Abused Boots!

These are lightly worn, eight year old smooth leather combat boots. They’ve been polished all over with a wax polish but have never been conditioned. That’s two mistakes that makes these boots goners.

Note the peeled-away leather in the first picture and the significant cracking in the second.

These boots would probably still look good if:

1. They were periodically cleaned and conditioned. Cleaning the boots would remove dirt and built up polish that blocks the leather’s pores. Conditioning them keeps the leather from drying out and cracking.
2. The heavy wax polish was kept to a minimum of places on the boots. Because the wax blocks leather pores, and because the polished finish will crack in crease lines, it’s good to limit the wax polish to the toe and heel areas while using polish paste – which is more nourishing – on other areas.

Unfortunately, these boots are heading for backyard cleanup detail instead of any kind of parade detail. On the bright side, it’s time for more boot shopping.