Dirty shoes with dried leather
Chances are, if you’ve worn your leather boots for a while, they may need a little pick me up. If the leather looks lighter than when you bought them or you just went on a particularly strenuous hike, a little conditioning might help. Conditioning prolongs the life of a shoe, adds some waterproofing, and can also help break in new shoes.
In preparation for my backpacking trip, I decided to recondition my beloved Lowa boots, and here are some tips I’d like to pass along. I used Nikwax Conditioning for Leather.
1. Wipe off boots with a wet rag. If they are too dirty, use a cleaner like Nikwax Footwear Cleaning gel.
2. While the boots are still wet, scrub the conditioner into the leather. I find its helpful to put a generous layer on there. Pay special attention to the seams as they can be one of the first places that break down.
Put a generous amount of conditioner on the boots
3. Leave conditioner on for two minutes. I like to work in sections so that I can make sure that everything is covered, and the conditioner isn’t left on for too long.
4. Wipe off the excess and buff it with a damp cloth. Don’t worry if some parts of the shoe are different colors. Scratching and wear may cause parts of the shoe to absorb the conditioner differently. You may need to repeat this twice if there are sections that didn’t get done well enough.
Viola! You have a pair of newly conditioned shoes that will last longer and be more comfortable.
