Waterproofing Spray

Four mistakes account for almost every complaint that a spray "did not work":

• Spraying a damp boot. The surface must be completely dry, or the treatment cannot bond. After a wet day, leave the boots 24 hours first.
• Spraying a dirty boot. The spray bonds to whatever is on top. Brush the dirt off first.
• Standing too close. Hold the can 10–15cm away for the Bareback Protector, about 15cm for the Nubuck & Velour, 20cm for Carbon Pure. Too close and you get a saturated patch that dries blotchy.
• Wearing them too soon. Allow the full dry time — 24 hours for most, 12 for the Carbon sprays. Walking out after twenty minutes wipes half of it off on the first wet grass.

Two light coats always beat one heavy one.

New leather is at its most absorbent and has never been marked. That is the single best moment to protect it, and it is far more effective than trying to rescue a boot that has already taken on water.

Spray twice before first wear, allowing full drying between coats. This matters most on suede and nubuck — a suede boot that gets rained on before it has been treated will often keep the water mark permanently.

It applies just as much to boots that are already waterproof. The membrane keeps your foot dry; nothing is protecting the leather on the outside of it unless you do.

The 200ml Nubuck & Velour sprays are pressurised aerosols. Rules on carrying hazardous substances and pressurised containers by air mean we cannot send them outside the UK mainland, and orders from outside it will be refunded.

Everything else here is a pump or propellant-free spray and travels normally: Carbon Pure, Carbon Protector and the Bareback Leather Protector.

Pump sprays are also easier to control on a small area, which is useful if you are only retreating the toe and the flex crease.

Waterproofing is only half the job. A membrane boot keeps water out, which also means moisture from your foot has less easy escape — and wool-lined winter boots hold it longer still.

Take the insole out at the end of a wet day and let both dry separately, away from direct heat. If the boots are worn daily, an Eco Deo Spray into the lining keeps odour under control without soaking the footbed.

Replacement insoles are worth considering once a year on hard-worked boots — see insoles and laces.

It makes the leather water-repellent, which is not the same thing. Water beads and runs off instead of soaking in, so the boot stays lighter, warmer and dries faster. But the spray does not seal seams, zips or stitching, and those are the routes water takes into a boot.

For genuinely waterproof footwear you need a membrane built into the boot — see our waterproof range.

The Collonil Nubuck & Velour, both Carbon sprays, and our own Leather Protector are all suede safe.

What is not safe on suede: dubbin, wax polish, cream polish or anything oil based. They flatten the nap and darken the colour permanently, and it cannot be undone.

Drop a little water on the toe. Beads that sit on the surface mean the treatment is still working; water that darkens the leather and sinks in means it has gone.

Typically that is every one to two weeks for boots in daily use, every few weeks for regular wear, and a couple of times a season for occasional use. Suede needs it more often than smooth leather.

Yes. The Bareback Leather Protector is intended for leather goods generally, not just footwear, and the Collonil Carbon sprays are rated for textiles, synthetics and softshell membranes as well as leather.

Test an inconspicuous area first on anything valuable, particularly light-coloured or unfinished leather.

On waxed leather, dubbin is arguably the better product: it waterproofs and feeds the leather at the same time, and waxed uppers take it well. Use spray on top if you want extra repellency on the toe and flex crease.

On nubuck, suede or any raised-nap finish, spray only.