Cleanse the Area

• Use a natural (horse) hair brush, clean leather with saddle soap and water.
• Clean well between stitching and between leather and sole of boots.
• Wipe off soap with a soft, clean rag.

Both Kiwi and Angelus make easy to use saddle soaps. Check the supplies page for details on productions mentioned here.

Triage

• Apply a thin layer of polish on boots; cotton balls work best for application.
• Gently rub polish into pores in a circular motion until the polish changes from a matte to slightly shiney appearance.

The goal is to slowly build up the layers of polish. Apply multiple thin layers versus one thick layer. Repeat the above steps several times.

Rehabilitate

• Use a natural hair, soft brush to lightly buff the boots.

At this point the boots should be looking pretty good. You may choose to add an extra few layers of polish for an extra shine (follow steps under "Triage").

Full Recovery

• Spit Shine: look for the natural crease in the leather, just behind the toes.
• Apply a thin layer of polish in front of the crease and move forward to the tip and edges of boot.
• Spit. This lubrication helps thin the layer and produce a brilliant shine.
• Gently rub in with the polish.
• Repeat above 4 steps until you can see your reflection.
• Buff lightly with a clean piece of silk. (note the before and after in the picture)