Amid all the different post on getting your bike ready for winter (I wish I was some place warmer) here is an article about getting your leathers cleaned up. LeatherUp.com has some great tips on cleaning and protecting your leathers, click here!

Don’t forget your boots. Now I am sure there are as many different ways to clean and protect your boots as there are people. But for 25 years in the Army I had to clean and shine my boots on a regular basis. Sometimes I came home with more mud and junk on my boots then you could even imagine.

For me the best way to clean my boots (bike or army LOL) is to use a high quality saddle soap and water as hot as your hands can stand. Before you start put an old wash cloth or paper towels inside the boot to absorb any water that might get in. Next use a soft brush to clean the grime using the saddle soap, you may need to do this several times depending on how dirty your boots are. Rinse with the hot water, making sure to heat up the leather (I do this so that the surface of the boot will dry faster), wipe dry.

The last step was always the most time consuming, the spit shine. Now with my bike boots I only have to give them a good bush polish. I do put on several coats of black (or whatever is the matching color) polish followed by one or two coats of clear. For my army boots this was about every two to three weeks. For my bike boots I apply the polish about twice a year and give them a good cleaning each winter.

Now results will vary depending on the age and quality of the leather, but this is what works for me.