Aftercare

Treat your footwear regularly with LOWA aftercare products.

2019 LOWA Boots Aftercare Collection

LOWA Active Cream 75ml

Lowa active creme is available in a black colour for customers who use black boots but is also available in a neutral colour for use on any other colours. LOWA Active Cream is a high-quality shoe cream developed specifically by Lowa for footwear. It provides routine care and impregnation whilst retaining the breathability of the membrane. The leather gets a new shine and upgraded water repellence without clogging the pores of the leather. Apply as per instructions.

LOWA Water Stop 250ml

The ideal waterproofing agent for all types and colours of grained and smooth leather footwear, as well as for suede and fabric boots (including those incorporating breathable fabrics like GORE-TEX and Symaptex etc). Lowa Water Stop keeps boots waterproof, supple, dirt repellant and breathable. Environmentally friendly 250ml aerosol spray.

Climate Controlled Footbeds

The LOWA Climate Controlled Footbeds are available as paired items from most stockists.
Sizes available are: 3, 4, 5, 6, 6½, 7,7½, 8, 8½, 9, 9½, 10, 10½, 11, 11½, 12, 13, 14, 15

Winter, Summer and Replacement Standard Footbeds

Interchangeable with standard LOWA footbeds
Sizes available are: 5, 6, 7, 8, 8½, 9, 9½, 10, 10½, 11, 12, 13.

Military laces

Laces are also available from most good stockists.

Laces - brown: 210 cm.
Laces - black: 150 cm, 160 cm, 180 cm & 210 cm.
Laces - 2 tone trekking and desert: 210 & 220cm & normal desert coloured laces: 130 cm & 140cm. 

Please double check the lengths required with your existing laces as lengths do vary with boot sizes.

Footwear Drying

It is important to note that all footwear needs time to dry out overnight in a well-ventilated area and with the insoles removed.

If any footwear is worn for an excessive amount of time at one stretch (especially Gore-Tex or leather lined boots), then special interest should be paid to this process. Do not force dry your LOWA boots. Thought should be paid to the type of socks worn: wool or synthetics will help absorb the perspiration away from the foot, whilst cotton will get wet and push the sweat through into the lining and into the leather.

Boot care made easy - How to best care for your LOWA boots

Step 1: Preparation
 

It is important to allow boots to air out and dry properly after every use. The best way to ensure this is to remove the footbed and laces so you can pull back the tongue and open the boot up as much as possible. Removing the footbed is important as moisture tends to build up especially in the insole. When you are preparing to clean and care for your boots, simply repeat the process by removing the footbed and laces. This will allow you to reach into all of the boot’s hidden edges and corners - such as the tongue and gusset - with your shoe care products.

 

When drying out your boots, the best approach is to let them dry naturally in a well-ventilated room. Placing leather boots near a hot radiator or any other heat source to help them dry faster is not advised, as doing so may cause the leather to contract and crack.

Step 2: Cleaning Your Boots
 

Boots should first be cleaned with a brush to remove any dirt before applying products. Doing so not only makes aftercare products more effective, it also makes the leather more breathable than it otherwise would be. Boots that have been heavily soiled will need to be cleaned with warm water in order to loosen any mud before it can be effectively brushed off. We recommend using specialised boot cleaning products that have been designed to open the leather’s pores so that mud can be removed from them as well as from the surface layer. If you do choose to use such a product, ensure it is completely rinsed off before carrying on as neglecting to do so leaves the boot vulnerable to damage.  

 

You can also stuff them with newspaper to help them soak up moisture within the boot. Change the paper every day until the boots are dry.

In any case, once cleaned it is essential that you impregnate your leather LOWA boots to protect them from water damage.

Step 3: Impregnate Your Boots
 

After you have cleaned your boots, you can apply a waterproofing impregnation spray while they are still slightly damp. The boots‘ leather pores are still wide open at this point and that allows the impregnation treatment to penetrate deep into the leather. Once applied, the impregnation treatment ought to remain at peak effectiveness for three weeks before starting to wear off.

 

Regular applications of an impregnation spray are recommended to keep water and dirt from sticking or soaking in. It’s particularly important because soaking wet boots lose their breathability, which affects their ability to regulate your foot’s temperature. A water-proofing treatment needs 24 hours to fully take effect but afterwards, the leather boot will not absorb water and shall be water-repellent, so it’s absolutely worth the wait.

Step 4: Care For Your Boots
 

No matter how hard, how often, or when or where you use your boots, they should be cleaned regularly with specialised shoe care products. Applying protective paste or cream is vital, particularly for boots that are frequently used in extremely wet conditions – even those boots made with a GORE-TEX® membrane. Leather that has been soaked with water and has swollen must be restored in order to retain a boot’s fit, flexibility and durability. If a boot does not receive proper care, the leather will dry out, become brittle, and will pull at the seams leaving your boots irreparably damaged. To avoid this, shoe care products can be rubbed on with a rag and polished in with a soft brush.

 

Nubuck leather and suede leather boots will become more smooth, shiny and dark when wax is applied to them. What’s more, the aesthetic qualities of suede can be damaged through the use of wire brushes. For this reason, we’d recommend not using either when cleaning boots with suede and nubuck leather uppers.   

Step 5: Storing Your Boots

Leather boots are best stored in a shoe bag or shoe box in a dry, well-ventilated area. Wooden shoe trees can also be used to help boots keep their shape and prevent them from creasing. If your boots are still damp, you can also stuff them with newspaper to help them soak up moisture and keep their shape. It should be noted, however, that newspaper placed in boots should be changed daily. Lastly, never store your boots in a damp room since the boots could begin to go mouldy and avoid storing them in direct sunlight or on or near a radiator.

 

For more information on how to properly care for your leather LOWA military boots, please reference LOWA's boot care guide.