Caring for Your Boots

Boot Care

Boot care can drastically increase the life of a good pair of boots allowing you to wear them for years.

Wipe off Dust & Dirt then Apply Cleaners and Conditioners

Remember that leather is a skin and requires a bit of care every so often. First, it’s always important to wipe off any loose dust and dried-on dirt from your boots with a damp cloth before applying any sort of cleaner and conditioner. After you have wiped the boots off now you can apply a liquid or cream-based cleaner like Bick 1. Bick 1 is a more aggressive cleaner that helps remove water spots and other light stains that may set into the leather. Allow your boots to dry naturally before applying any sort of conditioner. After you have used a more aggressive cleaner like Bick 1 it is always recommended to apply a conditioner.

With a clean cloth apply a cream or liquid conditioner working it into the leather. Once again allow your boots to dry naturally after applying your leather conditioner. Our favorite conditioner, Bick 4, works in tandem with Bick 1. Both Bick 1 and Bick 4 are non-darkening formulas and should not change the natural color of your boots. We also carry an all-in-one product called Blackrock Leather N’ Rich which both cleans and conditions without changing the color of the boots. We do carry other specialized cleaners and conditioners designed for specific leather types which include: Suede and Nubuck Cleaner and Apache Cream.

Polish & Buff for a High Shine

After the conditioner has dried, if you desire a buffed finish to your boots, now would be the appropriate time to apply a polish to your boots. You’ll want to find a boot polish/cream close in color to your boots. Apply a light layer of the boot polish evenly over the boot with a clean cloth. Then take a soft-bristled buffing brush and brush the entire boot vigorously until you achieve your preferred shine.

Protect them from the Elements

With our store being located in the Midwest and around water often, we highly recommend applying water and stain repellent to your boots. Whatever water repeling agent you choose make sure it is non-silicon-based. Silicon-based water repellent/waterproofer will seal the leather causing it to dry out over time. Our preferred option is Gard-More from Bickmore. It is a non-darkening formula and also protects against salts stains, whether that be from Mid-west winters or sweat. Gard-more also works on wool or fur-felt hats.

Finally, an all-in-one option is Mink Oil. Mink Oil will both condition and waterproof at the same time, however, Mink Oil does darken leather over time.

Reptile Skins Cleaner

We do offer a special cleaner designed for reptile skins – Boot Doctor Reptile Cleaner & Conditioner – which is designed to be safe for all reptile skin boots. It both polishes and cleans at the same time. For a higher shine on Teju Lizard or Caimon alligator boots we recommend you use a colored polish matching the color of your boots.