Leather and Boot Care
I got to bring these side zip Bates back to life via some conditioning with Venetian Shoe Cream and a high shine with layers, and layers, of Lincoln wax polish. How do you get a high (glossy) shine? It’s all about the layers… A. Spread a LIGHT coat of wax polish over the toe area of the boot. (It’s usually just […]
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I got to revive a couple of nice Bass tassel loafers this past weekend. They’re identical pairs except one is black and the other burgundy. Since they’re made of smooth leather I gave them a bit of a shine after the standard cleaning and conditioning. BEFORE STEPS Clean with Saddle soap Condition – I’m trying a different product this time: […]
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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: They were periodically cleaned […]
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Here’s a pair of 5+ year old Johnston and Murphy men’s black oxfords. They’re very well kept, right down to the wood shoe stretcher inside each shoe. All these oxfords needed was a quick clean-condition-shine to remove some scuffs and dust. The black and white image helps show the scuffs a bit better than a color image… Here’s a detail […]
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So, last week I was so pissed off at Red Wing Shoe store because, even though they’ve been available for months, my local store decided not to carry women’s Iron Rangers I went to DSW and spent a lot of money. Besides Steve Madden Ciomi Combat Boots (maybe a later post) I bought these extremely comfortable Børn Binn wing tips […]
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Have a pair of boots that needs a bit of spiff but you’re running out the door? If you already have a shoeshine brush with some previously used polish on it (of the same color!) you should be good to go! Just lightly mist, or add a few drops of water to the brush and buff the boots especially on […]
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You can completely change the look of a pair of boots just by giving it a glossy shine. If you have a pair of worn-looking smooth leather boots that you’d like to dress up, try giving them a deep shine. In the picture below, the boot on the left is about three years old and has been cleaned and conditioned […]
Read moreUse neutral shoe polish for the areas that may come into contact with you clothes. Keep your socks and pants stain-free by using neutral instead of a color polish on the inside leather shoe elements such as the tongue and on the flip side of the eyelets. This also works great for boot shafts.
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This is all you’ll need to get going cleaning, conditioning, and polishing your boots yourself. Basic Cleaning Saddle Soap Dauber to apply soap Toothbrush – to get soap out of grooves Container of water – to mix with soap to get frothy mix on dauber Rag, such as an old washcloth, to remove soap after cleaning Conditioning Conditioner, such as […]
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An old, dirty pair of work boots, like these: …can be brought back to life in 3 steps: Wash off most of the dirt with a mild soap (Dawn) and water Remove the laces and clean well with saddle soap Condition with a conditioner such as Huberd’s or a Cream Polish such as Meltonian OPTIONAL The rest of the steps […]
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