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If there’s ever a classic shoe to have in your closet, it’s a leather boot. Leather boots are a wardrobe staple that can help elevate any look, no matter what season you are in. Of course, they are known for their constant appearance in the fall and winter seasons, but they can also serve various purposes in the spring and summer. Nowadays, there are various ways to style and wear leather footwear, as they come in many options. Statista reports that the leather footwear industry’s value is at around $125 billion in 2022. With a significant portion of this number going back to boots, it’s easy to notice that these shoes aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Before purchasing your next pair of leather boots, you need to know the best way to care for them. Many times, genuine leather pieces will come at a high price, and after spending so much on your leather boots, the last thing you want is to have to discard them so soon afterward. Knowing how to protect and clean your leather footwear will ensure that your investment will last a long time.
When protecting your leather boots, you want to ensure that you start taking care of them from the moment you take them out of the box. Leather Honey suggests adding a waterproof barrier to your shoes to prevent being caught in a puddle without protection. If your boots get wet, you want to ensure that you dry them off as soon as possible to prevent the water from staining the leather. Don’t put them near a heat source, as this will only crack and break the leather.
Täōs Footwear recommends keeping the leather moisturized to keep your boots in great shape. While shoes won’t last forever, having your footwear treated with a leather conditioner will ensure they stay moisturized and in great shape; dry leather will let them break much quicker than if they were moisturized. When the fabric is dried, you’ll notice more cracking and creases in the boot. To apply the conditioner, simply rub it into the leather with a soft cloth for a smooth finish.
Cleaning leather boots
While protecting leather boots is essential, it’s hard to avoid scratches and scuffs from happening in the first place. If your shoes include laces, HGTV suggests that the best way to clean those is to throw them in the washing machine. Before thoroughly cleaning the leather, you want to avoid any type of dirt left behind, so ensure you scrub off any debris using a soft cloth or brush.
After dusting off the dirt, TOMS recommends taking a dampened cloth to wipe off your leather boots. You don’t need to soak the shoes; simply use the wet cloth to remove the more stubborn stains, if there are any. Once you’ve polished the surface, you can use a leather cleaner to buff the fabric a bit. No matter which cleaner you choose, it will have instructions on how to use, and after applying it, all that’s left is to ensure that you have removed any excess solution from the shoes before setting them off to dry.
