Nubuck boots, cleaning and restoring.

[YoKaiser]

Before I buy new boots I thought I'd have a go at try to resurrect my old pair. They have been sitting probably nigh on 20yrs and are a bit misshapen around the bottom of the laces. They are a very sturdy and heavy duty boot and were never really properly broken in.

I'm after some tips and product advice to clean, moisturise and proof them .

[mrssanta]

I always use Altberg's Leder Gris. Despite the name they are a Yorkshire firm. Their stuff is designed for their own boots but we use it on other makes too and it is fine. They do an ordinary wax-oil treatment and then a special one for leather that has got a bit hard. have a look at their website.
Having said that if you put any treatment on nubuck it will stop being fluffy and go smooth like normal leather.

[stinker]

As long as the leather is not showing signs of cracking it may be worth trying to revive them.

If you want to keep the brushed effect of the nubuck leather have a look at using the Grangers Gear Cleaner and Footwear Repel Twinpack.

If you're not bothered about keeping the brushed effect Berghaus Conditioning Cream (used to be Brasher) would be a good starting point. 3 or 4 thin coats rubbed on and brushed well in should soon feed and recondition the leather. You will eventually end up with a much darker smooth leather finish. Waxing the boots will lose some breathability but the trade off is that they will gain much improved waterproofing.

Once you've softened and reconditioned the leather Altberg's Leder Gris Original is an excellent choice for regular ongoing care.

[YoKaiser]

Many thanks, I've no qualms about losing the original finish and rather have the boots usable again. No cracking as far as I can see. I'll have a google for the products mentioned.

The boots in question

2017-10-10_01-48-17 by Bigbroondug, on Flickr