How to clean leather boots and shoes

How to clean & condition leather boots (Leather Boot Care) is a question I get pretty regularly so this video shows how I clean and maintain leather boots. There are lots of ways to clean leather boots but this is the fastest and easiest and most effective way to clean boots, cowboy boots, shoes and any other leather footwear that I know of.

PRODUCTS IN VIDEO

[traviesolee]

I remember being a young private in the Army and wondering why we had a boot shine kit on our field packing list. Finally, a sergeant explained it to me: It's not to polish the boot, it's to take care of the leather and seams. Being deployed you never know when you might get access to a new pair of boots, so you'd best take care of what you have. And as an aside: breaking in new boots SUCKS and HURTS!

[philc]

Love how you showed even minimum effort can prolong the life of your leather shoes and without needing 5 brushes, 10 products and two hours to do it. Also love how you wear your cat on your shoulder

[Joel_Mullins]

I really appreciate how modest and casual this is. No fancy charcoal infused $1000 brushes or nothing, just some good ol' fashioned mink oil and a simple rag! Very short and sweet 👌

[swaggyp]

Forget all that, that cat has a dope harness

[jenyvalkyrie]

Toaster's shoulder balancing skill at 8:44 is the internet's gift to mankind!

[GRSALAD]

I really appreciate how you go into detail on this stuff, actually explaining what things do and why you should/shouldn't use it, instead of videos that just run through and go "OK now put saddle soap on it"

[darrellhendrix]

I never understood why people would buy really good quality boots only to neglect them until they literally fell apart. Even in the times when I could not afford as good a boot as I wanted I did my best to condition my boots regularly. They broke in quicker and lasted longer. Thanks for the info.

[douglasyoung]

Love this video. Just like to point out that cleaning them is equally as important as conditioning them. The dirt and mud grit gets into those fibers and accelerates the breaking down of the leather. It's always great to see easy/fast methods to maintain boots when you live and work in them every day!

[TanabiGoat]

This is very helpful, glad to see a minimalistic approach that gets the job done without going overboard.

[jessicaseyfried]

Just a dude and his Toaster. I never miss an upload. Started by looking how to break in my Docs that I had always wanted and now I learn something I didn’t know every week. I also think that you should display the half boots behind you ❄️🐱🥰

[steveeab]

Don't tell the anti mink oil crowd where the leather comes from...

[Amyjo_lovesmusic]

I love your honest, real life technique. The boots turned out great! Looks Toaster is recovering nicely.

[kqc]

Years ago a old cobbler told me that two pair of boots will last as long as three and three will last as long as five. (diminishing returns after three) The reason he gave was that when you wear a boot for one day and let it dry for two or three the rot from sweat and just being wet has a hard time to establish itself.

[bobhoward]

I would love to see your take on favorite cowboy/“shitkicker” boots and boot construction

[papajeff]

Thanks. The tip about the water and saddle soap is appreciated. The lessons about the fiber structure of leather helps. I know that I’ve had good work boots for years because I clean and condition them. I have friends and relatives that go through ‘em a pair every year. I look and shouldn’t judge, but I do. Texas

[ooSpider]

I know this vids a bit old now, but I had been wanting to finally clean my boot and this vid finally inspired me and informed me enough to finally get everything I needed to do so. Got some brushes, Fiebings saddle soap, and Venetian shoe cream. Made my Redbacks look like new!
I may have done too much shoe cream though (3 thin layers), as after my shift the creases became a bit white. Looked up some solutions, if extra buffing doesn't work then I'll try warming em up with a blow-drier.
Thanks!

[xandr]

I've become addicted to this channel!
Great vid. Definitely do another one on cleaning with broader range of steps - from foam cleaning and removing old creams (acetone/Reno Mat etc) to adding layers of stuff (conditioner, mink oil, cream, polish). There's plenty of vids on that, of course, but I'd personally love to hear your take on importance (or otherwise) of each, actual effects on the leather, situations when some of these steps are more appropriate or not, etc.
Just some thoughts :)

[annives]

Great video! I appreciate the cautionary tips on not over soaping or getting the leather soaked with water. I just got some nice leather boots for work and want to make them last as long as possible and keep them looking their best. Thank you!

[seth_]

You gave the best description of how to use saddle soap on boots that I've seen yet. Especially about wiping down with a damp rag at the end. It's not enough to get the lather, everything needs to also be removed from the surface.

[cassia_cries]

6mins to get to "I've brushed the dirt off" 😂

omg that little cat harness 😍❤️😍🐈