I’ve tried hosing with a strong jet. I’ve tried putting them in the washing machine. Sometimes either of those things helps but for the love of god… I. CANNOT. GET. THEM. CLEAN.
They don’t have to look brand new. They just need to be free of manure, grass seeds, dirt and debris.
So… how do you get yours clean? I’m about to break down and hand scrub them in the kitchen sink.
Yeah…you have to actually hand scrub. In the wash stall, I put a bit of soap (usually dish soap) and a stiff brush then elbow grease and scrub…rinse well. It doesn’t take long but its the only way to really get very clean. I do this even with my fleace lined brushing boots.
I clean them with a stiff brush after each use and rinse them. It is the only way to get them really clean.
Dog slicker brush to get the grass bits/debris out of the fleece and Velcro pieces.
I’m lazy and typically check them in the washing machine after rinsing them off fairly well. That tends to work. Otherwise a soak in hot dish soap, lots of scrubbing and rinsing gets the rest of the stuff off.
I broke down and scrubbed them with a stiff brush and dish soap. It worked really well…
I’d never thought about a slicker brush for the velcro- that is a great idea. I will try it.
I take them home and scrub them with dish soap then toss in the washer. There’s no good place to dry them at the barn so this is easier.
Old style tub washer - hot water setting agitate with Oxiclean and then stop the washer before wash portion has completed and let them soak overnight. And then restart washer from beginning the next AM.
If I’m really on top of things, a good spray with the hose and a pretty quick brush with a stiff brush right after use gets them looking good. Otherwise, I soak in a large bucket with super hot water and some detergent (I like Purex Dirt Lift), then scrub and rinse. Back when I used white woof boots, I would scrub with hot water, detergent, and a bit of bleach.
I have a long 2-3" wide piece of velcro across the back way of my wash stall. I pull the boots off the horse and toss them up on the wall and they stick to the velcro. I wash off the horse then grab a stiff brush (a toilet bowl brush works great) spray the inside of the boots, use the brush on them, spray them all again, then leave then on the wall to dry. The next day they are still on the wall, dry, and I grab them when I tack up. Once a week or so I may add some soap in the process. If the velcro on the boots gets matted up I use a fork to clean it out.
So I scrubbed with a stiff brush and dish soap and put them on my front steps to dry. They are certainly cleaner, but once they were dry I noticed dirty spots. I scrubbed the whole boot though, and it wasn’t visible wet. I guess more scrubbing.
Have you tried Oxyclean and a good hot cycle in the washer? my washer will get my white Woofs white again.
Also, I don’t buy boots with fleece any more. I have a couple pairs of heidis and valenas I still use, but they have to go thorugh the washer and dryer to look decent. The dryer fluffs them up.
For everyday cleaning, I just hose them off and give a quick scrub with the brushes I use for buckets, etc. The key is to not let the dirt build up because then they don’t seem to bounce back.
I always throw in the wash with oxy clean on delicte cycyle. Works like a charm.
Washing machine with Oxyclean.
Works well.
Em
Washing machine with Nikwax rug wash. I wash all my horse laundry (pads, boots, etc.) with the Nikwax and it gets them noticeably cleaner than with regular detergent.
I have never used oxyclean but I will try it. I have Rambo blanket wash. I might try that.
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