Brushes
Horsehair brushes
Long for cleaning off dust and dirt
Round (dauber) for soap
Buffing brushes
Long for polishing (also horse hair)
Suede brush
Crepe brush
For scuffs on suede and nubuck
Small brushes
Like a toothbrush for smaller areas. A soft denture brush works great for seams and welts
Stripper
Only for when you’re redoing a finish. It takes off polish, the factory finish and sometimes the dye, so it’s not a cleaner. Recondition after, it strips oils too.
Angelus Leather Preparer and Deglazer
Over 70% acetone. Very flammable, so use gloves, good ventilation and no flames
The most toxic thing in the kit. Keep it far from mouths
Cleaning
Glycerin based:
Glycerin soap isn’t pure glycerin, it’s regular soap with glycerin added. It’s mild and has nothing extra in it (no rosin, wax or conditioner), so you get a clean surface for whatever product you use next. Go unscented when you can, fragrance is a common allergen.
Fiebing’s Glycerine Soap Bar
Neutrogena Glycerin Facial Cleansing bar
Get the fragrance-free one
Lida Soap bar
Contains fragrance
Tip-Top Lädertvål
Glycerol soap with no solvents. The maker says it isn’t harmful to swallow in moderate amounts
Other:
Saddle soap is sold as a two-in-one, but don’t count on it to condition. It’s a stronger soap than glycerin soap, it has some wax, and it can leave a film if you don’t wipe it off well. Keep it off suede, nubuck and unfinished leather. Saddle soap can darken your leather.
Fiebing’s Saddle Soap
Allergy ⚠️ – Rosin (pine resin)
Leather Honey cleaner
A concentrate you mix with water. The ingredients aren’t public
Conditioner
Match the conditioner to the leather: heavy leather can take a heavy conditioner. Heavier products (more oil, less water) darken leather more, so you might want to layer lighter ones instead. Try anything new on a hidden spot first.
Light leather (milk/lotion products):
Chamberlain’s Leather milk
Allergy ⚠️ – Almond Oil
SAPHIR Crème Universelle
jojoba oil, lanolin, and beeswax
Allergy ⚠️ – Lanolin and beeswax
SAPHIR Renovateur
beeswax, montan wax, apricot kernel oil and lanolin
Allergy ⚠️ – Lanolin and beeswax
Saphir’s other Renovateurs use mink oil or macadamia (a tree nut), so check which one you have
Kiwi Leather Lotion
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax
Bick 4 Leather Conditioner
Water based and darkens very little. A go-to before polishing
Has a little silicone, which can make dyeing or a mirror shine harder later
Allergy ⚠️ – DMDM hydantoin (a preservative)
Lexol Leather Conditioner
Water based, darkens little and has a full ingredient list. One of the mildest for mouths
Allergy ⚠️ – Tall oil (pine-derived, so careful with rosin allergies)
Collonil 1909 Leather Lotion
Wax emulsion with no solvents. Easy to find in Europe
Allergy ⚠️ – Aloe vera
Famaco Gelée Délicate
Beeswax and shea butter gel with almost no solvent. Good for delicate leather
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax and OIT (a preservative)
SAPHIR Nappa Cream
For soft, delicate leathers like nappa. Solvent free
Allergy ⚠️ – Wheat protein (gluten)
Heavy leather:
Huberd’s Shoe Grease
Darkens leather, conditions and repels water
Allergy ⚠️ – Pine tar and beeswax (with propolis)
It can trigger skin allergies
Finland’s Bear Grease
Petroleum and natural waxes
Obenauf’s Heavy Duty LP Leather Conditioner
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax (with propolis)
Fiebing’s Aussie Leather Conditioner
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax
Leather Honey conditioner
Sold as non-toxic, but the ingredients aren’t public. It’s an oil rather than a lotion, and it can darken leather
100% Pure Neatsfoot oil
Softens and conditions. Used in leather crafting, darkens the leather and it’s easy to over-apply
Make sure it says 100% pure: Fiebing’s neatsfoot oil “compound” is just mineral oil
Tip-Top Läderbalsam
Just coconut fat, beeswax and lanolin oil. No solvents
Allergy ⚠️ – Lanolin and beeswax
Polish
You want to match your hardness, so a soft Italian leather will need a cream/creme polish. Save hard wax for the toe caps and heel counters, it can crack where the boot bends. Black is obviously the main color you may use, if you need others, don’t be afraid to experiment. And if you can’t find a color match you can always go with neutral.
