Tips and tricks to remove those pesky salt stains

It’s winter in Michigan, which means iced roads, snow piles and salt. Some states like Washington make use of sand when combating snow and ice, but not Michigan. You get one of two feelings when you think of rock salt —the first being a sense of happiness because it’s a slight reassurance in the idea of not falling and becoming a GIF video, and the second being an inner thought of “Oh boy, here come the salt stains.” We all know how heartbreaking it can be to see your beloved boots ruined by salt stains.

Stain and water repellent (water proofing spray) are great products to use to protect your merchandise. However, they can be pricey and may have harmful fumes. As college students, most of us are sticklers for household cures and solutions that can help save that extra penny or two.

One nifty trick is something found in everyone’s kitchen: white vinegar. White vinegar’s cleaning properties apparently extend further than meats. When cleaning suede and leather items mix one cup of warm water and one tablespoon of vinegar. Take a towel and dampen it with your mixture and dab (for suede) or wipe (for leather) until the stains are gone. If the smell bothers you, you can wipe over your boots with a scented dryer sheet after they’re dry.

After dabbing away the stains in your suede, you can use a toothbrush to re-fluff your suede.

The key for leather boots is to make a preemptive strike against all disasters; in other words waterproof those babies. However this doesn’t mean you have to buy the name brand sprays. Products like Beeswax have amazingly thick texture and are supposed to do wonders by creating a slight waterproofing coat.

In terms of applying the wax, usually any type of soft towel or cloth is great (think any cloth recommended for babies). When you apply your beeswax make sure to apply it in a circular fashion, so it works its way into the small crevices of the leather. Whatever way you apply the wax with is up to you; however you should make sure you apply the wax after you’ve made sure your leather boots are dry and clean of any residue first.

You can’t avoid winter, but you can dodge winter stains with these tips for easier and cheaper care for your beloved and most essential winter accessories. Go forth and sashay in style!