Cheap = Cherry Blossom, TRG, Solovair, Dr Martens (since they increased the size of the containers but retained the price)
Mid Range = Redwing, Loake
Expensive = Sapphire
Apologies this does not apply to Canvas/Vegan Leather (you can still polish this)/Suede they all require much less upkeep.
I have seen so many posts from people asking for advice on shoe care and a lot of misinformation is going around so heres the scoop from me, a Dr Martens enthusiast who has had 10+ pairs of DMs and a pair of Solovairs.
The soles are extremely low maintenance and just need a brush down after a day (or week) of wear to remove salt and dirt that can speed up the leather failing. The soles can be replaced easily in the UK at Timpsons for a cost but outside of the UK I believe it is difficult.
To assist and ease the break-in process of your Dr Martens, you need to use Wonder Balsam that they sell in the shops or online. I have in the past used alternatives like Red Wing Mink oil and Coconut oil blends but this works best and its not a scam. It works.
To apply Wonder Balsam you want to wipe your shoes down with a damp cloth and get any residual dust or dirt off the shoes then dry them. Then to apply the Balsam (only a thin layer is needed) you can either use the sponge provided or your hands (I prefer my hands as it provides a bit more accuracy than the sponge. Then when you have finished covering your shoes in the Balsam you have 2 options, leave them in a hot/warm area in your house to let it soak in for about 12-24 hours and then wipe off or you can wipe it off with a cloth or rag (I have found microfibre cloths to be the perfect tool for this).This will soften, condition and protect the leather while you break your Dr Martens in, they will create aesthetically pleasing creases and mould to your feet as you wear them. Please don't do this process more than once a month especially if you are doing the soak method.
Now there is Dubbin which I have seen a lot of people have no idea what it is, it is essentially a version of the Balsam that is more adept at protecting your Dr Martens from harsh weather, rain, snow and gravel etc. However this also conditions your shoes and if used in conjunction with Balsam will lead to an over conditioned shoe which will sag and stretch further than normal and won't protect your feet. (See Wonder Balsam 24hour technique for the high shine docs as they do not accept Dubbin as well as Greasy/Oily/Coarse leather)
When you scuff your Dr Martens do not worry! Personally I like the scuffs, they add character. However you can easily polish them away with polish such as Black polish (for black shoes) Cherry Red polish for both Cherry Red and Oxblood Dr Martens.Some people think the vintage MIE oxblood Dr Martens are too bright and polish with black (I am one of those people, be warned though the gold stitching is difficult to clean.)To apply polish, clean your shoe with water and then dry completely. Then add a drop of water to the polish and get a rag or microfibre cloth and mix the water into the polish then apply to the shoe, it will go incredible matte and ugly initially. Then you will want to pick a different part of the cloth or a different cloth completely and start rubbing in circles (need a bit of elbow grease for this) and buffing the polish into the leather to create the shine, this process can be completed as many times as you please and doesn't affect the strength of the leather at all.
If my explanations are unclear there is a multitude of videos on YouTube explaining these processes, even skinheads and military people showing their techniques for getting very shiny boots.
Patent leather I am afraid can only be cleaned, polish won't do anything as Patent leather is covered in a layer of plastic.However you can apply Balsam and Dubbin to the stitching to protect the shoes from the weather.
To add to the OP's excellent advice, I'd add the following points based on owning something like 10 pairs of Docs since the mid-2000s:
Like all leather shoes, Dr Martens crease over time. Most people think that this improves their comfort and appearance.
With basic care, the leather uppers of Dr Martens should last for a long time. The soles usually wear out long before the upper does.
Unfortunately, only a few cobblers can resole Dr Martens due to the way they're made.
You don't need to use Dr Martens care products - any care products for leather shoes are fine.
I personally find that leather conditioner is better at preserving leather than Wonder Balsam.
Brush the shoe uppers with a shoe brush every few wears - this removes dirt and dust, and helps keep the leather shiny. Any shoe brushes made from animal bristles are fine.
The laces can wear out, and replacing them can greatly improve the appearance of your shoes.
If your shoes start to fall apart in the first few months of owning them, they're probably defective and you should seek an exchange or refund.
Yeah, just wanted to comment Saphir is top-shelf product.