Creams:
They give a gentle shine and carry more color than wax polish, so they’re great for evening out color and covering scuffs. You can also use softer polish on harder leathers.
Kelly’s Shoe Cream
Allergy ⚠️ – Lanolin and BIT (a preservative)
Tarrago Shoe Cream
Tarrago Self Shine
Water based, with no oils or silicone. Tarrago left the oils out so it won’t darken, so it’s good for light leather
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax
SAPHIR Crème Surfine Pommadier Shoe Polish
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax and sweet almond oil
Famaco Crème de Beauté
About 43% solvent, so let it dry well before any licking
Allergy ⚠️ – Lanolin, beeswax, fragrance and MIT (a preservative)
Hard wax:
Mainly used to achieve a good shine and protect the leather
Kiwi Shoe Polish
Is a little on the softer side
SAPHIR Pâte de Luxe
Allergy ⚠️ – Turpentine and beeswax
Not one to lick, it’s 20–30% turpentine
SAPHIR Amiral Gloss
Harder waxes, for spit shine on the toe caps and heel counters
Allergy ⚠️ – Turpentine
SAPHIR Mirror Gloss
Saphir’s Médaille d’Or version of Amiral Gloss. For toe caps and heel counters only
Allergy ⚠️ – Turpentine and beeswax
Angelus Shoe Wax Polish
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax
Tarrago Premium Shoe Polish
Water based and silicone free
Allergy ⚠️ – Beeswax
Lincoln Stain Wax Shoe Polish
Carnauba wax
Kelly’s Paste Wax Shoe Polish
Contains silicone, which makes later coats and stripping harder
Latex and rubber
Never use leather conditioner, oils or grease on latex, they make it swell and break down. Silicone shiners give the best shine but make latex very hard to repair later, so ask the owner before you shine it.
Vivishine
Silicone shiner, solvent free and odorless. The ingredients aren’t published
Viviclean
Washing lotion for latex and rubber clothing
ViviPowder
Stops latex from sticking to itself in storage
Rags
Microfiber cloths
Don’t put them in the dryer or they’ll get scratchy
Cotton rags
Old t-shirts work as long as they are cotton
Other
Spray water bottle
You will use it while cleaning but also during the buffing and shining of shoe polish. I suggest one where you can adjust the stream.
Spray bottle with 70% alcohol
For disinfecting gear that’s been in contact with bodily fluids. Clean first, test on a hidden spot, and recondition after, it strips oils. Household vinegar isn’t strong enough to disinfect
Cotton buds
Used for spit shining
Brasso/Sidol
Used to polish/clean hardware bits. It’s abrasive and has ammonia, so keep it off the leather and rubber, and away from mouths
Shine cloth
Used for high gloss shine. 100% Nylon pantyhose also work.
Suede protector spray
Spray it outside and away from faces, the mist is bad to breathe. Famaco’s universal spray is PFC free (no fluorinated chemicals)
Let it air out for a day before any licking
Nitrile gloves
For strong products, allergies and bodily fluids
China marker / grease pencil
To touch up colored sole stitching. White and yellow are the most useful
Lighter
For frayed synthetic thread. A quick pass, and keep the flame off the leather
Good to know
- Nothing here is made to go in a mouth. If there’s bootlicking, buff until the cloth comes away clean and keep tongues off soles and welts. The mildest are Lexol, Tip-Top and plain glycerin soap. The worst are the deglazer and the turpentine waxes (Saphir Pâte de Luxe, Amiral Gloss and Mirror Gloss)
- Pine is a common allergen and it hides under different names: rosin in saddle soap, pine tar in Huberd’s, turpentine in Saphir’s hard waxes. Keep lids closed, old tins get more allergenic
- Keep solvent polishes, oils, greases, lanolin and Brasso off rubber soles, welts and latex. They make rubber swell. Water and mild soap are fine
- Some products have silicone (Kelly’s Paste Wax, Kiwi Parade Gloss, Bick 4). It shines fast but makes later coats and stripping harder
- Test anything new on a hidden spot, especially on light leather. Darkening can take a day to show
- Ingredients links go to the maker’s full ingredient list. Safety sheets only have to list the hazardous ingredients, so if something isn’t on one, that doesn’t mean it isn’t in the tin
Resources
Links are not affiliate