7. Polishing leather shoes and boots
Men used to get their shoes and boots cleaned while going about their daily business, using bootblacks and shoeshine boys. They were often found in or nearby barbershops, for some a daily stop in order to get shaved. But a shine stand wasn’t available at home, for the most part, and no self-respecting housewife would allow her husband to leave for his daily business wearing soiled or scuffed boots or shoes, anymore than she would allow him to appear in public wearing a soiled collar or a ragged and torn coat. Shoes which were marred on the way home, or in the home, needed to be made presentable within the home, one of the many duties of the lady of the house (or the servants).
Scuffed, soiled, or tired looking leather was easily reinvigorated through the use of either vinegar or lemons. Vinegar or olive oil would be used to remove stains and residue from tar or other detritus picked up walking about town. Then the entire boot or shoe was rubbed with a cut lemon, until the lemon was drained of its juice. After the footwear dried it was buffed with a soft towel, giving it a soft luster which was the envy of the boot black. Straw hats, popular in the summer months, were treated in the same manner, keeping them clean and smart in appearance.