Care for Cowboy Boots

Since cowboy boots are a big investment whether they cost $80.00 or $2000.00, the right care is the best way to protect your investment. It is not really all that hard to care for cowboy boots but important. You always want to wipe off any mud you may have on them immediately while the mud is fairly damp, and use a soft damp cloth to wipe off any dust that could be left on your boots. For boots that may be very dry, shoe cream or leather conditioner can be used and is preferred over saddle soap which could hurt the finish on the boot.

There are all sorts of different kinds of cowboy or cowgirl boots as in cowhide cowboy boots are very strong maybe the toughest of all the cowboy or cowgirl boots. Cowhide can be cleaned by brushing off any loose dirt & dust and then use approved leather conditioner to clean. You may want to use a matching shoe color cream, brushing into the leather and then use a soft clean cloth to buff the boot.

Some boots are durable but softer to touch as in rough out or suede cowboy boots. With this type of boot you want to avoid the mud, then clean with a nylon brush and you should treat with a stain protector fairly often.

Full quill ostrich cowboy boots have a very unique grain. The smooth ostrich leather is soft to the touch due to reduced indent contents. The ostrich cowboy or cowgirl boots are very strong and versatile. To care for the ostrich leather brush off any loose dirt with a brush or a soft cloth, apply Reptile Conditioner with a soft cloth and then let them dry followed by thin coats of conditioner as needed.

Cowboy boots made from snakeskin are smooth and very delicate to touch. To care for snakeskin cowboy or cowgirl boots wipe against the scales to remove dust and dirt. When applying matching cream polish make sure you polish with the grain of the scales. Yellowing of snakeskin is caused by the sun and cannot be reversed with cleaning products.


There are cowboy boots made from alligator and to keep them in good condition you simply brush off any loose dirt with a brush or a soft cloth. Apply Reptile Conditioner with a soft cloth and then let them dry. Buff the leather and apply thin coats of conditioner as needed.

There are other exotic cowboy or cowgirl boots like elephant & lizard to care for these types brush off loose dirt then clean with a leather conditioner. Then you would apply a thin coat of a matching wax polish and buff.

Some of the boot makers that would make these types of exotics, or cowhide would include Ariat, Lucchese , Justin, Tony Lama, Charlie 1 Horse, Olathe, Chippewa. Cowboy boots come in a wide range of sizes for any lifestyle. The exotics are generally the most expensive compared to cowhide or rough out leathers.