I‘m wondering what all you leather lovers like to do for cleaning and nourishing your kinky leather goods?
Do we have any Boot-blacking afficionados out there?
We‘re building up a small collection and would love some tips for looking after the leather and the metal parts.
I remember this tip from @Fun_Louise:
And a follow up from @VR:
Leather is as tough as old boots - very resilient - but I use saddle soap too if it needs a real good clean
Thanks ! 
Love it. The @VR comments are particularly interesting. The smell’s a big factor I’d say.
Any and all cleaning and care tips are really appreciated. I really don‘t have much experience except for shoe polish and leather shoes!
In case anyone‘s not familiar with the term: Boot-blacking is a thing in the leather community where good kinky people get their leather polished while they‘re wearing it.
I‘ve got no experience of this scene & honestly have no idea if it‘s even a thing in the UK.
It seems to be an act of service within a bdsm dynamic.
Could it be an interesting task for a submissive partner, perhaps!? I’d bet it sure could be.
I‘m really not sure if it‘s something my wife and I would be into, but I can definitely see the potential for erotically charging the cleaning.
Skin-safe products would be ideal in a Boot-blacking type situation.
I’m also interested if anyone has experience of this kink, or knows where to find out more?
When my OH had a motorbike way back in the day we used to use Dubbin wax on our leather jackets. I assume you can still buy it. I’ve used it on boots too, it nourishes and helps keep the leather supple.
I have used beeswax leather balms before smells great and gives a shiny coating. Guess you could prob eat it as well so all good if you licked it lol
Awesome. So far I‘ve got a choices of scents to work with; stables, shoes, the evocative smell of camping, beeswax and essential oils!
Not forgetting the sensual smell of the leather itself.
Mmmmmmmm
Hello!
I just joined the forums, but I’m a leather worker by trade (mostly wallets, bags, and accessories - but moving into more adult related leather goods). Your best bet is to use a leather cleaner first like saddle soap as others have mentioned, but also give it a good hit with a polish or balm. Saddle soap will dry your leather out after continued use and that is definitely not something you want. There are many balms and polishes on the market, I think the best ones are by smaller companies or makers themselves as it’s something we use A LOT of.
Look for something natural with bees wax and cacao butter. All balms and polish will have an oil in there too, and because this stuff will linger, and therefore be in contact with your body, steer clear of anything with “Neatsfoot Oil” in it as this stuff can really cause problems with skin. I find something with Almond oil is always nice (but this may cause a problem for anyone with a nut allergy).
It’s also very easy to make yourself, a basic recipe is 1 part bees wax, 1 part cacao butter, and one part Oil. Just melt everything in a double boiler, put in a jar and leave to set and cool.
I hope this helps!
xxoonn
Thanks @xxoonn for the recipe. That’s definitely my kind of thing, and I’ll be giving it a try.
Thanks so much for the great answer, @xxoonn 
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Leather‘s kinda complicated stuff it seems!
Am I right in thinking it‘s best to clean first with saddle soap each time, then apply polish or balm to nourish/condition? Or would you say your beeswax recipe is all we‘d need after an initial saddle soaping?
Funny you should mention neatsfoot oil too. I was just in a rabbit hole reading about this stuff!
I‘ve re-discovered an old interview where an experienced Boot-blacking kinkster raved about a particular US made ‘Leather Dressing’ from a family run 'Shoe Grease Company’ (not sure if I can say the brand name) which seems to be a centuries old recipe with neatsfoot oil and beeswax.
Lots of places on the web highly recommend neatsfoot for leather goods and say it’s also good for looking after dry skin on places like elbows! I wonder if some people are particularly sensitive to it? Like allergic? There‘s two types it seems: 100% pure traditional (animal derived) and the other type with additives like lanolin and petroleum based ingredients. I wonder if the natural stuff is safer?
My wife and I both have major skin sensitivity issues with lanolin in particular, and tend to avoid petroleum products on our skin.
Of course, I‘m speculating and getting second or third hand info from the internet. So I‘m really pleased to hear expert opinion. I really appreciate your expertise. 
Oh! And a big Hi 
and welcome to the forums. 
Hi @Knottydevil I guess it depends on what products you’re wanting to clean, how used they are, and type of leather. I should really have spoken to the leather type too, there’s a lot of bad information out there and a million types of leather.
