Boot/ Shoe Care (Products, Methods, and Suggestions)
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How often do people oil and polish their boots?
I have some natural leather wipes that I use on my boots once a week to prevent dirt, dust and crap getting into the leather, building up, and prematurely ageing or cracking the boots.
I use boot grease or oil (Huberds) every 4 weeks on CXL, and as and when required on dress leather.
I wear my boots for 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. On weekends, or when I'm feeling lazy I go back to my CXL oxfords.
Is this care regime excessive?
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imo yes…
no matter if wearing/caring for red wings or vibergs, i only use care products when the boot/leather really needs it. if i have the feeling the leather of a certain boot is looking dry, then i´ll grease or oil it o/course...maybe 2-4 times a year max. and that is before and after the cold season and maybe once or twice in the other months!
with roughout leather it´s something else though, since that leather takes and shows a lot more wear (dirt, indigo stains, etc.) after a much shorter time, hence cleaning/brushing it a bit more often as "normal" leather is totally fine... -
Gav
I think it is. You don't need to use grease or oil unless your boots start to look "dry" or if you have soaked them.
New leather doesn't need to be oiled on regular basis.Polishing I do on "need to" basis.
What comes to wearing your boots 12/5… I hope you rotate at least 2 pairs. It's good for boots health that they dry properly after every use. (I mean the moist that forms inside the boot with regular wear)
I personally don't wear same boots 2 days a row just for this reason. (Even on biketrips I have flipflops and sneakers with me to replace boots while partying...) -
I wore the CXL for a year with no grease, and it started to look like shit which is why I apply regularly now. The application to dress leather is to help it soften during the break in period.
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Good thoughts on rotation though, this is not something I do very well with anything, boots, jeans, coats…..etc...
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I brush my boots with a horsehair brush pretty much every evening if I wore them that day. I will hit them with Obenauf's on an as needed basis. I notice the CXL getting kinda rough to the touch so I will obenauf them. Thats usually every 2-3 months.
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Can people tell me if there is much between Obenaufs - Heavy Duty LP & Mustang Paste. I have been reading http://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1977.0 and seems mustang paste does less darkening to the leather. I will be getting boots in icy mocha clx. i dont really want to get them to dark?
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Today I used the Obenaufs LP the very first time on my RW875. I must say, the LP looks very good!!! The leather looks and feels great after the first use, I´ll repeat it when they are "dry" enough
Next up is the leather tag on my well worn 634S. -
With the impending IHVB-XX, and the wide divergence of opinion on roughout care: thoughts on roughout care?
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With the impending IHVB-XX, and the wide divergence of opinion on roughout care: thoughts on roughout care?
I just wear em…..
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Stiff brush as and when required. That is all.
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Yeah, I don't think there's really a divergence of opinion on this one. Just wear them, and if they get really filth encrusted, then brush them off.
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See I hear everything from no care to exactly the same care as for smoothout… Hence my confusion. I have never conditioned suede personally, but I've always babied my suede shoes. These I won't be babying.
Nick's Boots, for example, was recommending the latter. During 80-100 hours of break-in, spray with 50/50 isopropyl/water and rub that in by hand, then obenauf's LP and oil as needed. This makes sense to me since it's still leather, just the flesh side of it, but I'd like to understand why this is or isn't wrong. As for aesthetics, I like the look of roughout oiled and scrubbed or left alone, so that's not a huge factor for me.
http://www.nicksboots.com/faq.asp#care
I also hear tell elsewhere of using silicone-based water repellent on sueded/roughout surfaces (openauf again has an example product).
Mine will be liberally exposed to snow and ice. I'll try to keep them it of the mud but I spend a lot of time in the woods and some at farms, and I'm pretty rough on boots. I have Red Wings for that but you never know. I'd like to know how to clean them and keep the leather well-conditioned.
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Rough-Out care is a pretty interesting topic. Is there a special brush for rough-outs? RW do offer one:
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Ah seems to be a strong accord while I was typing that last.
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RW had care instructions pimping the use of their LP for roughout, but otherwise sounded like most of the responses on this thread, certainly different than Nick's. I did ask viberg's opinion on the matter when I sent in my trace too.
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Bring life back to those worn soles. All it takes is water and some canvas. Dip your index finger in water and rub it along a small portion - about two to three inches at a time. Let the water set for at least twenty seconds. Using the canvas, quickly rub it back and forth over the treated area. The friction will cause the area to darken back up and gives it a nice shine.
