Well, I’ve managed to keep the mildew at bay on the outside of my tall boots but I noticed today that the seams on the inside of my tall boots have a noticeable growth of pale fuzz. I assume moisture is soaking in from the outside (or I’m sweating, as I only wear them to ride) and that’s why it’s gathered around the seams. I also assume giving them an internal wipe down and working some vinegar in will do the job? Or does someone know of a better option?
Vinegar?? I certainly would not use a food product on leather to “prevent” mildew or mold. In other words, it will encourage mold or mildew, not prevent it. I would use a mild bleach solution. Bleach kills everything and evaporates into the air. Using Vinegar is like rubbing an apple on the inside of the boot. It could only mold.
Hmmm… Well, an apple is a starchy, sugary fruit with no cleaning properties, so yeah, that would be bad. On the other hand, apple cider vinegar is a commonly used cleaning product that alters pH, which can be very useful when battling mildew, etc. Not particularly similar. But I was going to use regular vinegar anyway, so scrub all those apple thoughts from your head. Lots of posts on here recommend vinegar as a mild cleaner for for the outside of mildewy boots. I’m looking for info on how effective it is on the inside.
I will 100% not be using bleach inside my boots because, as someone who uses lots of cleaning products, it’s alcohol that evaporates away to nothing, not bleach, and I’m taking zero chances on a little extra bleach sticking around and possibly bleaching or degrading my riding pants which are all 10-15 years old and I hope will last another 10-15 years or at least until my horse has quietly and peacefully shuffled off the mortal plane.
It’s occurred to me that I also have ammonia. So, vinegar or ammonia? Anyone with experience with this issue?
Also, as I might not have been clear enough based on the above comment: this is treatment not prevention and the cloth lining of the boot, not leather.
Last month I started to get fuzzy mold on the inside of the brand new custom deniros (so, yes, I was horrified), and I’m pretty sure it was due to sweat (I haven’t seen it since the weather has cooled). I can’t actually remember what I sprayed on it, but while it was still warm I would leave the boots open as long as possible then throw a giant dessicator packet in each boot when I left the barn.
An electric boot dryer might help to prevent mold and mildew.
This happened to me. Some gals on a FB group recommended diluted ammonia or bleach, then conditioning with Leather Therapy which has a mold inhibitor in it. I also started taking my boots back and forth with me and keeping them in my air conditioned house. They didn’t mold again after that but I cannot speak to longevity because they had a major blowout and I wound up replacing them.
Hydrogen peroxide, mist from a spray bottle. dont be afraaid to do it a few times over the course of an evening. Vinegar or bleach is pretty ineffective.
Alright, I’m going to try ammonia and bringing 'em home. The humidity has died back here, but of course it’s going to rain the next two days, so they might as well sit in my house while I battle the fuzz. Thanks for your thoughts, guys!
