[imaref]

Well....just my 2-cents!

Using my past military experience with my dress patent leather shoes, here's how I keep my patent leather referee shoes looking good.

Hopefully, your shoes are "true" patent leather rather than a synthetic imitation. (I own two brands....The original Converse "Whistle" and the OCs. Both are true patent leather shoes). True patent leather will not "marr" or "melt" when you gently use lighter fluid to work the scuff off the surface. I use a cotton ball, slightly dampened with the lighter fluid, to lightly work the scuff off. (Most scuffs come from the rubber sole edge that catches the other shoe when you switch directions on quick transitions.) Try the lighter fluid on an area of your shoe that doesn't show before you go wild on the more visible areas. Once you've cleaned the scuff off, a quick treatment of any of the commercial patent leather "cleaner" products on the market will maintain a nice shiny finish. I have used "Kiwi" Leather Scuff Remover (3.5 FL. OZ. Spray)and Honig's "Lack Polish" Patent Leather Polish (#A24) with good results.

Finally, I use Pledge Furniture Polish "wipes" to touch up the shoes just before each game. Be careful that you don't get any of the waxy solution on the bottoms of your shoes, otherwise you may as well wear roller skates to work your game. I keep the wipe in a small zip lock bag because I've found that the wipe can be re-used for several applications before it's totally dried out.

Good luck, canuckrefguy! I hope this will help you out.