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Oil Work Boots Regularly

Leather oil boosts the water resistance of your work boots. My personal favorite is neatsfoot oil. It offers the best combination of leather preservation and softening of all the products I’ve tried.

Start by brushing off your boots thoroughly. Then use a clean, soft shoe shining cloth to apply the oil to your boots. Be thorough, generously rubbing the oil into all cracks and crevices. Then give it one to three hours to dry. I find applying oil every six months or so is optimal.

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Apply Multiple Layers of Protection

When it comes to waterproofing your leather boots, more is better. Oiling them helps a lot, but I find it’s not enough on its own. That’s why I always finish up by applying leather boot wax on top of the oil.

The product I like best is generically called dubbin, and lots of brands make it. Make sure the leather oil you’ve applied is dry to the touch before cracking open the dubbin.

Use a fresh shoe shining cloth or disposable shop towel to rub it on, and make sure you work it into all cracks and crevices. As with the oil, I like to apply this every six months. Sometimes I’ll do it more often if I’ve been wearing my boots for lots of heavy, damp work.

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Keep Spare Work Boot Laces On Hand

The first part of your work boots that will probably fail are the laces. My laces are always snapping, fraying and getting tied in knots. That’s why I stock at least one replacement pair at all times. Who wants to stop working because of a busted boot lace? Not me, and I’m betting not you, either.

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