How to Clean and Care for Leather Work Boots

Brush off the dirt, wipe the boot down with a damp cloth and mild soap, and let it air dry at room temperature. Once it's dry, condition smooth or oiled leather every few months, and brush nubuck and suede to bring the nap back instead of conditioning them.

That's how to clean work boots made from almost any leather. The details change with the leather, and a few habits (getting road salt off the same day, keeping boots away from the heater) do more for a boot's life than any product on the shelf. This guide follows Kiwi's own care instructions and covers each leather we use.

How to clean work boots, step by step

Kiwi leather boots are hand clean only. Keep them out of the washing machine.

1. Knock off and brush the dirt. Brush the upper and the outsole with a stiff brush. While you're on the outsole, look for nails, screws or metal chips embedded in the tread.
2. Wipe with a damp cloth and mild soap. Work over the whole upper, including the seams. Use a damp cloth, not a soaking one.
3. Wipe off salt and residue. Go over the boot again with a clean damp cloth to lift soap and anything left behind.
4. Air dry at room temperature. Keep boots away from heaters, vents, fires and direct sunlight. Heat cracks leather and weakens the adhesives that hold the boot together.
5. Treat the leather once it's dry. Condition or polish smooth leather. Brush nubuck and suede.

How to condition leather work boots

Condition smooth and oiled leather every few months, or sooner when it starts to look dry or pale at the flex points. Use a conditioner made for that leather. Boots that see a lot of sun, salt or wet-and-dry cycles tend to look dry sooner, so check them more often.

Smooth full grain leather

Our Rugged boots in black full grain leather, like the Rugged black composite toe waterproof boot, take conditioner and polish. After conditioning, you can polish smooth full grain leather with a wax or cream polish.

Crazy horse leather

Crazy horse is an oiled leather, used on some of our Premium cap-toe boots. It takes conditioner well. It may darken slightly when you condition it, which is normal for oiled leather. Clean it the same way as smooth leather, with a brush and a damp cloth.

How to clean suede and nubuck work boots

Nubuck and suede have a raised nap instead of a smooth surface, so they're cleaned differently once the dirt is off. Brush, wipe with a damp cloth and mild soap, and let them dry fully at room temperature. Then restore the nap with a suede and nubuck brush.

Do not use smooth leather polish or conditioner on nubuck. The brush is the treatment. Suede is cleaned and brushed the same way.

• Nubuck: the Premium wheat nubuck composite toe waterproof boot and the rest of the Premium wheat family.
• Suede: the Rugged sand suede composite toe boot and the 6.5-inch Durable sand suede boots.
• Suede and nylon: the 5-inch Trail and Trek boots, such as the Trek brown composite toe boot. Brush the suede panels for nap. Wipe the nylon panels with a damp cloth and mild soap.

How to get road salt off work boots

Wipe it off the same day. Road salt does its damage when it dries into the leather, and the white line you see on a boot after a week of plowing lots or salting sidewalks is salt that already has. A damp cloth with mild soap at the end of each shift is enough to lift fresh salt. Follow with a clean damp cloth, then let the boots dry at room temperature.

Once they're dry, condition smooth and oiled leather if it looks dry. On nubuck and suede, brush the nap back up instead.

Cold, wet feet are a safety issue as well as a leather one. NIOSH's cold stress guidance calls for waterproof, insulated boots for cold work and recommends carrying extra socks. Every Kiwi boot has 200g 3M Thinsulate insulation, and the ones labeled Waterproof add a DryVault sealed bootie. For how that compares with a water resistant boot, see our guide on waterproof vs water resistant work boots.

How to dry wet work boots without damaging them

Patience is the whole method. After a heavy soaking, pull the laces and the footbed so air reaches the inside, and give the boots a full 24 hours at room temperature. Drying them overnight before the next shift is usually not enough after a real soaking.

Skip the shortcuts. A boot set against a space heater, on a floor vent or on a truck dashboard in the sun gets exactly the heat that cracks leather and weakens the adhesives that bond the sole. That applies to waterproof boots as much as water resistant ones.

Store boots clean and dry, somewhere ventilated. A sealed bag holds moisture in.

What cleaning won't fix

A clean boot can still be a boot that should be retired. Cleaning won't restore tread that's worn smooth, and it won't bring back EH protection lost to outsole wear.

EH footwear is tested to withstand 18,000 volts at 60 Hz for one minute with no current leakage, under dry conditions. That protection diminishes as the outsole wears and with moisture and contamination, and metal embedded in the sole compromises it. EH footwear is secondary protection and not a substitute for dielectric footwear. OSHA's foot protection rule requires protective footwear where electrical hazards are present, so a boot with a worn outsole goes in the replacement pile however clean it is.

The same goes for the safety toe. Replace boots after any significant impact to the protective toe, even if nothing looks damaged. Our guide on how long work boots last covers the other signs.

A weekly boot care checklist to post in the break room:

• Brush dirt off the uppers and outsoles.
• Wipe salt and residue off with a damp cloth and mild soap, the same day.
• Check the tread for embedded nails, screws or metal.
• Dry wet boots at room temperature, laces and footbed out, for a full 24 hours.
• Condition smooth and crazy horse leather when it looks dry. Brush nubuck and suede.
• Retire boots with tread worn smooth, a separating sole, an exposed or deformed toe, or failed seams or hardware.

This is general care guidance, not legal advice. When a boot comes out of service is set by your hazard assessment and your site's own rules.

Frequently asked questions

How often should you condition leather work boots?

Every few months, or sooner when the leather looks dry. Boots that see a lot of sun, salt or wet-and-dry cycles may need it sooner. Use a conditioner suited to the leather, and skip conditioner entirely on nubuck and suede.

Can you put work boots in the washing machine?

No. Kiwi's care instructions for leather boots are hand clean only. Brush off the dirt and wipe the boots with a damp cloth and mild soap instead. If a boot does get soaked, dry it at room temperature with the laces and footbed out for a full 24 hours.

Can you use leather conditioner on suede or nubuck boots?

No. Kiwi's care instructions say not to use smooth leather polish or conditioner on nubuck, and we treat suede the same way. Clean nubuck and suede with a brush and a damp cloth, let them dry, then restore the nap with a suede and nubuck brush.

Is it OK to dry work boots next to a heater?

No. Direct heat cracks leather and weakens the adhesives that hold the boot together. Dry boots at room temperature with the laces and footbed out, and allow a full 24 hours after a heavy soaking.

Replacing boots across a crew

When inspections turn up a round of worn-out pairs, a single order is easier than a dozen separate ones. Send the styles and sizes through our quote request form, and check fit first on the Sizing and Care page. Stores and distributors who want to stock Kiwi boots can reach our wholesale team at sales@kiwiworkwear.com.