One process that is really overlooked is properly taking care of your equipment. To prolong the life of your cleats, taking proper care of them is necessary. There are certain steps that will really prolong the life of your boots. In this article, I will go through some of the basics and my suggested methods of taking care of cleats, so that they do not end up looking like this:

There are also two general materials for an upper: synthetic and leather. Given that there are two basic uppers, there are different ways to take care of each one. But to start off with, I will just give a general explanations in this article. I will have certain articles later on about how to take care of both synthetic and leather uppers.

Before and After cleaning the upper

One of the most obvious parts of taking care of your cleats is to clean them. But how should you do this? My personal preferences is to take a wet towel and just run over the whole boot with the wet towel, rubbing the dirt or scuffs. This will remove the dirt spots or clumps. Do not be afraid to apply some pressure if the dirt is stuck between creases on the upper. If you still are having a hard time cleaning them, then you may want to scrub them with something like a toothbrush. Make sure you do not rub too hard with the brush, or else it may damage the upper.

A second tip that many players do not do is to stuff your shoes with newspaper after wearing. Not only will this absorb the moisture and make sure you shoes do not smell, this will also help keep the boot keep its shape. I would recommend keeping any trash paper that is in your shoes when you buy them. It is already formed to the shoe, and it will absorb moisture just as well.

What the studs should look like if not worn on concrete

To finish off the article, here are some short tips on taking care of your cleats:

  1. Never wear your cleats on concrete. This will wear down the studs very quick, and you will not get as good traction.
  2. Always air-dry your cleats with the help of newspaper. Do not apply any heat by use of a blow-dryer. This will dry out the upper and crack leather.
  3. Untie your shoes after you play. If you try to slip your shoes on without untieing, you will not get a good fit and the heel will wear down.
  4. If you want to have a durable shoe, do NOT use the hot water trick. (I will write an article about this later on).

Well that is it for this article! In the future, I will have specific articles on breaking in cleats, taking care of leather footwear, the hot water trick, and more. If you have any questions, go head over to our Facebook Page by clicking HERE to ask.