Cleaning is the step people skip and the reason their waterproofing never lasts. Here is what to buy, and what each kit actually contains.
By Scooter M., Enthusiast. Published September 1, 2026.
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Quick picks
The shortlist, ranked
Ranked on published manufacturer specifications and, where a wattage figure exists, computed running cost. Tap any row for the full write-up, including who should skip it.
#
Product
Best for
Score
Price
01
Jason Markk Essential KitA first kit covering leather, canvas and knit
Scores are ours and editorial. They are never published as review or rating markup, because we have not tested these products.
Cleaning is not the boring prelude to boot care. It is the step that decides whether everything after it works. Proofer applied over dirt seals the dirt in. Conditioner applied over dirt drives it into the leather. Almost every “my waterproofing does not last” complaint traces back to skipping this.
The reason it matters: a membrane works by passing vapor through a pore structure. Ground-in dirt blocks those pores, so a dirty membrane boot stops breathing regardless of how much proofer you put on the outside. This is the cleaning half of the two-step Nikwax system, and it is the half people skip - which is exactly why their proofer never seems to last.
Ten minutes here decides whether the next two steps do anything at all.
What is in each box
Option
Published contents
Best on
Jason Markk Essential Kit
Cleaning solution plus a standard brush
Leather, canvas and knit - a first kit
Nikwax Footwear Cleaning Gel
125 ml gel with brush applicator
Membrane-lined boots, before re-proofing
Fiebing’s Saddle Soap
Glycerine soap that cleans and conditions
Smooth leather only - never suede
Boot care brush set
Horsehair, suede and welt brushes
A household with mixed materials
Jason Markk takes the top spot as a starting point rather than as the most specialized product: solution plus a decent brush in one box, and it covers leather, canvas and knit. If you own nothing at all, it is the tidiest way to stop owning nothing. It is a gentler, sneaker-first formula though - for work boots caked in mud you want saddle soap and a stiffer brush.
Fiebing’s Saddle Soap is the value pick and it has been the value pick for about a century. A glycerine soap that lifts salt and grime together and conditions slightly as it goes. Two limits: not on suede, where soap mats the nap, and it takes oils out, so condition afterwards.
The brush is the actual tool
Most of cleaning is mechanical. The solution loosens; the brush removes. A good horsehair brush will do more for a leather boot than an upgrade from a mid-range cleaner to an expensive one - which is why a brush set is on this page at all. See the brush roundup.
Do not clean and stop
Cleaning removes oils and it removes whatever proofing was on the boot. Both Nikwax and Grangers write their directions on the assumption that you will re-proof immediately afterwards, in the same session, while the boots are still damp. Plan the whole sequence - clean, dry, condition, proof - rather than treating the clean as a job on its own.
If the boots you are cleaning are Dr. Martens, the maker publishes its own short routine and a list of its materials that must never see a balsam - worth reading before you open a kit. How to clean Dr. Martens has both.
The write-ups
Every pick, in full
01 / Best starter kit
Jason Markk
8.1 / 10
Jason Markk Essential Kit
Solution plus a premium brush in one box - the tidiest starting point if you own nothing at all.
−Set quality is uneven - the horsehair brush is usually the weak one
−Contents vary by seller
−No published composition
Skip this one if
You only own one pair of smooth leather boots - buy the horsehair brush alone.
How it scores, by criterion
Documented use5.5
Material range9.5
Ease of use9.0
Durability7.0
Value9.0
How these picks were chosen
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty dryers. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we did instead: read the manuals, compile the published specifications, compute the running cost from the manufacturer's own wattage figure, and show the arithmetic so you can check it.
What is the best thing to clean leather boots with?
For general dirt, a dedicated footwear cleaner and a horsehair brush. For a deeper clean on smooth leather, saddle soap. For membrane-lined hiking boots, a cleaning gel made for waterproof footwear - dirt in the membrane stops it breathing.
Do I need a special cleaner for Gore-Tex boots?
It genuinely helps. Nikwax states its Footwear Cleaning Gel revitalizes the water repellency and breathability of waterproof footwear, and the reason is physical: ground-in dirt blocks the pore structure the membrane relies on.
Are boot cleaning kits worth buying?
As a starting point, yes - getting a solution and a decent brush together removes the excuse not to clean. Once you know what you own, buying the cleaner and the brushes separately usually gets you better versions of both.
Can I use saddle soap on all my boots?
On smooth leather, yes. Not on suede or nubuck - soap mats the nap permanently. And always condition afterwards, because saddle soap takes oils out along with the dirt.
