Keeping your boots clean is part of routine hygiene. If you don’t want to cut down your boots live by half, you should take care of them daily. Here is another problem. Most of us don’t know how to clean the rubber boots the right way.
That’s why you are here right? To learn how to clean your rubber hunting boots the right way. Let’s clean this mess up, shall we?
How To Clean The Outside Of Rubber Boots
To keep the boots looking fresh and healthy. We should clean them regularly. By regularly, I mean every time after you use them for a session.
The outside of the boot is quite easy to clean. You are going to need a bucket, a soft brush, and soap for cleaning.
If the mud is dried out and left a mark, you need to brush off the hard debris. After that soak the boot in a solution of lukewarm water and soap. Use a larger bucket or bowl than the boot size.
Before you dunk the boot in the water, make sure to remove the removable sole, foam, or anything that can soak water like a sponge.
To remove heavier soil you need one teaspoon of dish detergent mixed into two cups of hot water. Not boiling but a bit hotter than room temp. If you don’t own a shoe cleaning brush, then dip a throwaway cloth into the water. Take it out and start to rub on the soil real hard.
You need to rub as hard as you can. That’s why I recommend a soft cloth or soft head brush. Please refrain from using a metal brush. If you do use a metal brush, do let me know why you did it and how much damage the brush did to the boot.
After rubbing off all the marks, rinse it with room temperature water. It should remove all the dirt from the sole and the boot itself. If there are still left, repeat the steps.
Friendly tip, don’t use a blow dryer to dry the boots. Don’t leave them under direct sunlight either. Leave them to dry off naturally.
Let's Not Forget The Insides
Cleaning the inside of the boot is one of the hardest things to do. Thankfully, the inside of the rubber boot is not that hard to clean.
Most of the hunting boots have an inner lining, that can get strained and become rough if you don’t wash it regularly.
To clean the inside of the rubber hunting shoe, pour a strong strong detergent solution into lukewarm water. Use a teaspoon of that strong stuff. The detergent must contain enzymes to break apart soil.
Soak a clean cloth completely inside the solution. Don’t be shy, dip it in a bit more. Now wipe off the entire inside of the boot. Do a complete wipe 2-3 times.
After that find another clean piece of cloth. But this time, don’t pour it into the solution. Soak it with clean fresh water. Then rinse off the inside of the boot again. Completely wipe any soap and residue.
To prevent the nasty bacteria growth, make a 50/50 solution of distilled white vinegar and water. If you have removed everything inside from the boot, then pour it on directly inside the boot.
Or you can do it in a more modern way, pour the solution inside a spray bottle and spray the inside of the boot. You can keep the solution for later uses.
It will take some time to make the habit of cleaning them regularly. You will come back to thank me once you do.
