth
    • Dry the boots under the fan

Note: Baking soda can lighten the color of dark boots so use this trick only on light colored boots.

13. Using breadcrumbs for suede, canvas and satin boots:

Breadcrumbs remove stains and dirt from boots and bring back the lost luster to them.

Steps to follow:

• • • Make breadcrumbs out of your breads left in the refrigerator
    • Roll them into balls
    • Rub with the balls on your suede, or canvas boots and they will free of dirt stains
    • Buff with a horsehair brush to bring on the shine

14. Using coconut oil:

Coconut oil works as an excellent agent in returning the nourishment and shine to the boots. But many complain about leaving a white cast on the boots later. Well, I have an excellent solution for that too.

Steps to follow:

• • • Take coconut oil on a clean lint free cloth
    • Massage on the boots in small circular motions
    • Brush using a soft bristled toothbrush
    • Leave for 1 hour in case the coconut oil leaves the white cast
    • Use a nail filer to rub softly on the leather hair. It will remove the white cast from the boots
    • Brush using a horsehair brush

Note: If you live in extremely cold countries you might like to avoid this trick.

15. Using corn flour:

Corn flour works best in removing oil stains from boots and hence brings back the shiny look of the boots.

Steps to follow:

• • • Sprinkle corn flour on the boots and leave it for half an hour
    • It will absorb all the grease and oil stains from the boots
    • Brush with a soft bristled toothbrush
    • Polish using a horsehair brush

16. Using Potato peel:

Potato peel works great in removing black spots and brings back shine to boots as well.

Steps to follow:

• • • Peel off potatoes and keep aside the peel
    • Use the peels and rub them on the boots
    • It will remove all dirt and bring a shine to the boots
    • Use a damp cloth to rub off the excess residue from the boots
    • Brush with a horsehair brush
    • Dry the boots under the fan

17. Using aloe vera gel:

We are all aware of the shiny effect that aloe vera gel gives to our skin and hair. It works the same way for the boots as well.

Steps to follow:

• • • Apply aloe vera gel using your fingers on the boots
    • Leave for 30 minutes
    • Take off the gel using a wet clean lint free cloth
    • Brush with a horsehair brush
    • Dry the boots under the fan

There are also some other tips that works indirectly in bringing shine to the boots by removing dirt and grime from the boots and retaining their original new look. Let’s see what the ingredients are:

18. Using toothpaste:

Toothpaste helps in removing any stubborn stain from the boots and retains their fresh look.

Steps to follow:

• • • Apply toothpaste on the boots and leave for 15 minutes
    • Sprinkle a bit of water on the boots and brush using a soft bristled toothbrush
    • Use  damp cloth to remove the toothpaste from the boots
    • Brush with a  horsehair brush and dry the boots under the fan

Note: Toothpaste should be applied to only light colored boots or else it might lighten the dark color of the boots.

19. Using orange peel:

Orange peel works the same way as lemon to bring on shine to the boot.

Steps to follow:

• • • Peel off the orange and use the peel to rub on the boots
    • Leave for 15 minutes
    • Use a damp cloth to remove orange juice  from the boots
    • Dry the boots under the fan

20. Using mild shampoo on suede and canvas boots:

Shampoo cleans all the dirt from the boots and retains the shine of the boots.

Steps to follow:

• • • Mix few drops of shampoo in a bowl of water
    • Using a soft bristled toothbrush, brush the boots using the shampoo solution
    • Clean with a wet cloth to remove the soapy solution from the boots
    • Dab tissue paper to soak in the water
    • Dry under the fan
    • Brush with a horsehair brush

It’s time to bid Adieu!

Hey workgearz fam! I hope you enjoyed reading my article and got some amazing tips to shine your boots using the readily available items at your home!

Taking leave from this article with much love and hope to see you in our next article.

Take care, stay blessed and…

Have a great day ahead!