Adventure Network : Apparel / Footwear : Keeping Your Boots Like New: Footwear care tips and techniques.

by Michael Hodgson

When the weather turns wet and chilled, you may need to rely on various lotions, sealers, and electrical devices to help you protect your feet and boots. No, I'm not suggesting visiting a kinky footwear department. On the contrary, an appropriate boot care system for your boots will help you ensure dry, warm and happy feet as well as extending the life of your footwear.

Pre-wear Care

With lightweight fabric/leather combination boots, not much in the way of pre-wear care is needed other than the quick application of a water repellent or waterproofing agent if desired. For leather boots, I recommend that you take your boots on a hike or two to break down the resinous materials often applied to leathers by tanneries--these resins prevent waterproofing agents from penetrating the leather. A good scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush will aid in scuffing the leather sufficiently to allow adequate penetration of sealants. Welt seams around the welt of the boot must be sealed with a welt seal to plug the holes left by the stitching process. A welt seal also serves to protect the stitching from cutting and fraying. Always apply welt seal immediately after your purchase and before applying waterproofing agents.

Regular Primping

Leather, even the leather on fabric/leather boots must be cared for if you expect your boots to last for any length of time. Leather has a tendency to dry and crack and, if not waterproofed, acts like a very efficient sponge--drawing any surface moisture into the boot and, consequently, onto the foot. Boot surfaces should be regularly cleaned with saddle soap or other specially made cleaners using a bristle brush, and then allowed to dry. Waterproofing agents, with the exception of a British made product dubbed Nikwax, cannot be applied to wet fabrics or leather--a definite problem if you are outdoors and your boots do get wet. Waxes, conditioners and leather coatings of all kinds should be applied with the fingertips, working the agent into the leather using body heat only. Stick with one waterproofing or conditioning agent--mixing and matching doesn't work well.

Drying out wet shoes

Keeping shoes dry serves to lengthen the life of footwear (providing you don't opt for the inferno drying method) and minimize bacteria growth thereby minimizing shoe and consequently, foot odor.

Short of the old stand-by method of stuffing a boot full of newspapers, there are a number of air-drying systems on the market that are quite good. Do not use hot air blowing through your footwear as it will shorten your boot's lifespan considerably.

Footwear Care Tools

I recommend the following materials which are easily found at any quality outdoor specialty store or shoe store :

Nylon Brush -- for cleaning a boot with saddle soap.
Brass Brush -- for cleaning suede
Bristle Brush -- for scuffing the surface of new leather boots to aid in the application of waterproofing agents.
Stitch Guard -- sealing and protecting the welt stitching
Aquaseal Fabric/Leather Care Kit--contains a bottle of silicon for waterproofing and a bottle of cleaning fluid as well as a tiny bristle brush that only a gnome could handle. Silicone is suspected of being a culprit in penetrating and damaging adhesive bonds between a boot's sole and the upper. For that reason, I would recommend you carefully apply silicone only to fabric and suede uppers taking great pains to keep it from getting anywhere near your sole.
Nikwax--fabric and leather waterproofing (may be applied even on wet fabric and leather). This is my overall favorite boot leather treatment and is recommended by a vast majority of footwear manufacturers too.
Nikwax--Nuebuck and suede waterproofing (may be applied even on wet leather).
Sno-Seal--for waterproofing leather. The old standby and works well. One problem is in getting it to soak in well enough to the leather. If your boot feels sticky to the touch after letting it sit for 24 hours, then the Sno-Seal has not cured adequately or you have applied too much. Warm your boots slightly in direct sunlight and then buff the boots with a soft cloth to remove the excess Sno-Seal.