Dublin River Boot care

[Whoosh]

Hi all ~ I figured that this forum would be the best place to ask about this!

I have a pair of Dublin River Boots (III) that I wear MUCH more than I had anticipated when I bought them, especially in the winter. I want to keep them as long as possible because I love them so much. But I’m stumped on the best way to care for the leather!

They seem kind of suede-y, so I’m nervous about using a normal leather cleaner/conditioner on them. I also definitely want to keep the waterproofing intact for as long as possible - but again, since they’re not really full grain leather, my normal leather weatherproofing routine seems inappropriate.

How do you care for yours, beyond the typical “hose off” method? Thanks in advance

[Willesdon]

Leather care like all leather care. Use a damp cloth to remove dust, dirt, mud, unknown substances. In fact, leather, being a natural material, will tolerate getting quite wet so don’t worry too much being quite vigorous on difficult crud. Then allow the boots to dry. This is a key part because the leather needs to dry naturally, away from sources of direct heat. If you dry them too fast the leather may be damaged and even crack. Stuffing (news)paper into the foot and leg can help maintain the shape and draw out moisture. Once dry, use a sponge to treat the boots with a good quality conditioner that is appropriate for the type of leather and allow that to penetrate for a few minutes before wiping off any excess. If the leather is smooth, use a leather cream, applied with a sponge, wipe off any excess with a soft cloth and buff them up to a nice shine after they have had a few minutes to finish absorbing the cream. Then, finally, use an appropriate waterproof or weatherproof spray, which should help the boots retain their good looks.

My best plain leather riding boots are at least half a century old and have survived plenty of action. I find that drying them slowly, then conditioner, then polish keeps them surprisingly waterproof. My Spanish leather boots I just wipe clean and use Belvoir Leather Balm on them because they are a rough leather.
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[Scribbler]

I got a boot dryer. It is a contraption that forces lukewarm moving air into a boot. It is great for gently drying boots from the inside out. It takes a good 90 minutes. My boots sometimes feel like they rot from the inside out.

[TooManyTBs]

I get 2-3 years out of my Dublins before the leather around the sole cracks, with almost daily wear in mud and snow. I clean them probably once a week with whatever saddle soap I’m using at the time for the rest of my tack. I’ll condition them a few times a year. I treat them like tack, not like my tall boots (maybe they would last longer if I did, but usually the lining has fallen apart by the time the leather cracks.) If you have them in brown, they’ll look very dark when you clean/condition them. Mine have all gone almost back to their original color once dry.

[colorfan]

Maybe check the website and see what they recommend? Personally I wipe my leather boots with Belvoir saddle soap, they last several years with regular use.

[Whoosh]

Thanks all for the replies! It sounds like I’ll be reasonably safe just cleaning and conditioning them like regular leather. The suede-y surface just made me nervous.

The Dublin/Weatherbeeta website does have a “care page” but it was pretty generic. “Wipe with a damp cloth” etc. My leather usually needs a much more heavy-duty cleaning than that!

I’m happy to hear that people are getting multiple years out of theirs, though!

@Scribbler the drying aspect of things had honestly never occured to me before! Perhaps I should at least consider invetsing in some kind of dessicant pack to leave inside them.

[Scribbler]

https://www.marks.com/en/duracare-2-stack-boot-dryer-273945.html?cid=DRMKT&gclid=Cj0KCQiAq5meBhCyARIsAJrtdr5w2sIjoHiX5LvNr8yOReGq4_snl_7GapK-w6OWK5CWTC-SqFrZqhsaAmjEEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#273945[color]=BLACK&273945[size]=ONE&fo_c=1301&fo_k=4f38947cc8439f7ae32ca1a9c72fad11&fo_s=gplaca