Boot Polishing Tips
If cared for properly, quality leather boots can last for years. By adhering to a few simple boot polishing tips, ensure a long life and top-notch appearance for your boots.
-
Clean Your Boots
-
Before you polish your boots, it's important to clean them. For a newer pair, simply place a small amount of saddle soap on a soft shoe polish dauber, wet it, and rub it across your boots. Once this is complete, wipe off the soap and dry with a towel. For older boots that show wear or more dirt, you may need a scrubbing brush first to remove excess dirt.
Remove Old Polish
-
If your boots have old layers of polish on them, remove using mineral spirits and a clean rag. Lighter fluid will also work. You can find mineral spirits in the paint thinner section of most local hardware stores.
Polish
-
To begin polishing, rub a layer of soft shoe polish on your boot with your bare hands, as it helps you have a bit more control over spreading the polish. Apply the polish to your boot's tongue, as well as to the edge of the sole and heel to ensure you polish the entire boot. In addition to polishing your entire boot with your bare hands, use a toothbrush to polish the "catwalk" area of the boot, where the sole and upper shoe leather meet.
Drying Techniques
-
After applying polish to your boots, run hot air over the boot with a hair dryer set on high. This should melt the polish into the leather. Repeat this drying process three to four times for each boot, rotating the hair dryer from boot to boot.
Shine Your Boots
-
To gain the optimal shine, lightly dampen a soft (non-abrasive) cloth, and place a small amount of polish on the cloth. From there, make little circles on each boot to rub the polish lightly into the boots. Do this until you see a shine begin to truly take form. Continue until it reaches a shine you are happy with.
-
