I was shocked by the deep scratches and dry leather on my Berry Stitched Boots. It's from the pedals in my car and the legs of my desk at work. Every time I hit one, I cringe at the gouge I just caused.
I regularly GIVE LOVE to my footwear. But these boots take a beating every time I wear them. Which seems to be every other week or more. So I grabbed my pretty little bag of Footwear Love I keep in a handy location (the back of the closet door knob).
Shoe and Boot Care Stash
Saddle Soap, Mink Oil and Shoe Polish
Hoofmaker Mane and Tail
Soft Brush for Buffing
Lots of old rags
Pledge
And a Pretty Bag to keep it in.
OK! So the Pledge was in the Pantry. Why Pledge you may ask? I'll get to that near the end.
Normally I get by with liberally applying Hoofmaker Mane and Tail and buffing it in well with a soft rag. After all, it's a moisturizer that contains lanolin. Not only does it condition and protect leather, it's great for my nails. I keep some in my office for emergency shoe care.
Ah, but the scratches are another story. I needed to remove those first. I went at it with Brown Shoe Polish. I worked the polish into the scratches with a soft rag and let that dry for 5 minutes. Then I buffed that with a soft brush. Still didn't cover that well. So I did it again this time daubing it gently over the scratched areas. I let that dry again and did not buff. That was the ticket.
I followed with Mink Oil, applied sparingly, and worked it in with a soft cloth. It took at least 30 minutes to do the pair.
Now I understand why cowboys have such dirty boots. Jeez! Shoes are smaller, easier and faster to polish. But I do love my Anthro boots, so well worth the effort to have them pretty and new looking.
BTW, Mink Oil, like other leather protectors, water proofer, and moisturizers, will darken most leather. But it's better than walking around in scratched, decaying, unprotected Footwear. Just don't use it on suede or fabric shoes.
About the other stuff in the picture.
Someone told me once to use Saddle Soap on my boots. Ba-ha! Don't ever use it on textured leather. It dries into the cracks and turns White. It's very hard to spread and almost impossible to get completely off without leaving that White residue behind.
Pledge is wonderful stuff. I use it on my Stainless Stove and Dishwasher. Besides Wood, it also works great on Marble, Granite, and Leather. You heard me right, Leather. So I have, in a pinch, used it on footwear. Works great.
As you can see my Berry Stitched Boots by Lucky Penny look gorgeous again. No longer as Purple as they used to be. My Mother calls this color Ox Blood.
Anthro Sister Love, Laura (lauramartinsemail@yahoo.com)
