Our footwear takes a hammering through the winter months on the yard! We battle rain, mud, snow, ice and freezing temperatures, expecting our boots to keep up. But do we care for our footwear enough?
5 top tips for making your boots last
1) Use the right footwear for the job!If you’re walking through very muddy fields or mucking out stables day-in-day-out you really need a pair of wellies or yard boots. If you’re wearing leather country boots remember that leather is a natural product which will degrade with damp and with contact with urine. Save your country boots for best!
2) Store your footwear indoorsKeeping your boots indoors will help maintain their condition. Ambient temperatures will prevent the material from degrading, whether it’s your wellies, leather country boots or riding boots. Preferably not smelling in the back of your car but that is still better than outside! Use boot trees or stuff your boots with newspaper after each use to help them keep their shape and to stop them from collapsing.
3) Wash all dirt and chemicals (including urine) off your boots after every useTime-consuming - we know! When you’re in a rush it’s all too easy to just pull your boots off and leave them covered in mud, poo and who knows what else. You’ll sort them later, right? Giving them a blast (preferably with warm water but we don’t all have that luxury) even for 30 seconds then letting them dry naturally will make such a difference to extend their lifespan.
4) Treat your bootsNourish your leather boots with the right care products. This will keep them in great condition for longer, making them last and giving you your money’s worth! We would recommend treating them once a week and waterproofing regularly too. Applying care products from day one gives a great base for future care.
5) Give each wear a little thoughtUse a shoehorn when putting your boots on to smooth the inner lining, preventing it from being pulled or becoming damaged. Don’t pull off your boots by standing on the back - use a boot jack instead!
