Time to test out the theories I have studied! At the bottom I have done a list of how often things seem to be recommended. This is an accumulation of research I have done for my own very specific uses. This might be a good starting point for your own research. I take no responsibility for ruined boots other than mine.

I somehow forgot to take a photo of the terrible condition my boots were in initially! 

Step 1: Prep

I started out by laying out an old towel on the table to protect it from the products and to keep the mess contained. I pulled out my kit and laid everything out. Reviewed my notes on what the heck I was supposed to do with all this stuff. After all my prep, it was still intimidating.

Step 2: I read the use instructions on the jar of saddle soap and compared it to my notes. Damp cloth, run over soap until light lather, clean boot using circles in alternating directions to work out the grime. Simple enough. I open the tin and find a dark custard colored hard but slightly slick soap. Dampen the microfiber cloth I have chosen to use, and do circles on the soap until it starts to lather. I apply it to the boot and start working circles.

I started out on too large of an area and had to redo it a few times. Trick seems to be to start at one point, clean it and move on to an adjacent point. My boots have a bunch of seams, I found that an applicator brush, dampened, ran over saddle soap helped get a bit of a better clean in those spots.

The longer it has been since you cleaned your boots, the longer this will take. I didn’t think my boots were dirty, but I got lots of black on the cloth, it must have built up in the creases. My boots were absorbing some of the moisture and product, so I needed to frequently re-dampen and soap my cloth.

The saddle soap is also a lubricant - so you don’t need to wash it off. Just wipe off the excess when you are done. I was shocked how much better my boots looked at this point. 

This shows the difference between brushed but not saddle soaped (back) and cleaned with saddle soap (front).

Step 3: Conditioning.

There are a number of recommended conditioners, which I cover in my next post: What’s in my Shoe Shine Kit.

Here I used the Mink Oil Paste by Jobsite. 

It feels almost like hair wax and is white. I also used a microfiber cloth here, however I think one of the shine cloths would have worked better. I tried using the dabber applicator and applying it as one post instructed and applied it to the entire boot. Turns out this is NOT what you are supposed to do. Once I had the paste over the entire boot, I started doing circles with the cloth to work it all in. I should have really thought this out in advance: I got paste on my pants; my hands got too slick to hold onto the boot. Again, starting out small is key. 

I found the dabber brush was most helpful for the boot seems as it helped the paste get to where it was needed, and then I massaged it in with the cloth and finger tips. For the rest of the boot, I took the cloth and scooped out some of the oil paste, and applied it to smaller areas and worked it in. This process needs to be repeated until the boot starts to look wet or the paste does not seem to be absorbing any more. For these boots, it took 3 rounds. Wipe off excess, leave alone for 20 minutes before wearing. After 12 hours wipe off any excess. I used a microfiber cloth and gently buffed the boot, it almost doesn’t need polish! But I’m doing the whole process on this one to try it out.

One giant tip if using a paste. Room temperature, I started in the morning when the sun was out and the apartment was warming up, and it worked really well. I decided to open the patio door when working on the second boot, and it was quite cool outside, and had a hard time massaging in the paste. 20 degrees seems to be a good temperature, I do not know how it works when warmer, just that cooler doesn’t work!

This shows the difference between the saddle soaped (right) and conditioned (left). Notice how smooth the one that has been conditioned is. The unconditioned still shows scales and white seams.

Step 4: Polish

I used the black shoe cream from Moneysworth & Best Shoe Polish. I took a dabber applicator and brushed it over the hard wax a few times to pick some up. Having learned my lesson about starting small, I started on the heel piece, in small circles. Use the bristles to get the was into the seams for even color. Follow with a soft polishing cloth, massaging the wax into the boot. The warmth from your hands helps this process. Do this for the whole boot and then set it aside and do the next boot.

I found this process quite hard on the hands, so I was glad I did it in small sections! Took a few breaks, drank some tea, continued on.Thinking getting some cotton gloves to keep the polish off my hands might not be a bad idea.

The polished boot, not yet buffed out, is blacker than the conditioned boot, and less glossy.

After the boot has sat for a bit, take a different horsehair brush (not the one you used for removing dirt, do not want to put those back on the boot!). And buff out the boot, repeat based on how shiny you want your boot to look. I found that taking the brush to smaller boot sections and swiping it in different directions, like short quick wrist flicks instead of circles, worked particularly well. Circles at the end just to remove any lines. This was a quick process.

The polished boot has less fine lines showing that the seams are no longer grey. Over all - a very nice look!

The second boot was done later due to tired hands. During this process I found that only using the dabber brush for the seams and the polishing cloth for the application of the polish made the process a whole lot faster, and easier on the brush! So moral is do what ever works for you!

This shows the difference between the conditioned (right) and polished boot (left). 

Conclusions: The steps of properly maintaining leather footwear seem to be:

Daily: Use a horsehair shoe brush to clean off daily dust. If it does not quite come clean, a damp cloth may be used after the abrasive debris has been brushed off. If needed, use saddle soap and/or lightly polish.

Weekly: Examine for build up. If there is build up, clean the footwear, and possibly condition them. Regularly worn footwear should be polished weekly.

Monthly: Examine the footwear to see if the leather is still soft and has the slight feel of grease when you run your fingers over them. If dry, clean the boots then condition them. Occasionally worn footwear should be polished monthly, if you have worn them in the last month.

Quarterly: At a minimum, leather footwear should be conditioned once every three months. Clean first, then condition. Conditioning leaves them a little shiny, so you may not need to polish, use your own discretion based on the look you are trying to maintain. 

Waterproofing - I am not going to go into that as there seems to be little agreement. I chose not to waterproof these boots.

This was an excellent little project! Next post is on the stuff in my kit - Stay tuned!!