{"id":13564,"date":"2018-01-19T06:11:42","date_gmt":"2018-01-19T11:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/?p=13564"},"modified":"2018-01-19T06:20:38","modified_gmt":"2018-01-19T11:20:38","slug":"cleaning-lug-soles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/?p=13564","title":{"rendered":"Cleaning Lug Soles"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I have a number of pairs of boots with Vibram 100 “big lug” soles. They provide great traction and are like snow tires for the feet (provide you are over 40 years old and know what snow tires are). I have these soles on Wesco boots<\/a>, my loggers and work boots<\/a>, and a number of my motorcycle boots<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But with lug-soled boots, one has the problem of mud, dirt, and road salts getting caked into the lugs. My buddy WC asked me recently, “how do you recommend removing the gunk that cakes up in lug soles?”<\/p>\n

Simple answer…
\n
\n\"\"My response to him what short and sweet:<\/p>\n

Have you heard of a garden hose with a spray nozzle?<\/p>\n

There really is no magic alternative. Even in winter, I attach a small hose with a nozzle to my laundry tub spout and wash the lugs there. I put a strainer in the drain to catch objects that shouldn’t go down the drain, like pebbles, wood chips, snails, and small children. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The good thing about lug-soled boots is that those boots are usually water-resistant and are built for tough environments. Lug-soled boots aren’t namby-pamby dressy Chelsea fashion boots, but are rugged ramblers accustomed to exposure to the elements.<\/p>\n

\"\"So when I have been out on my Harley for a ride in the country, in the yard after a rain, or moving snow that is wet and filled with debris, or tredding on a home lot while doing a renovation project, it is quite common that I wear lug-soled boots. <\/p>\n

First thing my Spouse will do when I want to come indoors is to ask me to lift my feet so he can inspect the soles. <\/p>\n

He frequently rolls his eyes and exclaims, “clean those boots before you come in the house!” <\/p>\n

\"\"In nice weather, the garden hose and spray nozzle is very accommodating, and even refreshingly cooling (giggle.)<\/p>\n

In bad weather, I remove the boots in the garage and carry them to the basement laundry sink and clean them as described above.<\/p>\n

After the boot soles get a good hosing off, I lay the boots on their sides (so soles are exposed) on a sheet of newspaper in a well-ventilated area. I make sure that this area where I have laid the boots to dry is not in full sun and also not in the path of a heat vent’s blowing air. <\/p>\n

The important thing is to let the boots dry naturally without forcing it with blown hot air. If you do that (blow-dry or heat vent air flow exposure)… it is very possible that the boots will dry unevenly. Uneven drying can cause the leather to stretch oddly, crack and break. Uneven drying can also potentially cause the threads holding the soles to the boot vamp (foot) to break. <\/p>\n

This is why I have and wear more than one pair of boots. I allow boots that have been exposed to wet conditions (and a spray from a hose) plenty of time to dry out — like two or three days — before wearing them again. I wear other boots in the meantime.<\/p>\n

\"\"And one more thing … if a little dirt remains on the boots, one does not necessarily have to clean it off. To some, a little dried dirt “patina” on the boots adds to the rugged appearance.<\/p>\n

Life is short: clean lug-soled boots (before the Spouse cleans your clock!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a number of pairs of boots with Vibram 100 “big lug” soles. They provide great traction and are like snow tires for the feet (provide you are over 40 years old and know what snow tires are). I … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wesco-boots","category-work-boots"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13564\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bootedmanblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}