How To Clean Your Hiking Boots
Even the Best Rated Hiking Boots

will be muddy and gritty once you step into a trail for sure. After each use, cleaning them is a must. A proper cleaning process can keep your hiking boots with you for many years. However, not everyone knows how to clean their hiking boots in the right way. That’s why I am here to help you:
Why do you need to clean your hiking boots?
Here are 2 common reasons:

When your feet flex your hiking boots, this action can push particles of grit, dirt, and sand more in-depth into the leather and fabric. Your hiking boots will grind away like sandpaper.
After drying, mud will suck moisture from the leather, leaving a less pliable surface and speeding up the aging process.

What to prepare

A dirty pair of hiking boots, of course.
A special boot brush, toothbrush, or an old vegetable brush.
A specialized boot cleaner, saddle soap, even a mild solution of water and dishwashing soap.

The step-by-step instruction
Clean the uppers

Before cleaning, don’t forget to remove laces.
Gently get rid of dust and dirt with a brush.
Running water and using a specialized boot cleaner can clean more thoroughly.

Pro tips

Although the majority of footwear cleaners available on the market are safe for hiking boot materials, it’s better to double-check by reading the information on the label and following them carefully.
Say “no” to soap and detergents because they have additives harmful to waterproof membranes and leather.
A mixture of 80% water and 20% vinegar is effective in removing mold.
At the end of this step, remember to use clean water to rinse your boots.
Washing your hiking boots in a washing machine can damage them.
Always waterproof boots when they are wet.

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Best Hiking Boots
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Clean the outsoles
Many people said that though-caked-on mud doesn’t damage their hiking boots.
Yes, they are right, but this doesn’t mean that you can leave it there because it can influence the traction. Besides, clean outsoles can avoid transporting invasive species from a hiking trail to another area.
Finally, it would help if you brushed the outsoles to dislodge stuck pebbles vigorously.
How to deal with stubbornly caked-on dirt?
Let you soak your outsoles and wash the gunk with a hose.
Drying and storage tips

Remove insoles to air dry them and your pairs of boots separately.
Dry your hiking boots at standard temperature and low humidity.
Don’t dry your boots under a heat source that can weaken adhesives and age leather. They include a heater, radiator, wood stove, campfire, and fireplace.
Use a fan or stuff newspaper into the boots to speed up the drying process. The latter way requires you to change the paper regularly when it is wet.

Even the Top Rated Hiking Boots also need to be cleaned properly, so you need to clean both your uppers and outsoles in the right way. In particular, you also have to air dry them thoroughly before storing them.