Oot and A-boot: How to care for your footwear in the Northern winter

To those of you fortunate enough to live in a place resplendent with palm trees, gentle breezes, and endless summers, please feel free to ignore this post, do a cannonball into the pool, and remain the object of our burning envy. But for those amongst us who inhabit a harsher and more northern clime, the toll foul weather can take on shoe leather is an everyday fact of life. Is there nothing we can do? Indeed there is.

For starters - how ought one protect those brogans from sleet, slush, and salt? There are a few options, depending on just how nasty you want to get. For a basic level of protection that won't affect the appearance of your leather shoes or boots, you may want to consider a silicone spray for protection and/or weatherproofing. A couple quick coats, and if your footwear isn't waterproof, it will at least have a coating of protection to keep out the damp. If you're planning something a little more drastic and Iditarod-esque, you may want to graduate up to mink oil, or a wax-based product like Sno-Seal. The plus-side of these creams and waxes is that they will do a great job of both protecting and conditioning your leather. The downside is that they almost certainly will darken the leather and make it more pliant, ultimately changing the appearance of your footwear, even if just slightly. If you want to give mink oil or wax cream a try, do a test patch first to see how much it alters the color.

Now, for treatment. What can one do when the salt and water stains have already set? Cry, sure, down a whole bowl of clam chowder, why not, but there is a solution . . . and a vinegary one at that. Try mixing a solution of 3 parts white vinegar (save the malt for the fish and chips) and 1 part water, and use a clean rag to get at those stains. More often than not, the stain will vanish faster than those dang Canada geese, which by now are no doubt down south, partying it up with our warm-weather friends someplace with a name like Coral Springs or Palm Gables . . . like we said, burning envy.

So best of luck, see what works, and if all else fails, you can always go galoshes - Bonobos carries a few pairs by SWIMS that are as stylish as they are waterproof. Cheers!