In the definitive guide to take care of your football boots, which we do through our blog, we try to help you so that your material is in perfect condition and in a correct way, as sometimes this lack of hygiene and care, make the life of our football boots, is reduced considerably by not giving them the attention they deserve. On this occasion, we will approach it in a different way, going one step back, showing the 6 tips that you should not do with your football boots.
TOP 5 things you shouldn't do with your football boots
Before thinking about applying horse grease to your football boots, or even something as basic as cleaning classic leather boots, we have decided to start at the beginning, giving small tips that will be present in our daily lives. We are in an era in which the maintenance of our boots is less and less necessary, due to the integration of football boots with socks or synthetic football boots. It is not your fault that the culture of caring for our equipment is becoming non-existent.
1.- Cleaning football boots in the washing machine
Can boots be put in the washing machine? THE ANSWER IS NO. It's the classic question when your footwear needs a good wash and you don't have enough time to clean them by hand. We know that the bright colours of our boots could be restored to their original state with a good wash in the washing machine, but we have to remember that the glues and heat-seals with which our boots are impregnated simply run a huge risk of melting and melting. In addition to this, the football boot, as well as its counters and the more elastic areas, such as those found in football boots with socks, would be weakened.
In case of using the washing machine:
It is NOT RECOMMENDED; however, if you are one of those who have decided to clean your boots in the washing machine, to be on the safe side, you will need to remove the laces and inner soles of the boots. Once you have done this, find a cloth bag or wrap them in a towel so that they don't bang against the drum, balance the load and avoid problems in the washing machine. It is important to avoid spinning to avoid damaging the football boots. Another key point is that to clean the boots, we have to program the washing machine with cold or lukewarm water, with a maximum of 30 degrees, as otherwise elements of the same, such as the sole, or logos, may come off. Try to use a liquid detergent and run the washing machine at medium revolutions.
2.- Dyeing or painting football boots
I remember Bakary Sako, Crystal Palace player with his customised football boots, they were Nike Mercurial Superlfy with motifs from the legendary Dragon Ball series. From there, little by little, the fashion for customising football boots grew, reaching the point that the Barça star received his boots a couple of years ago, as we discussed in the post; Leo Messi's customised boots. The fashion to dye the boots blackout or to customize them is a big mistake, because the substances in which these paints are made, make that all the technologies that the football boots have in the casing, are useless; the treatment for the flexibility, or the grip with the ball like the one that gives us the famous technology of Nike, All Conditions Control (ACC). In addition, many of the paints on the market are extremely corrosive. A point that, at first glance, you will not notice, but with use, you will see how little by little you will see the deterioration of your boots.
The best thing to do, therefore, is to look for that special design that we usually have in stock and choose the one that you like the most or that gives you a good feeling on the pitch.
3.- Put your boots in your sports bag
Who is spared from this point? We usually finish our training sessions and matches totally exhausted, and when we get to the changing room we leave our boots at the bottom of our sports bag without caring about anything but getting home. When this happens, we forget that our boots stay crushed for several hours, or as in some cases, several days. If this happens, the football boot will lose its shape. Absolutely all boots are treated to have both stiffness and flexibility in various areas, with an internal structure prepared for the most aggressive actions, such as heel cups. Normally this, together with the sweat from the boots, even from our training clothes, increases the risk of deterioration of the boot even more.
Tip: As soon as you finish your training, carry them in a shoe bag. And to top it all off, if you put a pair of shims in them, you will ensure that your boots will remain in their natural state until the end of their life.
4.- Do not share your football boots with a colleague
We know that if you leave your boots to a team-mate, it's a force majeure, but it's not the most advisable thing to do. Football boots are subjected to a lot of stress during each training session and/or match. This stress will cause the boot to deform in a way that is positive for your foot, your kicking style and your support. If a teammate wears your football boots, what we do is break that shape and there is no perfect adaptation to your foot.
So remember, whenever you can avoid it, don't leave your boots with a partner, the personalised shape of your foot may be altered and never come back.
5.- Never remove the laces
Now that we have a wide range of boots without laces, such as the adidas football boots, or the New Balance football boots, it makes no sense that, if you have a pair of boots with laces, you should remove them, as they are responsible for giving us lateral support in every step and change of direction that we make with our shoe.
The entire design of the boot is designed for the use of laces and it is not advisable to remove them. Remember that the eyelets are often attached to the sole or heel counter and are responsible for hugging our foot in the best way. Therefore, it is necessary that the laces are there. And if you don't want laces with you, look for models of boots without laces that are designed not to have them and are perfectly functional.
Tie your football boots securely
A piece of advice that mum and dad have given us all our lives. They are football boots, they are not street trainers. Within the world of boot manufacturing, it is taken for granted that the footwear we are wearing to compete, is perfectly laced, because, if it is not, all those technologies that cover our foot, are useless. Not to mention that wearing well-laced boots means that the risk of injury does not depend on the boot, otherwise there is an extremely high risk of slipping inside the boot (roll-over).
So much for our review of what not to do with your football boots. If you follow these tips, in addition to taking care of them, you will have perfect and optimal boots for much longer.
