Hiking boot. Legs on mountain trail during trekking in forest. Leather ankle shoes/Credit: Getty

How to clean walking boots

Learn how to clean your dirty walking boots with our simple step-by-step guide

Daniel Graham

Published: May 4, 2023 at 6:45 am

After a good day’s walking in the British countryside there’s every chance your boots will be covered in mud and dirt.

This accumulation of muck can dry and crack leather, and can break down fibres, reducing the waterproofing and breathability of the material.

Giving them a quick clean will keep your trusty walking boots in tiptop condition, improving their longevity, saving you money while helping the planet.

Learn how to clean your walking boots with this quick and easy guide.

Looking for more inspiring home projects? Learn how to darn a sock, how to fix a zipper, how to make beeswax wraps and how to sharpen a knife.

How to clean walking boots

Illustrations: Liz Pepperell

Outdoors editor, BBC Countryfile Magazine

Danny is the outdoors editor of BBC Countryfile Magazine, responsible for commissioning, editing and writing articles for the Great Days Out section, which offers ideas and inspiration for exploring the UK countryside. After completing Dartmoor’s Ten Tors challenge as a teenager, walking has shaped Danny’s life. Over the past 15 years he has wandered many great trails, short and long, including a 2,000-mile journey through central Europe, a 500-mile exploration of the Scottish Highlands and, most recently, a 300-mile south-to-north passage through the beautiful mountains and valleys of Wales along the Cambrian Way. He has an unhealthy obsession with maps and has tested hundreds of Ordnance Survey walking routes around the UK, sampling and reviewing boots, rain jackets and the odd pair of socks as he goes.