If you have invested a large sum of money on buying a pair of high quality polo riding boots, then you need an effective routine to keep up their appearance. We invited riding boot experts, The Spanish Boot Company, who specialise in women’s made to measure boots, to give us their top tips on maintenance.
Cleanse Your Leather Polo Boots
There are lots of different materials that can wreak havoc on your boots, especially when playing polo. Oil, sweat, dirt and other airborne debris can ruin the look and feel of leather. You must thoroughly clean your polo riding boots extensively to remove these substances after use. Highly priced cleansing agents are similar in effect to just a cleansing saddle soap and warm water mixture.
Make sure to remove dried mud off the riding boots first with a bristled brush. The use a cloth with a small amount of water to buff the rest of the dirt and mud away. A good tip is to use a non-abrasive pencil rubber to remove scuff marks. Be sure to remove all the soap from the boot as this will, over-time, dry out your soft leather boots.
Condition Your Leather Riding Boots
Some people make the mistake of polishing their boots straight after cleansing them. They are missing a vital step, conditioning, which is vital to retain moisture in the leather. Although some leather polishes do contain conditioning sebum, it is normally not enough to condition properly after cleansing. We recommend that you use a dedicated lanolin based product.
Conditions come in different varieties that are suited to different colours of leather. It is important not to mix this up as this may cause your boots to become discoloured and unsightly. There are also different conditioners for different material types. Investing in the correct products will get the best results for your polo boots.
Make sure to massage the conditioner into footwear in small amounts and then wipe away remains after absorption. It is then important to let the boots stand for a whole day before embarking on the polishing stage of the process. This allows the conditioner to absorb properly.
Polishing Your Leather Polo Boots
To get the maximum shine out of your polo riding boots, we recommend using a wax shoe polish instead of cream. Wax has great benefits to your polo riding boot by giving glossy shine, preventing scratches to leather and stopping dampness from soaking into the boot and ruining the finish.
To get the optimum results from a polish you must:
- Spread a thin layer into the polo riding boot and allow it to dry for five minutes.
- Wrap a cloth around your hand and dip it in warm water making sure it is not soaking wet. If you wet the cloth it will distribute the polish over the leather more smoothly.
- When the polish is dry, buff it into the leather of the boot using a small circular motion.
- Build up this shine by working in layers of polish. Continually working in small amounts in circular motions.
- Switch over to a fresh dry cloth to remove excess polish and buff into a shine.
If you follow all of the above steps, you are sure to prolong the life and the look of your luxury leather riding polo boots.
Visit The Spanish Boot Company for the finest collection of leather polo boots.
