How To Maintain Your Bike Riding Boots?

Riding boots are built to last. Investing in a good pair will keep you protected for a long time. All you need to do is maintain your boots at regular intervals.

Your motorcycle riding boots are closest to the road as you speed through the highways. All the mud, muck, water and dirt are constantly being thrown at your boots. Even after all that torture your boots still protect you.

You need to spend just a little time and energy to maintain your bike riding boots. Like most things in life the more care and attention you give, the longer and better it will last. The best bike riding boots you can buy cost a decent amount of money, which makes it even more prudent to maintain your bike riding boots.

So, here’s a quick guide for you to keep your safe boots even safer…

How To Maintain Your Bike Riding Boots?

Follow these easy steps to look after your riding boots.

Remove Laces

If your motorcycle boots have laces then remove them completely. This will allow you to access all the nooks and crannies much more easily. You can also remove the insole of the boot, to better clean the inside.

If your boot does not have laces and is fastened by Velcro or straps, then open it up as wide as you can, without damaging the riding boot.

Clean Sole

Before you start with the top of the boot, clean the sole. The sole is normally the dirtiest, with mud dried and stuck on it. Depending on how dirty the sole is, you would want to do this outdoors. If indoors, then place old newspapers below the boot as you go about cleaning the sole.

First dust off the large particles of mud stuck to the sole by banging the soles of the boots against each other. Then use a hard bristle toothbrush to remove the dirt stuck in the grooves.

After having removed all the dry dirt inspect the sole to see if anymore mud is stuck. Wet the toothbrush a bit and remove the last few particles of dirt stuck on the sole and keep aside for a few minutes to dry completely.

Clean Boot Upper

Next it is time to clean the top half of the boot. Check if your boot is made entirely of leather or does it use leather and other materials.

Use a soft cloth or sponge to gently clean off all the dirt on the top half of the boot. Make sure you are pushing the dirt off the leather and not rubbing it, into the leather.

Be extra careful while cleaning around the fastening mechanisms of your boot. You do not want to accidentally snap off a lock-clip or zipper while cleaning. The best bike riding boots usually have different kinds of fastening mechanisms like zippers, locks or Velcro rather than laces.

If there is any fabric material on the boot upper, you may need to give that an extra hard rub to get the dirt off.

Cleaning gels are available in the market and you can try it out on your boots. If you are unable to get your hands on such cleaning products, then water and a soft cloth does a reasonably good job.

Inside of the Riding Boot

Once you are done with the outside, it is time to clean up on the inside.

Use a clean cloth to thoroughly wipe down the inside of the boot.

If your safety boots are extremely smelly, then you can use baking soda as a hack to remove the smell. You can mix the baking soda with some kind of mild fragrance if you want your boots smelling even better!

Take the baking soda and place it in a cloth and keep it inside the boot overnight. The baking soda will absorb the excess moisture and smell. Wipe the inside of the boot with a clean cloth once you have removed the baking soda.

Dry First

Before moving onto the next step of cleaning your motorcycle riding boots, make sure that it is completely dry.

You might even need to leave your boots to dry overnight, if it is too damp. You can stuff the insides of the boots with newspaper to quicken the drying process. Never use a blow dryer or place your boots near a heat source to dry faster. That can damage the leather of the boot.

Once your boots have air dried completely then you proceed to the next step of giving the leather some nourishment.

Conditioning

On your now dried up boots, it is time for the final step. Apply boot cream/ conditioning oil on the leather of the boot.

Different boot upper materials require different kinds of cream or oil. If you are not sure what is required for your boot, then check with the manufacturer for recommendations.

Apply the cream with a soft cloth gently. Depending on how dry the leather is, you will need to apply sufficient amount of cream. Keep dabbing it till you feel the leather isn’t absorbing any more cream.

Once done set aside one boot and do the same on the other. After the cream has dried on the boot upper, then you can give it a nice shine by buffing it up with a hard bristle shoe brush.

Shining up your boots is optional. It is cosmetic and some people like their boots shining, while others prefer the worn, grunge look.

Finally let the boots dry out completely before you put the insole back in and lace up your boots.

Once done, you are ready to go on your next ride!

Caring for the Best Bike Riding Boots

Motorcycle boots cared for properly at regular intervals will help it last for a very long time.

Follow the above steps and ensure that you maintain your bike riding boots, so that it will serve you well over the years.