We often receive lots of questions via our social media channels about how to look after and maintain football boots. That’s why, in today’s blog post, we want to help you ensure your kit is always in top condition and that you can extend its lifespan far beyond what you might expect. It’s very simple: you just need to avoid these five things which, unfortunately, are all too common in the world of football.
5 things you should never do with your football boots
We’d like to start by talking about a very common mistake: using the wrong type of sole for the playing surface. In other words, using a type of sole on a surface for which it isn’t designed. Another very common mistake is leaving your boots in the sun after cleaning them. We understand that this is often our first choice, as the quicker they dry, the sooner we can use them again. However, this is a mistake. Direct exposure to the sun is not suitable for football boots, as it can damage the fibres of synthetic materials and cause natural leather to crack and lose its properties.
1. Washing your football boots in the washing machine
Can we wash our football boots in the washing machine? The answer is clear: no. And there are good reasons for this. These days, football boots are manufactured using highly advanced processes which, amongst other things, help to reduce their weight. In this process, the finishes play a key role. Many boots feature adhesive bonds and heat-sealed finishes which can be damaged by machine washing, whether in hot or cold water, causing parts to start peeling away or coming apart. Furthermore, areas featuring an integrated sock and traditional heel counters can gradually weaken, affecting their structure and causing them to lose their properties.
2. Painting your football boots
This trend of customising football boots with paint began to gain popularity thanks to Bakary Sako, a Crystal Palace player. Little by little, this trend spread and even reached Lionel Messi, who wore a pair of boots customised entirely for him. One of the most common practices is to paint ‘blackout’ boots. However, regardless of the boot model and whether or not it is a blackout version, painting boots can affect the technologies incorporated into the upper. Why? Because the paints commonly used contain substances that can alter the functioning of these technologies and compromise aspects such as flexibility, ball grip or even Nike’s famous ACC technology. In many cases, the effect of these paints is obvious, as players who use them usually end up wearing those boots for only a very short period of time.
3. How to pack your football boots in your rucksack
When we finish our training sessions or matches, the last thing on our minds is how to pack all our kit back into our rucksack or sports bag. Often, we just wrap everything up in a used, wet towel and stuff it straight inside. However, this is another fairly common mistake that we don’t even realise we’re making, as our football boots – one of the most important pieces of kit for playing – are the ones that suffer the most at that moment. Usually, the first thing we put in our rucksack is our boots, which end up bearing the full weight of the rest of our kit. As a result, they can spend hours or even days under a heavy load, which affects their shape. These small details – such as the boots’ stiffness, durability and flexibility – are compromised by unnecessary pressure, increasing the risk of wear and tear.
4. Lending your football boots to a teammate
If we lend our boots to a team-mate, we expect it to be for a good reason. Even so, it’s not a practice we’d recommend, as boots are a very personal item. Through use during training sessions and matches, they gradually mould to the shape of our feet. Here’s the problem: if you lend out boots that are already moulded to and fitted to your feet, it’s possible that, when they’re returned to you, they may have lost some of their original shape. This can make it difficult for them to fit your feet properly again and to regain the comfort and fit they had before.
5. Lace up your football boots properly
This is one of the pieces of advice we’ve heard most often since we were children and yet, even so, we don’t always follow it properly. However, when we switch from everyday footwear to football boots, things change, because we’re not talking about shoes for everyday use. Football boots are designed to deliver maximum performance when used correctly. One of their key functions is to provide support and stability thanks to the lacing system. That’s why it’s important to lace them up properly to ensure your foot is securely held in place and to prevent it from slipping inside the boot during the match.
