How To Clean Dirty Hiking Boots - Backpacker

Oct 30, 2024

Photo: Douglas Sacha via Getty Images

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It’s a question I’ve gotten time and time again: Is there any special way I should wash my boots or can I just treat them like any other shoe? Hiking boots are durable—that’s why we bring them on the most rugged trails—so that means it can take a bit more than just soap and water to clean them. Here’s how I do it.

This technique works with all materials and types of boots. First, remove the laces. Toss them in the washing machine or even the dishwasher. Fill a bucket with about a half-gallon of water and wet the boots thoroughly. Add a drop of dish soap (like Dawn) or better yet: a purpose-built boot cleaner like ReviveX Boot Cleaner Concentrate. Scrub the boot aggressively with a medium stiff brush (a toothbrush also works). Nikwax Footwear Cleaning Gel is another good purpose-built soap. You don’t add it to the bucket of water, but use the included applicator brush to scrub it into the wet boot. After a good scrubbing, rinse the boots under the faucet or with a hose. Let them air dry in the sun and then, while you’re at it, give them a waterproofing treatment.

Choose the treatment based on the type of boot. For all leather, I like Aquaseal Leather Waterproofing and Conditioner, because it’s a two-fer: It saves me a step and does a great job at both tasks. For boots with both leather and fabric, go for a spray on treatment like Nikwax Fabric and Leather Proof.

By the way, I recently finished a big book on gear maintenance and repair, which features step-by-step instructions on boot care (with photos) as well as all other types of gear, too. Grab your copy here.

Depending on the materials proceed to waterproofing, below. There’s something very gratifying about giving your boots their own little spa day. You start off with dusty, dirt-encrusted clompers, and less than an hour later you have boots that look spanking new. Follow these easy steps any time your boots come home from a trip looking particularly thrashed, and especially before hanging up the boots for a couple months during late fall and winter. You don’t want to return to deteriorated boots come spring.

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