Essential Care Tips For Walking Boots

By Francine Hampton


Just what is the ideal way to clean and protect your walking boots? Washing and caring for your walking footwear is a sure-fire method to extend the life of the hiking footwear. But with lots of different advice and varied products available on the market, just what is the best way to clean and protect your current walking footwear?

First of all, take out the laces and insole out of your shoe. Lots of boot styles feature a completely removable insole for this particular purpose. It can help you thoroughly air the boot, take away odour, plus replacing the insoles in your shoes or boots is another important aspect to help extend the lifespan of your walking boots. Taking out the shoelaces will help you get to corners that will be normally folded away. This allows a more in depth clean. Also, removing the laces means that you can spot any kind of deterioration and see whether the shoelaces need to be replaced.

After removing the laces and the insoles, use a brush and lukewarm running water to remove dirt from the walking boots. If they are very heavily soiled it may be necessary to use special boot cleaning products. These will help lift the dirt and clean the boot more effectively. Once the boots are clean, the leather will be in a state which means it is able to soak up water. Adding a water repellent spray whilst the shoe is still damp will help defend the leather from water. This is sprayed onto the shoe and, after being left to dry thoroughly, water will bead off. It is advised that shoes are left for 24 hours to dry.

Adding a water based creme to your footwear can assist the leather in maintaining its normal soft qualities. Without it, the leather within the walking footwear may become weak and break. This may damage the walking shoe which can't be repaired. Creme is preferable to natural oils or even greases which can block the pores within the leather's surface and alter the breathability. Leather which has been clogged with oil or grease performs much more like rubber.

After this treatment, provide the boots with lots of time to dry out. Leaving them on some sort of radiator or heater, in your car, beside an open fireplace or even on the back step in sunlight should really be avoided. These can all damage the walking boot. Keeping the boots confined or in an area of high humidity, inside the boot of your car or perhaps in your garage, for instance, makes it possible for your boots to go mouldy. Mould and mildew will not help your boots perform. Allow your walking boots to breathe and they'll continue to keep performing for you.




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