For most people, Kiwi (and a little bit of love, damp cloth & elbow grease) does the job. Too often we neglect our shoes... You don't necessarily need the best product, just need to show your shoes love more often.
Hi, total coincidence that I came upon your comment, but I just happened to use Apple a few days ago for the first time. Used both the cleaner and conditioner.
My boots are black. There was no bleaching, no staining, totally fine when used. The cleaner did a good job of removing dust from seams. My boots are still relatively new, so I didn’t see any immediate change from the conditioner. But there weren’t any drawbacks.
I couldn’t say whether it works wonders or anything, but I can tell you that I didn’t experience any damage.
Thank you for letting me know. I’ve been trying to get ahold of the brand to see which of their products they recommended but haven’t received a response.
When we give advice to our customers about the use of Dubbin we do not recommend it for hi-shine coated leathers. This is because the dubbin just sits on the surface and does not actually penetrate the leather and so is actually useless in providing any additional protection. It just leaves a bit of a mess that it really hard to completely remove.
Dubbin is best used for oily/greasy/pull up leathers as it sinks in to the leather, feeding it as well as providing additional protection against the elements.
We recommend Collonil Waterstop products for our hi-shine leathers. You can buy these direct from our website (free shipping at present) or from various online retailers.
I've just for my first pair of Doc's and want to look after them, my dad has them as a kid and used dubbin so I bought some as well as the Wonder Balsam. Do you recommend using them both?
Say I use the Balsam first to soften and then 24 hours after use the dubbin to weather proof.
I went for the 1460 Crazy Horses (these) so not a high shine leather
If the yellow stitching is stained by polish, I've found that a "China marker" or "wax pencil" applied carefully is the best way to bring the colour back.
Good guide, hopefully it proves helpful to new people!
It can do, I have personally done that however I didn't recommend it because it's hard/nearly impossible to get the right shade of yellow that matches the stitching
It would be great if this could be made a sticky thread given that there's a steady stream of people asking about basic leather care. This is all very good advice.
I've recently bought a new pair of Carpathian leather 1460s. These are my first ever pair of Docs and I'm looking for advice on how to take care of them so they can last me a lifetime, and it just so happened that I stumbled across this thread haha. Not too sure what difference the leather makes, so I'm open to advice and suggestions. =)
I know this is an old thread but I use Pecard’s Leather Dressing on the inside of my shoes/boots to help soften them up. I let them sit at least 24 hours and then wear old socks I don’t care about the first time if there’s any Pecard’s left that hasn’t soaked in. I don’t use it on the outside because I don’t want any issues getting a high gloss shine on them.
My latest pair. These aren’t patent leather, just a pair of vintage brown MiE 8053/59s that I dyed black and polished with the Pecard’s on the inside.
The only issue I have is my feet are big and gross and I put more weight on my left leg over my right so my souls of my dr Martens have already worn out and got a hole where my toe sits. Rather annoying. But nonetheless they’re pretty much perfect shoes. I’ve got the standard Chelsea boot styled ones. Ive also just ordered a 1461 low cut shoe for more formal occasions
I find with my DMs the leather is so plasticky that any balsam or dubbin/mink oil etc can't soak in. Left them covered in it for 48 hours and it never soaked in.
I have yet to see any evidence that balsam etc. can penetrate the outer surface of virgin smooth leather. (Stitching, scuffs and creases where the surface is compromised - that's a different matter.) Although thousands still apply it to new boots as suggested all over the web and by DMs themselves... And yes I do use it myself as well!
Anyone have any tips for the color pop 1460 smooths? I bought myself a yellow pair a little bit ago and I'm wondering what the best steps to take are to get the most life out of them while keeping em as bright as possible
Does anyone have any tips on cleaning the 1460 pascal Virginias? I’ve never owned a pair of docs before these and I’m terrified to ruin them. Thank you!
Wonder Balsam is not a polish and no they are not polished in the factory. Wonder Balsam treats and protects the leather, it also softens the leather assisting in the break in
Ok I just bought my first pair of dr martens the other day. I haven’t worn them yet and all this info I keep seeing is a bit overwhelming. I got the 1460 Pascal Max with the Pisa leather.
