Can You Put Steel Toe Boots In The Dryer? (Find Out Now!)
One of the most important parts of many people’s work clothing is a good pair of steel-toe boots. Not only do the boots protect your feet from falling objects, but they can also support your ankles and arches as you go about your day. Work boots are often subject to water in various ways and come home wet. Many people wonder if you can put your steel toes boots in the clothes dryer.
Most boot manufacturers warn against putting steel-toe boots in a clothes dryer. The high heat and tumbling action of the clothes dryer can damage the leather on your boots. Manmade materials don’t fare any better. The soles of your boots may delaminate from the uppers. You also risk damaging the stitching and eyelets for the laces.
Maintenance and care for your steel-toe work boots are essential. Caring for your work boots properly can add many years of life to a good pair of work boots. This extends to drying your work boots when they get wet. Leather doesn’t respond well to being wet, nor does it like high heat. Here are some things you should know about caring for your boots.
Using a Dryer to Dry Your Boots
Yes, you can use a dryer to dry your wet steel-toe boots. However, it is not a clothes dryer. We are talking about a boot dryer. These specialized appliances are designed to go into your boots. The boot dryers gently warm the air in your boots, evaporating the moisture.
Boot dryers use a much lower heat than clothes dryers. The lower heat doesn’t damage the leather and other materials of your boots. Without the beating that a clothes dryer imparts when it tumbles, your boots won’t suffer physical damage. Your boots will hold their shape and break down.
What is the Best Way to Dry Wet Steel Toe Boots?
The best way to dry high-quality steel-toe boots is naturally. Letting the moisture in the boots evaporate over time is the best way to dry boots. There are some tricks you can use to make the process a bit faster.
- If you wear insoles inside your steel-toe work boots, remove the insoles and dry them separately.
- Dry the boots thoroughly inside and out with a soft, absorbent towel. Don’t scrub on the boots as you may damage the surface of the leather or other materials. Stuff the towel inside the boot’s toe box and let it set to pick up as much moisture as possible.
- Unlace and open the boot to allow good airflow inside the boot. Air circulation is the key to drying boots as fast as possible. The more air circulation you can get in and around the boots will aid in the drying process.
- Pace the boots in a well-ventilated area out of the direct sun. Don’t expose your steel-toe boots to direct sunlight. The UV rays of direct sunlight can deteriorate the leather and most manmade materials.
If you wear your steel-toe boots daily, naturally drying your boots may not be a viable option. In this case, you probably want to invest in a good boot dryer.
Add a Fan for More Air Circulation
Adding a small fan to circulate more air over your steel-toe boots may decrease the drying time. More air circulation can speed up the moisture evaporation process. It won’t take a large fan to help with this process. A small box fan or round stand fan works well for these applications. In most cases, the expense is small, and the effects can be dramatic.
Can I Put my Steel Toe Boots in the Oven at a Low Temperature?
In a word, no. Most shoes and boots, even steel-toe work boots, use various methods to hold the soles to the shoe uppers. In most cases, the soles are glued to the uppers instead of being stitched. This is true of some of the most expensive boots on the market.
Any heat from any source can cause the glue joints to weaken and allow the soles to separate from the uppers. This is true even with special boot dryers. We recommend using the no heat settings on boot dryers. You only want to circulate air through the boots to protect them from damage.
Exposing your steel-toe workboots to the heat of an oven can damage them beyond use. The effects of the heat on the lather, stitching, and glues can shorten the life of your work boots.
What Can I Do To Protect My Steel Toe Work Boots?
There are several things you should do to protect your investment in your steel-toe work boots. In addition, there are more things that we believe you should do for your boots to extend their life. For example, a few minutes a week maintaining your boots can help your feet and prolong the life of your boots.
Keep Your Boots Clean and Dry
Keeping your boots clean in some work environments can be a challenge. Your steel-toe work boots should never be put away after work with debris, mud, grime, or water still on them. Brush off any large debris with a stiff bristle boot brush. Clean the soles thoroughly. Open the boots to allow air to circulate freely. If they are wet, a boot dryer is recommended.
Apply A Good Water Proofing Agent to Your Boots
There are many good waterproofing agents that you can apply to your boots to protect the material used in the boot uppers, particularly leather. Choose a water-based protectant if at all possible. These water-based agents can be applied to wet or dry boots to provide both waters-repelling actions. They can also keep your boots odor-free.
Apply an Occaissional Leather Conditioner Treatment to Leather Boots
As your leather boots age, they naturally begin to lose the leather’s oils that make them soft and supple. Applying a leather conditioner helps replace these lost oils and keeps your boots in good condition.
As boots get wet and dry, the moisture leaches the oils from the leather. This can leave the leather dry and brittle. Cracks can develop in the leather shortening the life of your boots. A good leather conditioner helps prevent the leather from drying and cracking over time.
Keep Your Boots in Top Condition Just Like Any Other Tool
It is easy to lose sight of how important a good pair of steel-toe work boots is to your day. Your boots protect your feet and ankles. Like any tool you use on a worksite, your boots require some maintenance and care to keep them performing their important job of protecting your feet. Don’t neglect your steel0toe work boots, and don’t abuse them by putting them in a clothes dryer.
Dennis is a retired firefighter with an extensive background in construction, home improvement, and remodeling. He worked in the trades part-time while serving as an active firefighter. On his retirement, he started a remodeling and home repair business, which he ran for several years.
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