Are woodland shoes truly waterproof? Woodland shoes are not waterproof, they are water-resistant shoes.
People usually mistake this a whole lot when they want to make a choice on the type of shoes they want to get.
The brief but concise answer I gave to your question above makes it clear to you that Woodland shoes are water-resistant shoes and not waterproof.
There is a huge difference between woodland shoes being waterproof and water-resistant. I am going to explain further in the next segment of this article, this will make it easier for you so that you do not go about mixing the two.
What is the difference between water resistance and waterproof in woodland shoes?
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The major difference between a water-resistant and waterproof woodland shoe is that for the waterproof, the leather material has been treated with a coating that coating is usually called polyurethane.
This coating is what prevents water from penetrating the shoe.
As for water resistance, this coating is absent, it has a full-grain leather material build that is not coated with polyurethane.
That is the major difference between waterproof and water-resistant woodland shoes.
Since you already know that Woodland shoes are water-resistant and not waterproof, you should not be confused.
The difference between waterproof and water-resistant is in the material build of the shoes.
As for the water-resistant shoes, the material build of the shoes is built in such a way that it can only hold water for some time, after which, water gets into the shoe.
However, for a waterproof shoe, it is quite different in the sense that the material build of the shoe is built in such a way water cannot penetrate at all. It has a complete barrier to water.
Now that you are aware of the major difference between waterproof and water-resistant shoes, you should be able to differentiate on your own.
Since it is already established that woodland shoes are not waterproof, they are only water-resistant, you should know what category they are in.
Do not expect woodland shoes to perform like waterproof shoes.
Features that make woodland shoes unsuitable as waterproof shoes
There are some features present in your woodland shoes that make them not suitable for waterproofing. That is what I will discuss in this segment of this article.
Take a look at the features present in woodland shoes that make them unsuitable for waterproofing.
- Presence of an untreated full-grain leather upper finish
- Absence on GORE-TEX features
- Absence of thick lining
Presence of a full-grain leather upper finish
When you want to get shoes that are waterproof, it needs to have a proper type of lining.
The kind of material that is required for shoes being waterproof is when the leather material has been treated with a coating, that coating is usually called polyurethane.
When your leather material is coated with polyurethane, it will make the shoe completely waterproof thereby preventing water from penetrating it.
This coating on the leather material is absent in the woodland shoes. What the woodland shoes have is the full-grain leather
Material build that is not coated with polyurethane. Real leather material is a material that is naturally porous.
What this means is that leather materials are usually not 100% waterproof unless it has been coated with polyurethane.
The presence of this full-grain leather material is what makes it unsuitable for it to be completely waterproof. This is because leather materials are naturally porous.
Absence of GORE-TEX features in Woodland shoes
Another feature that you will find a lot in shoes that are waterproof is the Gore-Tex feature.
This Gore-Tex feature is a breathable waterproof and windproof fabric that makes the shoes completely waterproof.
Some Woodland shoes lack this feature, that is why it is not suitable for waterproof features. The earlier you know this, the better for you.
When this Gore-Tex feature is present in your woodland shoes, you will rest assured that your shoe is completely waterproof.
This is an added advantage to shoes with this feature, you will be confident enough to wear them to any wet environment.
Until this feature is present in your Woodland shoes, you do not rest assured of its 100% waterproof feature.
You should always look out for this feature if you want to get shoes that serve the waterproof purpose.
Absence of thick lining in Woodland shoes
This is also another feature that is absent in your Woodland boots that make it unsuitable for waterproofing.
When you take a look at waterproof shoes out there, one thing that you will first of all notice about the lining that the shoe comes with is that the lining is usually very thick.
It is usually thick to the extent that it would look like extra padding or cushion.
This thick lining helps the shoe a whole lot when it comes to the waterproof feature, however, since this feature is absent in the Woodland shoes, this makes it unsuitable for the waterproof feature.
The woodland shoes have their own lining which is known as a mesh lining which is made of fabric, this mesh lining is not as thick as it should be for it to be able to be waterproof.
It is good you know that your woodland shoes are not waterproof, instead, they are water-resistant shoes.
This will enable you not to treat it like it’s a waterproof shoe, once you do that, you may go as far as almost damaging the woodland shoes.
When your shoes get submerged in water for long, there are also ways that you can clean it so that it still retains its high quality.
How to clean Woodland shoes left in water for a long time
I will share ways that you can clean your woodland shoes after they have been submerged in water for a long time.
Take a look at the following ways:
General cleaning of Woodland shoes
There are equipments you are going to use, these are:
- Scotch Brite scrub pad
- Woodland shoe polish that matches the shoe color
How to get started with the cleaning is to, first of all, ensure that you do not make use of water and soap to clean the shoes.
