Hey everyone! If you didn’t already know, I love boots. I live in boots from the moment fall arrives until it’s too hot to wear boots anymore in the summer. Luckily I live in northern Illinois so boot season for me is super long. The problem is that I live in northern Illinois with rough winters that can wreak havoc on my poor boots. Still boots are the footwear that is most comfortable for me. When I worked in a women’s shoe department a few years ago I went boot crazy and now I have so many boots that I’m set for at least a few years to come.

Now, since I have so many boots I normally haven’t worried about actually caring for them as I wear them out by the end of the season. But even then, properly caring for my boots would keep them looking their best the whole season and maybe even extend their life. So here’s some tips I’ve found on taking care of your boots. I’m going to split the tips between leather, suede, and man-made materials to try and get as many helpful tips in here as possible.

Here we go!

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Prepping and Caring for Your Boots

First up is to prepare your boots. Depending on the type of material your boots are made of you’ll need to use certain items on them.

Man-made materials

This is the easiest material to work with. They’re pretty durable themselves for the season, although they are usually fashion boots that you can expect to use a few times before throwing out. You can use waterproofer if you really want to protect the boots otherwise you really don’t need much.

Otherwise you can use pretty much any cleaner to keep them looking great.

Suede

As we all know, suede boots are super comfortable and warm, but so hard to keep clean. My best tip for this is to get yourself a big can of waterproof spray and coat those boots with plenty of spray. Let them dry for a few hours and then spray them again before leaving them to dry through the night. Then they’re ready to wear!

You’ll still want to keep them dry though, salt stains will be impossible to get off and waterproof won’t save them completely. If the boots do get wet you can use talcum powder on them and leave it to soak up the liquid for about a day before brushing off the powder carefully. I’ve also read that you should still stake these types of boots to a professional cleaner at the end of the season so that all the debris and dirt on them can be taken off before you store the boots.

Leather

Now for leather care, I went to my dad. He has tons of leather items, work boots, cowboy boots, leather jackets, you name it. He’ll use waterproofing liquid to treat the boots and let that dry before wearing them.

I’ve also found tips that recommend using natural oils (such as coconut oil or even a leather dressing) after carefully and lightly dusting off anything that might be on the boot to treat the leather. Remember to remove any laces beforehand and to get all of the boot, even the stitches. Once applied, leave the boots to dry, then apply a second coat and also let it dry. Then you’re all set!

When you wear your boots you’ll want to make sure you’re wiping away any debris on the boots and you can wax them from time to time as well. You’ll want to make sure you’re cleaning them with soft materials so as to avoid scratching the leather.

For even more tips on leather care please see the great graphic that King Ranch was kind enough to send me to share with you!

Overall Tips!

Remember to always read the instructions of the materials you’re using to protect your boots and to spot check each item before using it all over your boots!

The salt stains tip is something I desperately needed last year!!! Better late than never!

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So that’s my boot care tips! I hope you enjoyed these tips and hopefully at least some of them will save your boots from the harsh winter weather. If you have any other tips please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Also, please help me say thank you to King Ranch Saddle Shop for inspiring this post by visiting their website and checking out some of their products. They’ve got both stylish women’s boots for you ladies out there and boots for guys as well (since I know I have some male readers out there or you may need gift ideas!) in addition to many accessories, luggage, and more!

Thanks for reading!