Nontoxic Shoe polishing ideas

Looking down at my feet while I was wearing my favorite Texas Canadian boot, I saw some cracking on its skin and I wondered how I got the cracks on it though I don’t wear it much. I realized when shoes get dry and wet from the weather changes, it goes through a wear and tear phase which is the reason why our shoes gets old and begin to rip apart; and even if you didn’t wear it as much by just letting sit it in your wardrobe, over time it will still get wears and tear although it happens at a much slower pace.
And considering that inexpensive Shoe polish may contain toxic ingredients such as trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, ethanol, methylene chloride, perchloroethyleme xylene, and nitrobenzene i would try an alternative nontoxic shoe polish.

To preserve and protect your shoes from these wears and tears---there are a few things you could do to make your favorite shoe last longer. First thing you need to do, is cleaning water and dust off your shoe when you come home after a rainy or snowy day, brushing the dirt off when you're through wearing them for the day can reduce build-up and reduce the need to polish them so frequently.
  
To keep leather shoes looking their best, polish them once a month using a few drops of beeswax oil or linseed oil on it, wiping it with a soft cloth or fine brush. Mix beeswax and food-grade linseed oil, “flax seed oil” and your choice of Dye together in a saucepan and melt it like chocolate, in a double boiler (never over direct flame). It’s messy so I suggest you use a designated water pot, or tin pot to do this. Afterwards, pour the mixture into a heat-resistant bowl and let it cool. Once the wax has solidified, it will be like thin Vaseline. Rub the wax onto the shoe, polishing with soft 100% cotton---you may add a few drop of lemon juice for easier polishing but check shoe material before applying lemon juice on it to avoid damaging the shoe color.

Shoe polish can be extremely harmful to the environment. If you have old shoe polish around the house, make sure you don't dispose of it by washing it down the drain. Instead, save it and send it to a hazardous waste collection agency in your city. Contact your hometown sanitation department for more details.

To deodorize smelly shoe insides, sprinkle baking soda into each shoe pair and leave overnight; then pour it out in the morning. Spraying a foot antiperspirant foot spray or deodorant foot powder inside the sneakers before each wearing may be helpful.

To keep your canvas sneakers and flip-flops clean, scrub them with hot, nontoxic soapy water---using a toothbrush on nooks and crannies. 

By Curie. O