If your products (this goes for ANY leather products) are good quality, they should be made with either “Top Grain” or “Full Grain” leather, this is literally the top few layers of leather, it’s the strong stuff that ages well and lasts a life time. Within that you have a few different types of Tanning (Veg Tan, Chrome Tan, Oil Tan, Combination Tan, Latigo ect ect) These are all products that SHOULD be able to hold up to cleaning and oiling.
Under that comes comes Genuine, Suede, P.U. I know its confusing, but “Genuine” leather is pretty much a trade mark for a type of leather that is the lowest form of leather that they can still call leather, its like the Chip Board of the leather world…mostly glue and newspaper. What makes it confusing is that it’s always advertised as being good quality…when it’s not…but on top of that a lot of people advertise their full grain leather products as “Genuine Leather” without even realising that “Genuine Leather” is a sham, sorry I digress.
The Genuine, Suede, and P.U stuff might have problems holding up to rigorous cleaning and oiling, so I’d advise against saddle soap and just use oil with a tiny amount of soap and a little oil after. The top grade leathers should be able to handle a good cleaning fairly often, but too much soap will still dry it out. I’d suggest only clean it if it really needs it (for instance, I made a strap on harness for my girlfriend and I, after a good use, that’ll definitely need a good clean and then a good oil…but for cuffs, I’d only soap and oil once or twice a year (unless they got dirty too)).
As to the Neatsfoot oil, Maybe I just have very sensitive skin, but I find if I oil a wallet when finishing it, without using gloves, my hands get very red and itchy.
I hope that answered more questions than it created 
Thanks. That’s super helpful. It’s good to know there’s such differences in the leather types.
I’m just beginning to appreciate some of the subtle & important differences between all the the leather cleaners, conditioners and polishes now. I’ve learned so much today
One Lovehoney collection I’m keen to look after are the padded cuffs and spreader bar from the Dominix Deluxe range. These each come with a small sample swatch of the soft, supple full grain (I think) deep black leather. It smells beautifully leathery, has a grain on one side and a suede finish on the back. I’m guessing from the heavy black colouring and the softness and flexibility it’s maybe chrome or oil tanned. The metalwork is shiny chrome plated steel, I think.
I’m searching for ingredients now to make a leather balm for a test run, and hope to report back after.
Think some people use baby wipes on their leather as it’s gentle and won’t damage anything but don’t hold me to it as can’t remember where I heard it from lol!
Thanks @AJSTAR. I’d got it in my head that leather hates water & the two should never mix.
Turns out I was completely wrong on this. Wouldn’t be the first time!
After all the lovely helpful posts on here, I also found some other golden advice from a cleaning expert called Jolie Kerr.
This was after she’d spoken with a specialist who looks after leather items for some of the kinkster community in the San Fransisco area. I’ve summarised the advice, in my own words (please do be aware I am not an expert though!):
Leather’s a porous material and should not be used internally or shared with others who aren’t fluid bonded.
Conditioning the leather with leather balms and oils between cleans, and after washing and drying, is a great way to keep it in top condition.
If you want to thoroughly clean leather every now and then, you can immerse it in warm water with castile soap.
Leather is a hide, and can get wet, but drying and aftercare is critically important.
Saddle soap works in her opinion, but is specifically best suited to address equine sweat, which is significantly more acidic than human sweat.
Tea tree oil is a great anti-bacterial & anti-fungal, so it’s worth adding to the water bath, to prevent bacteria, yeasts & mould.
Drying should be done slowly and thoroughly with particular attention to the metalwork to reduce corrosion.
Phew! It sounds like it makes sense. I’m planning to order castile soap and I’ve got the missing ingredients for @xxoonn’s amazing suggestion too.
On a side note:
I get the impression, after finding out more, the bootblacking scene is a bit like a kinky salon experience, often on the fringes of sex parties and club events, where people are massaged and cared for alongside their leather. Pre-care (with flirting and often sex) rather than aftercare. Some leather balms, oils and polishes apparently have been known to be used for fisting, so ingredients are more critical for some than others! 
It’s been quite a journey of discovery!
Thanks for all the advice! 
Depends on the type of leather but as long as you don’t just drench it under a tap then a baby wipe will be fine to use 