I bought these Greb Combat boots at the local surplus. They are almost new, they have never been polished and are not broken in and I paid them only $45. But they are dirty and that's the reason for the low price. They have probably been worn during a bootcamp or something. I removed most of the dirt on the soles with water, a bit of Palmolive and a plastic brush.

Now for the leather, what is the proper way to wash them, and then condition and wax them to protect against salty slush, oil and water?

I've read that using regular soap is bad for the leather because it's alkaline. What is the best strategy for taking care of them boots? I was thinking to use Lexol-pH cleaner then Lexol conditioner and then somewhat waterproofing them with wax (less breathable result) or silicone (more breathable) or something but it's not clear...

Any advice welcome

Thanks
Frankie

My most humble opinion: The boots already have a layer of protectant on them just by the fact (assumed) they have been worn. I would just use a good ol' horse hair brush with just good ol' water and brush until they are clean. After that put on the protectant of choice. When I was in the military I knew guys that could make a pair of boots last seemingly forever using just good ol' Kiwi(TM) shoe polish. They had to get them resoled long before the leather even looked "worn".

I am not a representative either paid or otherwise for KIWI products.

I second MoBob's statement.

I only used water (via a garden hose) to get the mud off/out of the soles. Using good ole fashioned shoe polish is the best thing for the leather boots, after I would dry brush the dirt off.

If I would be on base, I'd use pantyhose to shine my boots up after applying the polish.

If I were going into the field, I'd apply the polish on thickly and leave the boots like that.

Polish is great. When cleaning, saddle soap is pretty good too. If the boots get really wet (and what used boots don't get wet?), don't put them near a heat source to dry them, that will ruin the leather. Let them dry naturally. You can stuff them with newspaper to speed things up a bit...

Putting almost anything on them is better than doing nothing. I have had great results with SnoSeal and light amounts of Kiwi polish on a pair of Vasque Sundowners. They were worn a lot in damp grass and brush. The lighter boots, typically fabric and light leather, I protect with NikWax. Haven't really used this stuff long enough to say for sure, but it seems to work pretty well so far. The main thing is regular cleaning and treatment.

I would probaly foolw the crowd on this, but because this is ETS ....

A shoeshine guy of some 5 decades of experience hates KIwi and other easy to get polish because he claims the formaldehyde in them eats leather. Truth or?

I use Fluid Film on all my leather.

The main ingredient is wool wax...which is Lanolin...which is the main ingredient of Oil of Olay...which has been keeping leather soft and protected for decades.

I hose off my boots, let them dry outside for a few days. Kiwi shoe polish. Currently, I have a pair of Wolverine boots that I bought in '96 and resoled once, going strong with no cracks in the leather. A pair of Chippewa's, the inside is falling apart but otherwise OK (from '98). All of cheap surplus Jungle boots I tossed when I wore out the insoles, not the leather.

So, Kiwi is great in my book.

I have had boots eaten by jungle rot, ice plants, all kinds of stuff, but never by Kiwi. Been using it since the early '60's (or maybe late '50's) without it ever eating a shoe/boot...

I use saddle soap followed by Kiwi for regular boots and a leather balm for oil-tanned.