Camping equipment, unlike urban clothing, is more technologically advanced and requires special attention. Boots are subject to stress, abrasion, contamination and damage. To extend the service life, we make it a rule to clean and take care of the shoes after each hike, immediately after returning home. By points:
WASH AFTER EVERY HIKE
What for? This is necessary so that dust and dirt do not eat into the shoe, the nubuck and sole retain their properties and do not crack, and the membrane works as long as possible. Otherwise, the nubuck will lose its color or retain traces of dirt forever, and the shoes will last less than they could. And without cleaning, it makes no sense to apply a water-repellent impregnation.
How? We take out the insole and laces from the shoe. With warm, room-temperature water, we wash off all external dirt from the nubuck and sole, helping ourselves only with our hands.
Wet nubuck, you can not clean with a hard brush, you can damage the structure of the pile, use a soft sponge or help with your hand.
Be sure to wash the sole well, remove small stones from the tread.
As soon as the dirt from the outside is removed, fill the shoe with water and rinse the inside completely. It is necessary to wash all the dust, dirt, and sand that damages and wears out the membrane. This will not damage Gore-Tex, on the contrary, it will prolong the service life and breathability characteristics. This is stated by the manufacturer Gore-Tex himself, he was not interested in other membranes, but I think the situation is the same.
We leave the shoes to dry. DO NOT dry near the battery or in direct sunlight. Any source of direct heat must be avoided. Otherwise, nubuck may crack, lose some of its properties, shrink and deform. Shoes should be kept at room temperature and gradually dry. To speed up the process, you can use paper or a fan.
If the shoe is heavily soiled, we use a special cleaner in the form of foam. Follow the instructions and apply immediately to a dry shoe or a soft nubuck brush / sponge, wipe and rinse without allowing the product to soak heavily. We leave it to dry. I used different cleansers, now I like Grangers Footwear+Gear Cleaner the most. It is versatile, and I clean backpacks, a mat, and some clothes.
If there is no foam, then use only a brush, but it will wash off worse. This is necessary to get rid of heavy dirt and will allow further impregnation. Next, I wash the insole and laces. Thoroughly wash off all the foam so that nothing remains on the shoes.
Do you really need special brushes and foam from dirt? Yes, the brushes are soft and elastic, do not harm the material and clean well. The foam completely cleanses from dirt and stains and does not harm the material. Small investments help greatly extend the life of expensive shoes.
TREAT WITH IMPREGNATION
We study the instructions for applying the impregnation, depending on the company, it is necessary to process dry or wet shoes, usually at a distance of 15-20 cm. You do not need to bring it closer, the impregnation should be applied in a soft, even layer. Special attention is paid to the seams, the joint with the sole, the tongue and the toe of the shoe. Leave to soak for 24 hours.
The impregnation will prevent dust and dirt from spoiling the nubuck while the shoes are waiting in the wings and will protect them from getting wet quickly on a hike. After good treatment, the impregnation lasts for 3 months under gentle conditions in the city and about two weeks in field conditions. The harder the impact, such as wet snow or wet grass, the faster the boots get wet and lose their properties.
Some impregnations stink terribly, it is better to process them on the balcony or stairwell.
MINOR REPAIRS, GLUING
The places of the rubber band, minor damage to the seams, are glued with superglue for shoes. After the rash, the heel stitching has gone away, I periodically glue it myself or take it to the workshop.
WAX, WAXING
To my question, is it possible to wax it and how to do it? No shoe or travel store responded. But I found the answer from the manufacturer.
What for? This is necessary in order to normalize and prevent the nubuck from drying out, as well as to increase the water-repellent properties and protect the shoe from moisture and the external environment.
How? Using wax, we do not cause any damage to the Gore-Tex membrane, because it works inside the shoe. But it is important for us to preserve the properties of breathability.
Therefore, you need to understand what kind of wax is needed for a particular shoe and how to apply it. If we use the wrong one or apply it the wrong way, we can ruin the shoes. I did not find any unambiguous information on the Russian-language Internet, and there were all sorts of misconceptions in foreign sources, especially regarding the preheating of nubuck.
To preserve the appearance and properties of nubuck leather, remember that you should never apply ordinary shoe polish, greasy impregnations and ointments on it. Soap causes irreparable harm to nubuck. It is not recommended to wash in a washing machine at any time. It should not be stored in tight polyethylene bags.
After studying the information on the Meindl website, I found their specialized wax MEINDL SPORT WAX, but the question of the possibility of using nubuck remained open. After all, they are talking about smooth skin or properties such as soft / rough, different degrees of grain, etc. What kind of grain is in my shoes, only the Germans know, so I wrote to them on Facebook, to which they gave the following answer:
Translation of correspondence:
I am a good afternoon. I am the owner of Meindl Kansas GTX, tell me, can the nubuck of this shoe be waxed with SPORTMAX 80g? Or is it only suitable for models with smooth skin? We also faced the problem that this wax is not available in Russia, is another manufacturer suitable?
Germans, good afternoon, sir. It is recommended to use beeswax-based wax. The manufacturer of our products is the Grangers company. You can find care products from them.
I- thank you, so is grangers beeswax suitable for nubuck? The store says it's only for rough and smooth skin.
Germans - sports wax is designed for skin care. The appearance of the shoe may change slightly - the surface will become darker. Beeswax-based wax is suitable. You can also use an aerosol for impregnation. Against oil and grease.
I'm super! Do I have a carbon-based impregnation, should I use it before or after applying the wax?
Germans - first soak, and then apply wax.
I - thank you for the prompt and detailed response. I extend my warm greetings from Russia.
The nubuck's appearance will change to a darker and smoother one, which is a natural and harmless process for the boot. My shoes have improved their nubuck condition and started to look fresher.
Now you should apply it correctly. This should be done on dry shoes, after applying the impregnation, or immediately if you do not use it. Do not heat it with a hair dryer, do not leave it in direct sunlight or near a battery, otherwise the wax will penetrate too deeply into the pores and clog them, the material will stop breathing, and only the membrane and trekking socks will remove moisture from the foot. The application process is called waxing. Apply the thinnest and most uniform layer over the entire shoe with a finger or cloth in circular movements, paying attention to all parts of the shoe, including the tongue. To improve the properties, it is advisable to do this procedure 2-3 times, with complete drying in between.
DEODORANT
I tried to use the “folk” method: to treat with hydrogen peroxide from a spray bottle, but I could not achieve the effect. I decided to use deodorant for sports equipment. I spray it all over the inner surface and leave it to dry for a day, the unpleasant smell is eliminated, it's a good thing.
keeping
For storage in a shoe, insert a crumpled newspaper into the sock to fill the entire volume. This will keep the shape. It is better to store it in a cardboard box or a cloth bag.
Watch my video about the care of shoes, membrane, down and synthetic clothes, as well as a tent, a rug and a backpack.
