How To Condition Leather Boots With Household Items

condition leather boots

This article deals with stuffs related to how to condition leather boots with household items. Well, your boots are going to get dirty anyway. So, why waste time washing them? Right? Wrong! If you own any regular fabric boots, no one would care how they look.

But, if you have leather boots, after a certain period of usage, it becomes a concern because leather never looks the same as it looked when you first brought them.

They become dull, faded, and messy at the same time. Such boots do not make you look presentable on any occasion. So, why not learn a few DIY hacks that are cheap, easily available, and bring alive your lifeless leather boots in no time?

In this article, I will list out some methods or ways on how to clean boots easily with common household items. 

HOW TO CLEAN LEATHER BOOTS WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

If you don’t know how to make homemade leather conditioners for boots, then learn it here. Before you can start cleaning, you must familiarize yourself with which items to use.

1. Baking soda  

using baking soda - condition leather boots

Baking soda is the best ingredient you can opt for if you have oil stains on your boots.

Ingredients needed:

All you need is a pinch of baking soda, water, and a cloth.

Steps to follow:

Damp a cloth in water and take a little amount of baking soda on the cloth or rag. Then, gently rub the area with an oil stain.

Once done, let the spot sit overnight as it will absorb the grease. Wash it off with normal water, and you are ready to go. 

2. Olive oil

olive oil - condition leather boots

Suppose your boots are losing their color or not shining anymore. The best thing you can do is put olive oil on leather boots.

Olive oil is the most common ingredient in the kitchen, so there shouldn’t be any problem using it.

Steps to follow:

Pour a teaspoon of olive oil on a towel or a soft cloth and polish your boots thoroughly in a circular motion.

Rub until the oil gets absorbed in the boots. If needed, add a second layer of extra virgin olive oil to effectively conditioning the boots.

3. Hair conditioner

hair conditioner - condition leather boots

You wouldn’t believe it, but hair conditioners work best for cleaning your leather boots.

Due to its smooth texture and oily composition, it penetrates nicely into your leather surface and makes them look brand new again.

Steps to follow:

All you need is a regular hair conditioner and a rag. Apply some on the leather and rub it until all the conditioner is absorbed in the leather fabric. 

4. Vegetable oil

vegetable oil - condition leather boots

Vegetable oil has excellent conditioning characteristics. Thus, they are perfect for dull and cracked leather boots. It nourishes the layers in leather and restores shine in them.

Steps to follow:

To follow this method, you need a teaspoon of oil on the cloth and a gentle rub on the surface of the leather. Do this once or twice a week to get noticeable results. 

HOW TO CLEAN LEATHER COWBOY BOOTS WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

So far, you have seen generic remedies on how to clean leather boots with household items. But, as you all know, there are different types of boots, and not every remedy turns out to be effective on them.


Based on the type of leather boot you own, you must choose the ingredients. Here, I will specifically explain to you how to clean cowboy boots with household items. You don’t need very fancy or expensive items to get the job done!

1. Curdled milk  

using curdeled milk - condition leather boots

If your milk pack is on expiration, do not throw it away. Instead, use it to clean your cowboy boots. Yes, you heard it right.

This method works perfectly because curd has luster restoration characteristics in it which repairs all the cracks and dryness in the leather. Thus, it works great for old cowboy boots. 

Ingredients needed:

Curd, spoiled milk, rag/towel 

How to condition leather with a curdled milk?

  • First, clean the boot surface with tap water.
  • Using a damp cloth, take a little amount of spoiled milk.
  • Rub on the surface of the leather.
  • Let it dry for some time (1-2 hours).
  • Wipe out the excess mixture from the surface.
  • The shine will be restored.

2. Banana peel

bannana peel - condition leather boots

Banana peel contains important properties that clean all the stains and nourishes leather, and improve their durability.

Banana is an edible and delicate item but still shows effectiveness on any harsh surface. If you have cracks on your leather cowboy boots, banana peel scrub is enough to restore your boots. 

Ingredients needed:

Banana, towel, rag. 

How to condition leather with a banana peel?

  • Take a small banana peel or banana pulp.
  • Rub it around the leather fabric until it becomes shiny or smooth from the outside.
  • You can also make a thick banana paste for extra shine and smoothness.
  • Let it sit untouched for about an hour.
  • Wipe off with a soft cloth.

