Maintaining Your Uniform
Seasoning Beret
For your beret to look neat, you will need to season it such that the crease lines are defined. Start early as this process takes a long time to complete.
- Flatten the beret and fold it in half, with the crest on the rightmost and both metal rings on the leftmost. Make sure the U-shaped parts on both sides are flat as well.
- Leave the beret in this position under a weight (e.g. a stack of heavy books or your bed’s mattress) until you need it for training. After training, put it back under the weight.
- Over time, the creases will be more defined and your beret will be seasoned.
Polishing Boots
Polishing your boots is important in order to waterproof them (especially important for sea units) and ensure they look smart.
Watch this video to learn how to start polishing:
Watch this video to learn how to start polishing:
Additional Tips
That said, polish your boots once a week at most to prevent the polish from cracking -- once it cracks, your boots have to be replaced and all that polishing will have gone to waste.
Note: If you notice that your boot sole is cracking/falling off, inform a CL so we can help you replace it. Sea boot soles are more prone to cracking compared to land boots, especially around the heel.
- Always remove the shoelaces when polishing, and polish the entire boot (including the tongue). Every part needs to be protected by polish.
- For better results, rub each dab of shoe polish on a smaller area of the boot so it is more concentrated. Also, always rub in circles in the same direction.
- Use only black, solid Kiwi shoe polish. Do not try the liquid variety as it cracks easily, though it provides more instant shine.
- It takes persistent polishing for your boots to really shine. Don’t be disheartened if they are less shiny than you hoped at first.
That said, polish your boots once a week at most to prevent the polish from cracking -- once it cracks, your boots have to be replaced and all that polishing will have gone to waste.
Note: If you notice that your boot sole is cracking/falling off, inform a CL so we can help you replace it. Sea boot soles are more prone to cracking compared to land boots, especially around the heel.