How To Wash Your Football Boots
How To Wash Your Football Boots
1. After playing, loosen your laces to allow easy removal of your boots (Don’t kick them off at the heel!).
2. Remove loose dirt by knocking your boots together, then brush your football boots with a stiff brush.
Do not use a wire brush as this will damage them, instead try and use a brush with bristles made from a natural material.
3. Wipe the football boots with a damp cloth to remove smaller particles of dirt.
Do not use a cleaning agent to clean your football boots.
4. If the football boots have been used in wet conditions, you can use an old toothbrush to remove dirt that has been trapped in small grooves.
5. Stuff the football boots with newspaper to maintain shape and to help extract any moisture. If the boots are very wet, you may need to replace the newspaper daily.
6. Allow the football boots to dry in a natural heat.
Warning: Drying the boots with heat can cause the football boots to become stiff and the adhesives can deteriorate. Stiff boots are far more likely to rip and are weak. Deteriorated adhesives can make joints weak, such as the join between the upper and the sole plate. Additionally, heat drying your football boots can cause your soleplate to warp.
7. Once dry, grease the studs, ‘Vaseline’ is good for this. This will prevent rusting if the boots are screw-in, it will also help prevent soil from sticking to the studs.
8. If the boots are leather, they can be polished to retain their colour.
9. After allowing the polish to work in, typically 24 hours, the boot should be protected by a Dubbin or natural leather oil. Dubbin or oil, helps keep the football boot waterproof and the leather supple.
Warning: When cleaning football boots with synthetic material, do not use a Dubbin or oil. See – How to Wash Synthetic Football Boots
10. If changing or cleaning studs, add a slight lubricant to the stud thread to prevent any rusting if moisture gets in. Ensure the stud is tight, but not too tight to damage the thread. (Too much lubricant will reduce the friction and prevent the stud from properly tightening).
Have you got a tip for cleaning your football boots? If so, drop a mention of it below.
