Leather has many qualities, including natural water repellency and temperature regulation for your feet. To keep all its properties intact, it's important to care for it properly. Let's look at the right steps to take.
Leather is a living material, which is why it's important to care for it so it lasts as long as possible. Regular, simple and quick maintenance helps prevent premature ageing by stopping it from drying out, cracking and losing its suppleness — along with all the key qualities you look for when buying leather footwear. Make a habit of caring for it regularly and correctly, and you'll extend the life of your boots and get the most out of them.
Cleaning
After every outing, remove all traces of mud and any residue such as dust and grit, which damage leather and wear it down through abrasion. Dirt and mud also contribute to drying out the uppers of your leather boots.
Before stepping through your door, knock the soles together to remove the largest embedded fragments. Then carry out a basic clean with a brush. If you've hiked in wet or rainy conditions, walked through water or mud, rinse with clean water and scrub gently with the brush.
From time to time, you can give your boots a more thorough clean. Remove the insole (a good opportunity to rinse or wash it), loosen the laces so you can clean both the outside (don't forget the outsole and tongue) and the inside using a brush and clean water (with a mild soap if you like).
Finally, make sure your boots are completely dry before storing them in a well-ventilated, dry place away from dust. Drying must be natural — keep your boots away from direct heat or light sources such as radiators, hairdryers or direct sunlight. If you want to speed up drying, you can stuff the inside of your boots with newspaper.
Conditioning products
As already mentioned, leather is a living material. It needs to be nourished and moisturised to maintain its suppleness, preserve its natural properties and prevent premature ageing. Applying a conditioning cream is therefore a good idea — it stops leather from cracking, protects it, reactivates its natural water repellency and prevents staining. Using a protective cream extends the life of your leather footwear by ensuring it maintains its full performance.
Caution: choose a product suited — or specifically formulated — for your type of leather (corrected grain, full grain or nubuck). Before applying any such treatment, make sure your boots are perfectly clean and free from any dirt or residue.
Waterproofing products
There are many water-repellent treatments on the market, often called "waterproofing agents", which reactivate the water repellency of your boot uppers. We recommend applying this type of treatment to your leather boots once or twice a year. Again, there are many varieties depending on the type of leather — for example, solid waxes for smooth leather uppers, or liquid formulas for nubuck. If your boots feature a Gore-Tex® membrane, there are treatments specifically designed to reactivate the water-repellent properties of Gore-Tex® without damaging it.
As a general rule, avoid using grease or wax polish on your leather footwear, as these tend to reduce breathability. Also make sure to apply any product evenly, and once again, wait until your boots are completely dry before storing them.
