When I clean my boots with water there is still some dirt left on (gravel dust etc) and the leather goes white from too much water. I normally brush polish to solve this but my boots go really shiny. Is there any way to clean so they are black without being shiny?
You can, but if you leave them shiny then they will be more waterproof.
Unless you’re attending a sniper cadre I wouldn’t worry about shiny boots giving away your position.
True, but for sqn setting, i’d prefer them not to be.
Start again, you’re wrecking your boots.
When you clean your boots use warm water, a sponge and some saddle soap (it’s about £5 a bar/pot, you can get it from any equestrian shop, riding stables or online and it will last about 5 years), rinse it off well and let the boots dry naturally.
If you don’t get rid of the dust/grit you’re just grinding it into the leather, and it’s cutting the leather with every brush you make.
Imagine polishing the paintwork on your car with grit - that’s what you’re doing to your boots…
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Sorry, worded that badly. All the dirt is removed by water but the boots go white like unpolished leather would in the rain. And I doubt everyone else uses saddle soap… so how do they manage 
?
They use normal soap. In warm water. Soapy water…
The white stuff is salts coming out of the leather and probably means you’ve got them too wet and or drying them where it’s too warm.
The trick is just use a damp cloth / damp kitchen towel and wipe and maybe a bit more vigourously with as above…
Leave them to dry in the garage or somewhere else that isn’t heated.
Give them a good go with Dubbin a couple of times a year and if so inclined a bit of polish. If someone is getting bent out of shape over boots being used for getting messy, their lives are truly empty of any real meaning.
I’ve got a pair Scapa Attaks that I’ve had for nearly 30 years, they get cleaned after every use with a damp cloth and maybe an old toothbrush to remove stubborn bits and left in the garage and I Nikwax them twice a year which has seemed to keep them in good order.
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Stuff them full of newspaper and let them dry naturally.
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