Red Wing is one of the most popular work boots available on the Market, its durability and comfortability stole the hearts of many people. including mine. The most popular version of Red Wing are the Heritage models, which is our focus on this tutorial. I will be covering several topics: Cleaning, Color Restoration, Sole restoration, and more!

I did a lot of mistakes when I first started with cleaning and restorations, lots of trial and errors which resulted in either success or frustration. I made this tutorial so that other people will not make the same mistakes I did, and at the same time I want to encourage people to restore their own boots by showing effective ways to do so.

In this tutorial you will notice that I’ve restored several Red Wing boots, they are actually my personal— I bought them from several local thrift stores in our City. Of course not all boots can be restored, I personally evaluate each one before purchasing.

Tip: do not buy used boots with too much creases and cracks.

Cleaning

There are several ways to clean your boots, but in this tutorial I will share the methods that I personally use to successfully get rid of all the dirt and grime.

Brush your boots with a horse brush to get rid of all that dust and mud. For suede leather you can use a suede brush —be sure not to go too hard as suede brush have metal bristles which could damage the leather if too much pressure is applied. Use saddle soap to get rid of harder stains — Grab an old toothbrush that you no longer use then start brushing the surface with saddle soap and water until you notice bubbles, then grab a clean dumped cloth to wipe the surface of the leather. I usually repeat this step 3–4 times to ensure that the surface is completely clean. You can use a bigger brush to speed up this process, just make sure not to brush too hard as it could permanently damage the leather. When you’re done, let your boots dry for 12–24 hours before proceeding with the next step. Apply leather conditioner — After your boot has completely dried it will be in a state where the surface feels rough, this is because all the wax and conditioners that keeps the boot alive are gone, and if this was left untreated — it will eventually lead to cracking. So you need to apply a leather conditioner to help rejuvenate the surface. Any leather conditioner will do, usually the cheapest are the brands used by Car Wash companies for cleaning leather interior of cars. After application, let it dry for 10–20 minutes. Apply mink oil — if your job requires you to be on the field where your boots are expected to get a lot of water and dirt, then I strongly suggest that you apply mink oil to help protect the leather of your boots.

Note: Avoid using alcohol, bleach, or detergent for cleaning your Red Wing boots as they will damage the surface of the leather.

Here are some pictures of Before and After cleaning: