Winter Boot Care: Advice Needed!

I have several pairs of winter boots now, that fit my needs beautifully. I love them and hope to wear them for years to come. But I'm not sure what the best way to care for them is, so I thought I'd ask the forum members!

For context, I've just moved to the 'snow belt' area of upstate NY (near the Great Lakes). I get around via walking & public transport, so I'm walking on city sidewalks/streets (when crossing at the end of the block) that are plowed and salted in areas. The sidewalks at the end of blocks often has an obnoxiously large pile of dirty snow to surmount. As I've learned in the past few days, my boots will definitely be dealing with a significant amount of slush when the temps warm up & the snow melts too! I also go to a little section of woods in a park that involves walking through however many inches of snow have fallen. So my boots need to put up with a fair amount.

I have one pair that are waterproof nubuck, one pair w a rubber foot & weather-proof leather upper, one pair w a rubber foot & waxed canvas upper, and one pair that is all weather-proof leather. Whew. (They all have sturdy rubber soles, obviously.) Any tips or advice? Should I be wiping them down after walks? If so, w a dry or damp cloth?

9 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

First, make sure they're weatherproofed for this year. I usually spray and/ or treat my boots each year if they've had any wear in bad conditions.

Even though the leather ones are waterproof, you won't want to walk through slushy puddles in them. Water will come through the seams. Yes, it's going to happen unintentionally. But don't wear them when you know that deep wet is unavoidable. Wear the rubber footed ones then.

The leather ones are fine for dry snow/ plowed but not wet sidewalks.

I always wipe mine down when I come in, usually with a very lightly damp cloth. The idea is to get the salt off! Salt will stain and eat into the material the boot is made of. Yuck.

I save my leather winter boots for more urban wear, to be honest. When I'm walking in the parks on the way to the gym or just stomping around on a walk, I wear the Kamiks.

Anonymous

A fairly stiff brush, spray and a damp cloth are in my hands every day in the winter. The salt stains are the worst - and I try to get those off asap. I go through a can of weatherproofing spray each season , easily. I have found coloured suede and nubuck refresher sprays which can mask salt stains - and they work really well. I have black and navy sprays and use them every time I wear my leather boots outside. What an arsenal

kkards

well i feel like a slacker, when i'm feeling ambitious i wipe with a damp cloth. so, most of the time i do nothing. but where i live its more slush than anything.

Joy

I don't live in a heavy snowbelt, but it can get deep with plowed piles and salt. I wipe mine off with a damp cloth, treat with weatherproofing spray as well as doing frequent polishing with lots of paste polish, letting it soak into the leather for further waterproofing (my Dad's trick in the days before waterproof spray.)
I'd also advise alternating boots as much as possible so that they can dry out between wearings.
I've had the sole separate from the bottom of the boot with a couple of favorite pairs, probably due to wet and salt. Even the cobbler just advises glueing which has not been successful. I'm considering good old rubber rain boots with a couple pair thick wool socks for the salty slush days.
I hope to see what others do posted here. Good question, E.

Sveta

Joining the chorus on wiping the salt stains as soon as posssible! When i go to work I wipe them at work in the bathroom when I come in the morning AND again in the evening at home. Salt does ruin the leather and almost impossible to get rid off when lingers for several days.
Suz, my Blondo boots go through the slushy puddles without any leaking at all. They are really waterproof (including the seams) and this is why I am a HUGE fan. The same is true for my UGG leather boots.

Hi E, I will second the advice about letting your boots dry throughly before wearing again. They will last a lot longer. For the boots with waxed canvas upper you can re-wax them if they start to absorb water/moisture. I used Filson wax on my tin pants when I worked in the field. Works great to keep the fabric hydrophobic.

http://www.filson.com/products.....69033.html

Sveta, that is great to know. I had a pair of Clarks that held up like that for one season -- and then the water got in. Alas.

I wish Blondos would be narrow enough/ short enough in the calf for me...I will continue my Blondo hunt.

gryffin

E - I second everyones suggestions. Clean with leather, suede cleaner yearly, Then weatherproof. After each wear wipe with damp cloth to remove salt, used leather cleaner/conditioner if it was bad. If the boots are wet stuff toe boxes with newpaper or shoe trees and keep away from heat. If they are nubuck or suede when they dry brush gently with a suede brush. You'll hate me for this, but I never wear my good boots in bad weather. even the aquatalias and la canadiennes will really get ruined. I bought the Uggs belcloud, adirondak, adirondak tall for this purpose. I wipe them clean after a storm as above and then condition them regularly. The belclouds are three or four years old and look new. This is the time for those bean boots, kamiks, sorrels. On nice dry winter days then the nice boots come out to play. Just my thoughts!!

Helena

I'm terrible with boot care, but you can buy salt stain remover which is great to get those stains off. Welcome to the snow!!

Style Fan

I echo all the wisdom given above. I never wear my "waterproof" leather boots in slush or really bad conditions. My Timberland oiled suede boots are waterproof and I have taken really good care of them. After 10 years they are still in great condition. They do look a bit dated. I wear my Sorels when it is slushy. They use sand not salt here. I think it is because it works better at the temps.

For my leather boots I spray them or I condition them with Frye cream. The Frye cream darkens the leather. Beware.

Thank you everyone! I'll definitely start wiping my boots down every time I get home.

Thistle

I condition mine with a product I got from my cobbler, but I wear true snow boots outside most of the time.

Diana

I use doc martens wonder balsam. Originally got it to help break in my docs, but it works on all smooth leathers to remove scuffs and salt stains, plus it adds some water resistance too. I do also usually spray the boots also (I just use the kiwi stuff you can buy at any drug store).

http://m.zappos.com/dr-martens.....am-neutral

Category