Take note that this is not a fabric material you are dealing with, what you are actually dealing with is leather, you need to be more careful with it.
Now, how to clean the woodland shoe is quite simple, you need to get hold of the scrub pad, use it to gently scrub your shoes till you have completely removed all the stains and dust from it.
You should continue doing the scrubbing gently until you get the desired result that you want to.
Once you have done that you should wait to see how clean your shoes will look, at this point you should have removed all the stains and dust from the shoe.
Once you have this done, you can go ahead to polish your woodland shoes until it shines bright like a brand new shoe.
Ensure that the color of polish you are using is the same color as the woodland shoes, to ensure that you do not discolor your shoes.
After you have done this, you can go ahead to leave the shoe for a while for it to get completely dried, once it is dried you can put it on again.
This method is far better than making use of soap and water to clean your woodland shoes, you will not like the outcome one bit.
Steps to clean Suede Woodland shoes
- Dry your shoes if they are wet
- Use a suede brush or thin cloth to brush the surface of the shoe
- Use an eraser to remove any glaring spot
- Use white vinegar on a soft cloth to remove more difficult stains
- Brush the surface of the shoe one more time with a suede brush or toothbrush
Dry your shoes if they are wet
This is the very first thing you need to do when you want to clean the Suede Woodland shoes.
If you notice that the shoe is either wet or damp, you can simply leave for a while so that it can get completely dried.
You are to keep the shoe in a safe place for it to dry completely, once it has completely dried then you can continue with the clean-up process.
Use a suede brush or thin cloth to brush the surface of the shoe
This is the next cleanup process that you need to do. You should get a suede brush or make use of thin cloth to brush the surface of the shoe, thereby removing all the dirt and stain from it.
Take note that you are to do this gently in order to not overly stress or break the fibers of the suede.
Use an eraser to remove any glaring spot
If you notice on the surface of the suede that there is any glaring or obvious spot, you can use the simple hack of making use of an eraser to remove those spots.
You should, first of all, ensure that the eraser is clean, and also you should apply pressure on the eraser while cleaning.
Use white vinegar on a soft cloth to remove more difficult stains
If after removing all stains from the surface of the Suede shoes you notice some other difficult stains that cannot be removed by mere cleaning with a soft cloth, brush, or eraser, you should resort to using white vinegar on a soft cloth to remove the difficult stains.
You are to apply a small amount of vinegar on the soft cloth and rub gently till the stains are off, you should not dip the shoe in the vinegar.
When you apply the vinegar to the Suede shoe, you will notice that there will be a bit of color change, but you should not panic.
It happens a lot to suede shoes when it gets wet after the vinegar has evaporated, the suede will return to its normal color.
Brush the surface of the shoe one more time with a suede brush or toothbrush
This is the very last thing you need to do once the shoe is clean or dry. You can simply do your last brushing by making use of a suede brush or toothbrush to do the final brushing.
This will leave your suede shoes shining clean.
Cleaning Nubuck Woodland shoes
Nubuck is a type of leather that is so similar to suede. It needs constant care for you to keep it clean all the time. You will need
Procedure:
What you need to do first of all is to get your Nubuck brush ready, it is similar to a suede brush. Use the Nubuck brush to wipe the surface of the shoe till there is no more stain or dust.
Apply the Nubuck cleaner to the surface of the shoe in a circular motion by making use of the Nubuck brush.
You are to do this gently. Finally, to remove tougher stains and keep the Nubuck shoes in good shape, you have to apply a Nubuck care product, then leave it overnight to dry.
Once dried, give your Nubuck Woodland shoes one last gentle brushing.
Cleaning Khaki Woodland shoes
The process of cleaning khaki Woodland shoes is not so different from suede shoes.
You need:
- White vinegar
- Soft cloth or brush
Here are the procedures:
Pour a reasonable quantity of the white vinegar into a clean soft cloth and apply it to the surface of the Khaki shoes.
Continue to rub it around the surface of the shoes, move back and forth until you have all the stains removed.
Leave it to air dry, once dried then you can gently make use of a brush to do a finishing touch to remove any lingering mark.
Conclusion
Woodland shoes are not waterproof shoes, they are only water-resistant, and you are not supposed to treat them like they are waterproof shoes, you are putting them at risk if you do that.
I have explained the major difference between waterproof and water-resistant woodland shoes in this article, and this will enable you to know what you are to be on the lookout for.
Cleaning is also an important part of your woodland shoes that determines how long the shoes would last for you, when you clean them properly, it is going to last for you.
You should adopt the cleaning method explained in this article depending on the material the woodland shoes are.
