Knowing how to dry military boots correctly is essential for ensuring that you don’t compromise the properties of the leather in the drying process. While it may be tempting to speed things up by using heaters, radiators or hairdryers, this can damage the leather exterior of the boot. Instead, it’s important to leave the boots to dry as naturally as possible in an aerated space. Here’s how:
Clean The Boots
It’s crucial to remove all mud and dirt before you leave the boots to dry. This is because, if left to build up, dirt can cause stains and eventually damage the integrity of the leather. Start by using a soft brush to remove loose dirt before wiping the leather with a clean cloth and soapy water. Lowa’s Shoe Cleaning Spray is perfect for removing dirt, grime, mud etc.Using a different cloth that’s dampened with water, remove any remaining soap from the boot. You should regularly condition your Lowa military boots with Active Creme (neutral or black depending on the colour of the leather) once you’ve cleaned them, and apply LOWA Water Stop Pro Spray while the leather is damp to enhance the existing waterproof properties.
Remove Any Insoles
Once you’ve got your military boots are clean, the next step is to remove any insoles that you’re using. This will allow each insole to dry individually and more effectively. It will also enable air to circulate throughout the boot more effectively, and reach the parts of the boot that would otherwise be hidden by the insole.
Take Out The Laces
A key part of drying military boots is removing the laces. As much as this might seem like a faff, it’s really important for helping the boots to dry more quickly and efficiently in the tongue area. Similar to the insoles, removing the laces will enable them to dry individually, whilst making it easier for air to travel through all parts of the boot when drying.
Avoid Direct Heat
Rule no. 1 of drying military boots correctly - always avoid direct heat. Using a hairdryer, force drying on a radiator or placing boots directly on top of a heater can damage the leather of the boots, including the glue that helps to hold boots together. If you need your boots to be dry for the next morning, it’s important to take them off and start drying them as soon as you can. There are also a few safe methods you can use to help make the process more efficient. This includes:
Newspaper Or Kitchen Roll
Using newspaper or kitchen roll and stuffing them into your boots is a great tip to dry military boots more quickly. This will help to soak up any excess moisture. You can replace the kitchen roll or newspaper after a few hours to remove moisture.
Non-Heated Fan
Whilst you should avoid using direct heat like hairdryers, there’s nothing wrong with using the help of a non-heated fan to dry your military boots. You can place the boots in front of the fan to help speed up the drying process. It’s a good idea to place a towel underneath them in order to soak up any water droplets.
Towel
A really useful tip for soaking up the initial moisture is placing two corners of the towel in each boot then wrapping the remaining two edges around the boots to cover them. You can leave the towel for a few minutes until the initial moisture has been absorbed.
Place Them In A Dry Room
One of the most crucial parts of how to dry military boots is placing them in a warm, dry room that has good ventilation. Leaving your boots to dry in a cold, damp room will undo all the hard work you've done up to this point, preventing them from drying efficiently.
For more military boot care advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Task Force by calling +44 (0)1752 344355 or emailing [email protected].
