How to Brush Leather Safely: Which Brush, Which Direction, How Hard

To brush leather safely, use a horsehair brush on smooth leather and brush off dust and dry dirt before you clean or condition, so grit isn't trapped under the product. Use light strokes and get into seams and creases. Suede and nubuck need a different approach: routine brushing with horsehair or boar bristle, and a dedicated suede brush only now and then to lift the nap.

This tutorial is part of our leather care and cleaning guide.

Which brush for which leather

If you only buy one brush for smooth leather, make it horsehair.

In this short video, the shoemaker behind The Shoe Snob channel lines up boar, horsehair, goat and yak brushes from coarsest to softest and explains which job each one does. Note that he says in the video description that he mixed up the goat and yak brushes on camera.

What you need

• A horsehair brush for smooth leather
• A second brush for polishing, kept apart from the dirt brush
• For suede: a suede brush and a suede eraser
• A soft, lint-free cloth (it can stand in for a buffing brush)

How to brush smooth leather in 5 steps

1. Let wet leather dry first. Dry it at room temperature, away from heaters, before you brush. Brushing works on dust and dried dirt, not on wet mud.
2. Brush off dust and grit. Work over the whole surface with the horsehair brush before any cleaner or conditioner goes on.
3. Do the seams, creases and welt. A soft brush reaches dust in creases and seams that a cloth misses.
4. Clean or condition if needed. Brushing is the first step, not the whole job. For conditioning, follow how to apply leather conditioner.
5. Buff after conditioning. Brisk strokes with a horsehair brush remove excess conditioner and even it out. For shoe polish, finish with a soft brush; the full routine is in how to polish leather.

How to brush suede and nubuck

Suede is the napped underside of the hide and nubuck is buffed grain leather; both scratch and mark more easily than smooth leather.

• Routine: a horsehair or boar-bristle brush lifts off surface dirt. One riding-gear maker says suede and nubuck boots should be brushed only, with no leather grease, and the store's glove care also says to brush suede.
• Flattened or dirty nap: use a brass or crepe suede brush with soft, short movements, and not after every wear.
• Stains: a suede eraser goes before the brush.
• Never: rub conditioner into suede or roughout, which mats the nap.

More methods are in our suede care guide.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using your polishing brush on dirt. Keep the dirt brush separate from the one you polish with.
• One brush for every color. Dark product can rub off onto light leather, so keep one brush for dark and one for light.
• A stiff brush on a high shine. Horsehair can leave fine scratches in polished shoes; use goat hair there.
• Scrubbing hard. Rubbing hard can fade color, so keep the pressure light.
• Conditioner or wax on suede. It mats the nap.

Quick answers

What kind of brush do you use on leather?

Horsehair for smooth leather, boar bristle for textured grain, goat hair for a final shine, and a brass or crepe brush for suede.

Can you buff leather without a brush?

Yes. A soft, lint-free cloth works, though one boot maker says it may not give the same shine.

Should I wash leather instead of brushing it?

Usually not. Most leather is damaged by direct contact with water. See can you wash leather? and the full routine in how to care for leather.

For the store's own care advice on garments, see the Leather Collection leather care instructions.