Western Boots Refurb | Clean & Polish

Last year, my father-n-law was cleaning and clearing out things he no longer used or wanted. In his purge were these Dan Post western boots. During conversation, we discovered that we wear the same size shoe. As a result, he thought of me when he came across these boots, and gave them to me. 

Here, I'll describe my process of cleaning and polishing this once nice pair of western boots. Or, as I always called them growing up.... cowboy boots.

As you can see in the above photo, these boots have been neglected for many years. Approximately 25 according to him. Thankfully, the sole was still in good shape. They were very dirty, and had what looked like mold on part of the shaft. Absolutely neglected. I don't say that as a dig to him at all, it happens.

Step 1 - Brush Away Loose Dirt

I knew the first step I needed to do was clean them. After putting shoe trees in them to help straighten out the creases and maintain the proper shape, I grabbed my horse hair brush and started dusting them off. The objective here is to remove any loose dirt and debris.

I never used any water on them. Also, I tried to give special attention to the sole and the welt, getting anything loose away from the stitching and the hard to reach space where the upper meets the sole. I will point out that this step is only for loose dirt. The dirt and grime that's worked it's way into the grain and creases will be dealt with in the next step.

Step 2 - Conditioning the Surface

Now is the time to apply a good leather conditioner. I know some of the shoe manufacturers make their own. I used a great product called Lexol. Following the directions from Lexol, I first wiped down the boots with a cleaner that contains no wax, oils, or pigment of any kind. After washing them down with the cleaner, and wiping away the excess, I applied the conditioner. I made sure I worked the conditioner into the leather as good as I possibly could. I wanted to make sure it found it's way in every crack, crevice, and grain on these boots. I then let the boots sit for a couple of hours.

A this point, the boots are looking great. We have them cleaned up and conditioned, and they've come from something you wouldn't wear, to a very presentable pair of boots. However, they don't have much shine to them. So to add a little bling, and I say that facetiously, we need to add polish. That leads us to our next and final step - polish. 

Step 3 - Applying Polish for a Deep Shine

This step is really optional. After conditioning the leather, the boots look great. However, polishing will bring out the shine, and take their appearance from good to great. For this step, I used some polish by Allen Edmonds that I already had to go with a pair of AE dress shoes of a very similar color. I simply wiped the polish on with a dry soft cloth, and buffed it off about 10-15 minutes later with a horse hair brush. Following AE's instructions, I squeezed out about a nickel size amount onto my cloth, and worked it into the boots. I didn't wipe it in as hard or thorough as the conditioner, but I rubbed until there was no visible excess. This dried to a nice haze, and once I buffed with the brush, the shine came to life. 

I only used one coat of polish here. You have the option of repeating this step multiple times, and continuing to buff these out to make the shine that much more glossy. However, I'm pleased with these as they are here.

I would say this goes to show that sometimes things we think are old and of no worth, can actually be revitalized and given new life. To my eyes, these boots look *almost as good as new. I plan to enjoy wearing them, starting right away.