Caring for your leather shoes and boots

Did you know that in winter, it is imperative to use a shoe polish and cleaner to prevent our boots from cracking and letting water in? Oh yes!

Shoe stores often offer aerosol care products full of questionable ingredients… No thanks!

True to form, I have unearthed some fantastic natural alternatives for you that you will certainly appreciate during this time of snow, salt, and small stones: a homemade cleaner and polish for leather shoes and boots.

We also recommend that you get all the accessories you need with our Leather Boot & Shoe Care Kit!

These recipes not only help maintain the waterproofing of your boots' leather, but also condition it to preserve it for as long as possible! Because leather is skin, you know, and to keep it from drying out, you have to nourish it. At Les Trappeuses, we take care of our boots just like our faces! Haha.

Why use natural alternatives?

You know, if we can do as good a job as what commercial products promise with something 100% natural, why pass it up? First, it allows us to limit our consumption of potentially toxic products and aerosol containers. Second, it costs a fraction of the price of commercial products (and you probably already have almost all the ingredients). Finally, it is better for your health because you avoid handling questionable substances and/or breathing them in.

Some conventional shoe products contain silicone. It makes surfaces really shiny and waterproofs them, but it also reduces the life of the leather because it suffocates the material and prevents it from breathing. In addition, some products contain turpentine or petroleum by-products that act as a solvent to soften the wax. Meh.

I present to you here an effective, natural, and high-quality shoe polish and cleaner recipe!

The master’s tools

Polishing your shoes is an art and there are several useful tools for this meticulous task. The three essentials are:

• a cotton polishing cloth (the rag, you know, for rubbing your shoes): used to massage the leather and clean it
• a horsehair applicator brush: used to spread the wax evenly over the shoes
• a horsehair polishing brush: used to make the shoes shine

You don't have to gear up with all this fancy equipment. A soft cloth or a rag will do just fine, but using the best tools is the key to preserving your leather boots for as long as possible. And the result is surprising! With our Leather Boot & Shoe Care Kit, you'll have it all!

Cleaning AND polishing?

Yes! Both steps are important. Cleaning removes dirt before polishing. We wouldn't want to trap salt or other materials under the layer of wax that could continue to damage the leather.

As mentioned above, leather is a living organic material that needs to be nourished. Our shoe polish is made from oil and wax. The oil prevents the leather from drying out and cracking, and the wax, for its part, helps create a waterproof barrier that not only reduces the impact of salt and snow on the leather but also helps it retain its hydration.

To ensure a longer shelf life for your wax and to prevent your oils from going rancid too quickly, I strongly advise you to add vitamin E oil to it. Especially since we don't polish boots that often. Storing your wax in a cool place, away from sunlight, and in an opaque container will also give it a boost in this regard.

Step 1: clean