3. Lemon juice

using lemon

If you have tough stains on your leather cowboy boots, then you can use lemon juice. It’s a natural bleaching agent and has the potential to remove all the dirt and oil stains from the leather.

But, be aware that excessive use of lemon juice can make your leather fade. So, apply it where it’s most needed.

Ingredients needed:

Lemon, brush, cloth 

How to condition leather with a lemon juice?

  • Take a freshly squeezed lemon juice.
  • Damp a cloth and apply the juice to the stains.
  • Let it dry for a few hours.
  • Immediately wipe off the surface with cold water.
  • Stains will be gone.

4. Baking soda

using baking soda

Baking soda is another great kitchen ingredient that has many uses and is effective in all ways. Baking soda is prominently used in removing tough oil stains that are usually found on the sofa, clothes, shoes, etc.

Baking soda removes stains from any kind of surface especially removes tough greasy stains.

Another great advantage of using baking soda is it removes bad smells from leather cowboy boots. 

Ingredients needed:

Baking soda, brush

How to condition leather with baking soda?

  • Take a pinch of baking soda. 
  • Sprinkle around the area of the stain. 
  • Wait for 4-5 hours until it completely absorbs the oil.
  • Brush off excess powder from the surface.
  • Ready to go. 

5. Vinegar

vinegar - condition leather boots

Vinegar is another good cleaning agent for tough articles such as shoes, bags, ornaments, etc.

Since we are discussing cowboy boots, you must know vinegar is also effective on thick leather cowboy boots. 

Ingredients needed:

Vinegar, water, and cloth 

How to condition leather with baking soda?

  • Mix water and vinegar in the 1:1 ratio and make a nice mixture.
  • Damp the cloth in the mixture.
  • Rub the cloth evenly on the surface of the boots.
  • Let it dry for some time.
  • Wipe the surface once with lukewarm water.

HOW TO CLEAN SUEDE COWBOY BOOTS WITH HOUSEHOLD ITEMS?

All those you didn’t know, Suede is a type of leather that is made from inner animal skin. Hence, it is very sensitive to environmental conditions. For this reason, they are not very durable.

But, you can make it happen by cleaning them with some DIY leather conditioner that will not cause harm to the delicate fabric of suede leather and also clean them with perfection. Below we have listed some of the household items using which you can clean suede cowboy boots.

1. Cornstarch

Cornstarch works exactly like baking soda. When you have liquid stains on your boots, you can use cornstarch as the hygroscopic effect in it quickly absorbs the oil and dry the area in just a few minutes.

Ingredients needed:

Cornstarch, cloth

Steps to follow:

  • Stuff the boots with tissue paper or toiler paper to hold shape.
  • Then take a pinch of cornstarch.
  • Sprinkle on the area of damage.
  • Let it sit for some minutes.
  • Wipe off extra cornstarch with a damp cloth.

2. Pencil eraser

using eraser

Pencil eraser might sound surprising but it is a very effective way to fix your suede leather boots instantly. Suede leather is a little different in fabric and is prone to permanent stains. But, if you use this method, you can get rid of it very quickly. 

Ingredients needed:

Plain white eraser, brush. 

How to condition leather with a banana peel?

  • Mark the area of damage.
  • Take a pencil eraser and gently rub the area with minimum pressure.
  • Rub in the particular area until the stain or mark disappears.
  • No need to wait; you can wear them immediately.

3. Vinegar and water

using vinegar and water

If you are not sure about what to use to clean leather boots, then simply use water and vinegar in equal proportion.

The water and vinegar mixture is a savior and great for cleaning any stain on leather accessories. 

Ingredients needed:

Cooking vinegar, water, cloth

How to condition leather with a banana peel?

  • Make a solution mixture of 1:1 vinegar and water.
  • Soak the area with a cloth.
  • Wait for a few hours.
  • Wipe out once the stain is removed.

CONCLUSION

After seeing so many methods, you may now know how to condition leather boots with household items or how to clean leather work boots with household items. All these methods are effective in cleaning any kind of leather boots.

Once you do any one of these methods, you would get satisfactory results, and your boots will be back alive with great shine and look. The next day you will be ready to go to work with your brand-new looking leather boots.

But, make sure you don’t overdo any of these methods. You can do them once or twice a month or week as per your requirement.

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