Boot Care How to Keep Any Pair of Boots Clean and Like New
Boots are a must-have in everyone’s wardrobe. They can be quite expensive though and as much as we try to care for them, if we don’t do it right, they won’t last very long.
Boot care is highly important and we must know how to do it right, which is why we bring you these great tips that’ll help your boots last longer.
Boot Care: Clean Your Boots
The first and most important step in boot care is cleaning them. You can’t move on to anything else unless you’ve removed any dirt particles or grime that the boot might’ve absorbed. It’s as if we were to spray perfume over our dirty laundry and wear it without washing it.
If you have lace up boots, be sure to remove the laces first, as this will make the cleaning stage a lot easier. Next, you want to buff them out lightly with a soft brush or even a horse brush.
Once you’ve finished, grab a soft cloth and make sure it’s damp. For this next step, you can either use a boot cleaner or saddle soap. They both work just as fine.
Rub the lather all over the boots. If you have some stubborn stains, make sure to hit those spots. Not too aggressively where you’ll damage the leather but just enough to get the stain out.
After this, let them dry naturally for about 10-15 minutes. Don’t expose them to the sun or direct heat thinking that it’ll dry faster. Doing this can cause the color to fade.
Conditioning Is Key
Now that your boots are officially clean, it’s time to move on to the next big step in boot maintenance.
When boots are exposed to moisture, especially leather, it dries them out, causing the material to crack. If this has happened in your case, unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to reverse this. The only thing you can do is prevent it from happening again or getting worse.
So yes, conditioning is necessary.
You will need an applicator brush, as well as a good balm or conditioner. Once you have the right materials, rub-down the boots once more with a dry cloth in case we left some dirt behind.
Before applying the balm or conditioner to the entire boot, test a little bit of it on a small spot on one of the boots. Balms tend to darken or change the color of the material so, you want to be sure that the conditioner you’re using won’t make any drastic changes to your boots.
After testing it and assuring that everything is all good, use your applicator brush to apply the balm all over the boot. Use gentle upward and downward movements or circular motions to apply it and try to get it into the cracks or creases that might’ve formed.
If your boots have been in storage for a long time, it’s best to repeat the application of the balm 2-3 times, or as much as you feel is needed. Then, let them dry for another 20 minutes, and after a good 12 hours, rub-down the boots again with a dry cloth or even an old t-shirt to extract any excess oils.
Further Damage Prevention
These next few steps might not be extremely necessary but they will contribute to the durability and quality of your boots, which is why we recommend them.
Boots do stain and depending on the stain, they might be stuck on there forever. This is especially annoying if your boots are light-colored. So try using a stain repellant. Spray it all over your boots and allow them to dry. This will protect your boots from permanently staining.
You can also polish your boots to give them an extra shine and make them look a lot newer. Choose the correct polish color for your boots and apply it using the applicator brush. Don’t use a crazy amount at first. Start off with small amounts and if you feel the need to apply more, then increase the quantity little by little.
Care For Your Boots Well and Often
Lastly, these steps involved in boot care should be done on a regular basis, not once a year. By doing so, you can guarantee that your boots will be sticking around for a while.
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