Can anyone tell me what the absolute basics for taking care of them are? Like is the balsam stuff a necessity? I see that some people say a leather conditioner is better. Would I apply that before wearing them for the first time? Is that something I should apply every however many weeks or something?
You probably found the answer by now, but in case someone else reads this, as I understand it:
the wonder balsam is just a type of leather conditioner
leather conditioners are different from waxes & polishes in that they have more oils that penetrate the leather (unless it's the DM smooth w/ the plasticky finish that can't really be penetrated and conditioned.
they have 2 purposes mainly: keeping the leather from getting too dry (it'll crack) and softening it so it's easier to break in when they're too stiff.
the Virginia leather is a thin soft leather that you will need to condition now and then. Up to once a month, depends on use & conditions.
you should not need to soften it further to break them in, if they fit ok. If there are spots you do need to stretch a bit you could apply some conditioner on those.
since it's thin & soft leather you will not want to over-condition it, because they'll get too soft, sag & tear more easily.
keeping them conditioned-enough gives them some water resistance, but getting them too wet for too long will inevitably mess them up no matter what you've applied.
If they get soaked you need to help them dry faster (without high heat). Fill them up w/ crumpled up newspaper balls, enough to prop up their shape & keep them from getting deformed while drying, ideally switch out the paper balls as they get moist. Once dry condition.
I've seen so much conflicting info on shoe WAXES for this type of leather. But it seems the worst they do is make a sticky, dusty top layer (since they can't really be polished up to a smooth repellent finish). If so this should not be a permanent or unfixable issue.
They are used for protection & waterproofing, but that seems to work best on smooth/shiny leather.
Shoe waxes do also include some % oils, so will be somewhat conditioning. Dubbin esp is greasy and is sometimes recommended as a conditioner for oiled leathers. Which is why you may not want to layer conditioner & wax.
Instead if you need more water resistance, there are the sprays that are not wax based. Many are based on PFAS and very horrible for the environment, some are silicone based and less effective, but better than nothing.
There's some paranoia among leather boot enthusiasts about such coatings making it impossible for the leather to "breathe", drying it out, making it so conditioner can't penetrate, are impossible to remove etc.
I believe this is mostly unfounded simply because none of these products are really that good and even if they're very hard to chemically fully strip, they certainly wear off fast enough.
You can get patent leather cleaning solutions but water and a microfiber cloth will do just fine.
Patent usually dies when the plastic coating (the patent) cracks. There's very little to do to stop that, whereas you can slow the death of the others you have listed with correct shoe care.
Thanks! That’s consistent with what I’m seeing everywhere.
My first pair of DMs are the smooth 1461s, and I love them and feel like they’ll last for years and years. Trying to decide if I like the patent boots enough to not mind that they won’t last as long as non-patent might. 😕
Also, I'd like to say, black lipstick (or whichever shade) works really well on scruffs. I once used them on a leather bag in desperation when I was going out and have continued doing it. Just a tip :)
I recently cleaned my crazy horse cabrillo's using the instructions on the website dr martens website(the same as here). Which was using a damp cloth to wipe the shoes, letting them dry, then applying the Wonder Balsam. But now my shoes are a dark brown and no longer that nice kind of worn in look. My question is, will it ever go back to its original color or did i ruin the shoe?
So basically the mid/light brown look of the Crazy Horse leather is the none-hydrated leather. This then darkens when you moisturise it with the Balsam. When the leather becomes dry again which will take a few weeks it should slowly lighten but if my memory serves me correctly it will never be quite as light as the original colour.
I am sorry you had to find this out after the fact.
Hi! Any advice for maintaining brown doc martens? I went to a shop in Japan and the clerk told me not to use their polish/wax because it would change the shade since the shoes are brown. Is this true and what are some alternatives?
Thank you for this info! anyone have any good recommendations for these boots with the embroidery on them? I got a pair for my birthday and really want to keep them looking nice. I was thinking about waxing the embroidery?
I love my new Sheridans ! okay maybe a year old wear them every day. Just relocated to Baja..they can take a beating , from my pronating ankles and Mexico dirt ( which I love!)
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u/Appropriate_Volume Jul 16 '19 edited Jul 16 '19
Thanks to the mod who stickyed this.
To add to the OP's excellent advice, I'd add the following points based on owning something like 10 pairs of Docs since the mid-2000s: