Boot cleaning advice needed

redsmartie · Jan 20, 2019

I decided that after a bit of use I'd give my Forma boots a spruce. After using a soft brush and damp sponge I have them nice and clean but I'm not sure how to proceed with a bit of waterproofing.

I have in the past used a spray but I checked the detail of the material and it said it was Full-grain oil treated leather upper. The old school in me said I should be giving them a going over with dubbin but I read on their website:

Heavy waterproofing products or waxes can block the stitching lines which allow the boots to breath and dry naturally. Any lightweight water-based leather conditioning product is ok to apply from time to time. Oil based leather products are not recommended as they soften the leather too much and can cause bonded soles to separate from the leather.

At this point I'm not sure what to use. Am I really going to soften them that much with a light coating of dubbin or should I be looking for something else like the leather conditioner mentioned? Does the latter have waterproofing properties or should I expect the leather to do that? I do know that they absorb water to a certain degree, as I saw when cleaning them with a damp sponge.

squibb34 · Jan 20, 2019

I use Nikwax fabric & leather proof. Said to maintain breathability where required & seems to work OK.

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/nikwax...69jQRj7O8957gAaQMCxoCDt8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

redsmartie · Jan 20, 2019

squibb34 said:
I use Nikwax fabric & leather proof. Said to maintain breathability where required & seems to work OK.

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/nikwax...69jQRj7O8957gAaQMCxoCDt8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Thats exactly what I was just looking at

GORILA · Jan 20, 2019

Urad JoJo wax cleaner is very good. It cleans and waterproofs at the same time. You only use a small amount at a time; it seems to last forever!

Hatcho · Jan 20, 2019

I have the very same boots and after giving them a good clean recently I applied a decent layer of Renapur leather treatment. Helps to keep the leather nice and supple over time. The waterproof qualities should be well maintained by the leather and the inner liner, so I didn't bother with Nikwax or the likes.

GSRiderdotcom · Jan 20, 2019

Second that

Hatcho said:
I have the very same boots and after giving them a good clean recently I applied a decent layer of Renapur leather treatment. Helps to keep the leather nice and supple over time. The waterproof qualities should be well maintained by the leather and the inner liner, so I didn't bother with Nikwax or the likes.

I second this advice fully, Renapur is great stuff, easily applied with a sponge, I use it for boots, gloves anything leather, good water repellent and feeds the leather.

Alistair

I have same boots too, great boots by the way

Sgt.Cupid · Jan 20, 2019

Altberg recommend Ledergris, which is an oil/wax blend to feed, condition and improve water resistance. There is also an 'extreme' version which has a higher percentage of oil which is better to revitalise dryer neglected leather.
I've used both on boots and jackets and it seems to be absorbed quite well while leaving a light waxy surface.
I used the extreme Ledergris on some poor condition brown Forma boots and they absorbed so much of the oil they went very dark, almost black.

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casbar · Jan 20, 2019

Sgt.Cupid said:
Altberg recommend Ledergris, which is an oil/wax blend to feed, condition and improve water resistance. There is also an 'extreme' version which has a higher percentage of oil which is better to revitalise dryer neglected leather.
I've used both on boots and jackets and it seems to be absorbed quite well while leaving a light waxy surface.
I used the extreme Ledergris on some poor condition brown Forma boots and they absorbed so much of the oil they went very dark, almost black.

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+1 I use Ledergris on my leather boots and have done for years. No issues

redsmartie · Jan 20, 2019

I got some Nikwax since there was a GoOutdoor local. I’ll get hold of the other products and give them a try next time.

I feel a product review blog post coming on. I wonder if I can blag some free shit??

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wessie · Jan 20, 2019

redsmartie said:
I got some Nikwax since there was a GoOutdoor local. I’ll get hold of the other products and give them a try next time.

I feel a product review blog post coming on. I wonder if I can blag some free shit??

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can get freebies from Nikwax if you "win" their monthly quiz - I have a sachet of the leather treatment which is enough for a pair of boots or at least 2 pairs of gloves. Different product each month.
https://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/webquiz/index.php

My preferred leather treatment is Gliptone's Liquid Leather https://www.liquidleather.com/-c57/conditioners-c85/gt11-leather-conditioner-250ml-p258 - it has that "new leather" smell

The Nikwax works but I found it does not soak in as well as the Liquid Leather and congeals in seams. It also changed the colour of my Weiss gloves from black to a grey colour.

Are the boots proper leather or Nubuck? If the latter than don't use GT11 and check the Nikwax is okay for it.

redsmartie · Jan 22, 2019

I had bought some Nikwax after the initial response and while I will take a look at the other suggestions in the future I'm happy with the results (although yet to test any enhancement to the water resistance).

After a long period of naturally drying in a cool location they seem to have returned to their original colour.

bowser · Jan 22, 2019

what a weird thread, surely cleaning boots is wifes work?

however + renapur used it for years

Doc · Jan 23, 2019

i use neatsfoot oil.Put it on with a brush and leave to dry

Deleted account 210609001 · Mar 3, 2019

I wash with water, use saddle soap to clean leather boots, then polish with Leder Gris if they're black leather (which mine are). Black Leder Gris also restore it to a nice deep black. I think the clear Leder Gris smells funny.

For very dry leather, I use Kocholin to revitalise it first. A couple of coats of that will revitalise even the most neglected leather.

chrisjk · Mar 13, 2019

Dubbin.

GSTourer · Mar 13, 2019

chrisjk said:
Dubbin.

Capital of Ireland?

Demongroover · Apr 12, 2019

Renapur

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theoneandonly · Apr 12, 2019

i'll ask my butler in the morning ......

Bem · Apr 12, 2019

Pleased to see the bananas are no longer in the picture, as they required eating.
And pleased that you now have clean boots so any contribution from me is wasted.
I still use Autoglim products for any cleaning situation...........

Boot cleaning advice needed

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