It’s that time of the year when you’re packing for a skiing holiday in the snow. Do I pack my warm, comfy, Ugg Boots?
Nothing beats uggs for comfort and warmth, especially in chilly winter evenings in the mountains, so the temptation is always there to take them, but sometimes the results can disappoint.
The suede outer of ugg boots is not waterproof, however, if you do wear them in the snow here are some care tips to help protect your ugg boots and maintain their longevity.
1. A wise precaution is to spray your sheepskin ugg boots with a waterproofing agent like Tantech Ugg Boot Protector. This is like a ‘scotch guard’ designed specifically for sheepskin ugg boots. It will keep water from penetrating the suede outer, but it is not a full waterproofing, so you still need to take care.
Keep in mind the woollen outer surface of the sheepskin is exposed to all types of weather on the animal, so is naturally waterproof, but this is on the inside of the boot and the sueded inside of the sheepskin, which is not waterproof, is on the outside of your sheepskin ugg boot.
Image Credit: Michael Taylor 2015
Sometimes, despite all the precautions, things go wrong. What do I do to restore my water marked sheepskin ugg boots?
1. Use an absorbent towel or paper tissues to soak up any moisture on the outside of your wet sheepskin ugg boots. Then stuff the ugg boots with rolled up paper and allow to air dry. Do not dry in front of heaters, open fires or stoves. Sheepskin dries best at ambient temperatures in places with good airflow.
2. After drying the suede outer of your sheepskin ugg boots will probably have a watermark, so wait till the boots are fully dried and then brush out the water mark with a suede brush. Either wire, or stiff plastic, but just be careful if using a wire brush not to go too hard and damage the sheepskin.
3. If the watermark is still visible, apply chalk to your sheepskin ugg boots. We recommend thick, regular, blackboard chalk in the colour tone closest to your uggs. The chalk will be much lighter, however this will still do the job. Brush vigorously with a stiff hairbrush until the chalk is brushed out. This should remove any minor stains, blemishes or water marks. We at Aussie Uggs use a pastel cream coloured chalk for our SAND, CHESTNUT and light coloured sheepskin ugg boots. Pastel blue chalk can be used for darker colour ugg boots, such as GREY, COFFEE and BLACK.
While the classic suede finished ugg boot is not designed to worn in the snow, it’s hard to forgo the warmth and comfort of ugg boots in such cold, chilly, temperatures. So, if you do wear them in the snow and if they get a little water stained, it's good to know they can at least be partially restored. A well worn pair of uggs has character, so the main thing no matter how ‘battle scarred’ the
suede outer is, is to maintain inner integrity of the boots so you can keep your feet warm and cosy for years to come.