British shoe polish brand Cherry Blossom have given us their step by step guide to achieve the perfect shoe shine.

The Perfect Shoe Shine

What you’ll need: Clean cloths, Soft haired shoe brush, Cherry Blossom Premium’s  new  ‘Universal cleaner’ and ‘leather cream’.

Task time: 10 minutes

1. It is most important that you start with perfectly clean shoes. Do this buy wiping the shoes with damp cloth, then spray with Cherry Blossom Premium’s new ‘Universal cleaner’.

2. Shake well, hold upright and spray. Keep the can 10-15cm away from the shoes spray a even amount covering all of the leather.

3. Use a soft cloth or bush to work the foam in to the solid areas. Wait 10 seconds and wipe the dirt away with a clean cloth.

4. Allow the shoes to dry in room temperature.

5. Take Cherry Blossom Premium leather cream, no need to colour match your cream the new Premium leather cream is suitable for all colours. This nourishes and protects leather.

6. Using the sponge, sparingly spread the cream all over the shoe. Do not squeeze the tube just work the sponge in a circular motion over the entire surface of the shoe. Always make sure you work the Leather cream** into all the crevices and cracks in the leather.

**Leather cream works deep into the leather leaving a longer lasting     effect.

7. Leave to dry for 3 minutes and buff.

8. Take a traditional soft haired Cherry Blossom shoe brush and buff the shoes in a left-to-right motion to remove any excess polish.

A Brief History of Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom were the first and now the only UK manufacturer of shoe polish. Started in 1906 by brothers Dan and Charles Mason, Cherry Blossom polish started from a need to use wasted tin plate left over from making their soap company containers. Appreciating the growing demand for wax boot polish, the brothers realised that this discarded tin plate could be used to make small tins ideal for polish.  They therefore employed a chemist to come up with the right formulation and launched in 1906. The iconic “one penny tin” with its original “butterfly” twist opener was introduced in 1907 as was the name “Cherry Blossom Boot Polish”.  In 1912 they sold off the soap company and concentrated on the manufacturing of polish. Padawax, a major step forward for convenience, was introduced in 1960.  You could now apply polish with just the sponge and buff with a cloth. 1983 saw the “butterfly twist” tins replaced by the “snap open” variety and in 1986 New Meltonian and Cherry Blossom Shoe Care Plus was introduced – a liquid wax shoe cream designed for fast and easy application and fast shine.

Today the Cherry Blossom shoecare range is manufactured in Alfreton, Derbyshire, and as the materials used in the manufacturing of shoes have changed to include suede, nubuck, corduras and canvas as well as the traditional leather, so too have the products on offer from Cherry Blossom.

Available from Debenhams nationwide or online at www.cherryblossom.co.uk