Properly caring for your fire equipment will help preserve both its longevity and performance. This includes how you routinely treat the equipment, and how frequently you clean it. HAIX North America offers advanced leather firefighter boots that are designed for years of hard use. Even with our above-average build quality, material choices, and performance features, there are some easy-care tips you can incorporate to maximize the life of our leather fire boots.
Routinely Clean and Condition Your Boots
Despite leather being one of the most durable materials available, properly cleaning and conditioning your leather is an essential part of ensuring you maintain the same levels of comfort, safety, and support. Leather fire boots that are not routinely cleaned and conditioned can become dry and even crack from age. Additionally, any deposits of mud and dirt can dry and cling to the boot, depleting the leather from moisture, and further damaging the surface. When cleaning HAIX brand leather firefighter boots, we recommend you use a combination of a damp cloth, dry cloth, soft brush, and a leather wax or conditioner. Here are the key steps to properly care for leather boots:
- Lightly brush off surface dirt and dust deposits on the exterior of the boot, using a soft bristle brush
- Dampen a cloth and apply it to the surface to gently remove any remaining surface debris
- Once thoroughly cleaned off using a brush and damp cloth, apply your specific wax or leather conditioner using a dry towel
By both cleaning and conditioning your leather, you help preserve its original suppleness and wear-resistance through years of hard use. While leather is a naturally durable material, doing nothing to routinely care for and clean your boots could result in premature cracking, staining, creasing, and material breakdown.
Proper Storage
Unlike many synthetic materials, leather reacts to the environment it is stored in. This means that if you store your boots in an area of extreme heat, cold, or humidity, there could be a resulting impact on the leather’s physical characteristics. For example, if you were to put on a pair of leather boots that were stored in a freezing garage over the winter months, the dried surface pores would make the leather boot stiff, uncomfortable, and susceptible to cracking. Likewise, a leather fire boot stored in extremely warm temperatures and direct sunlight can result in discoloration, drying, and wrinkling of the leather, along with permanent damage. It is also important to avoid excessive humidity levels whenever possible, to prevent potential mold and mildew from building up. Think of leather much like your skin, in that avoiding extreme temperatures, dry air, and direct sunlight will help prevent excess dryness, discoloration, and surface cracking.
Be Careful While Putting-On and Taking-Off Your Boots
Every firefighter understands the need to put on their gear quickly when responding to an active fire situation. While HAIX fire boots are easy to put on and take off, you must pay attention and avoid just stomping into the boot when in a hurry. Habits like stomping into the boots and taking them off without untying the laces can result in leather stretching and even permanent damage to the boot’s internal structure. For those looking to avoid lacing systems altogether, we offer our HAIX Fire Eagle, Fire Hunter, and Fire Hero models for a truly slip-on design.
Innovators in the workwear market, HAIX North America has provided firefighters with quality, durable boots since 1948. Dedicated to continuously innovating and delivering the best possible product, we incorporate the advanced safety, comfort, and performance features working professionals demand. Looking to upgrade your leather fire boot? Give us a call at 866-344-4249 or browse our inventory today!
