👟 Shoe polish

A liquid or cream shoe polish over 100ml will be treated the same as any other excess liquid and confiscated at the checkpoint. A standard 85ml or 75ml liquid polish tin usually falls under the limit and can pass through in your quart-sized bag. Solid wax polish — the traditional tin with a hard wax — has no liquid restriction and passes through freely.

The 100ml liquid rule for cream and liquid shoe polish applies in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, and most other major aviation systems, so the restriction is essentially universal. Solid wax polish is consistently treated as a non-liquid item everywhere and has no carry-on restrictions globally.

On the X-ray, a sealed tin of shoe polish can be ambiguous. Screeners may pull the bag for a secondary check if they can't determine from the image whether the contents are liquid. Having your polish in an accessible spot and being able to quickly open the tin to show the solid wax content can help speed up the process.

Solid wax shoe polish is the most hassle-free option for carry-on travel — it has no liquid restrictions, doesn't need to go in your quart bag, and can't spill. If you prefer a liquid or cream polish, decant it into a travel-size container of 100ml or less and place it in your liquids bag, or pack full-size liquid polish in your checked baggage.