Boot Care
Caring For Your Original S.W.A.T. Footwear
Cleaning your Original SWAT Footwear depends on the materials of the boot model you've chosen to purchase. Here are our recommendations for:A. Black leather & nylon uppers B. Suede & nylon uppersC. Clarino-style Dress Shoes - #1180D. Zipper care
Remove laces from boots before cleaning. Laces can be washed in the washing machine. We recommend putting them in a mesh lingerie wash bag to keep laces from wrapping around other items.
You can also remove your boot insoles and let them air out, hand wash or sprinkle them with baking soda, and air dry. We do not recommend drying them in a clothes dryer or any other high heat source.
Making your boots water resistant: Original SWAT makes a topical waterproofing treatment called SWAT Shield, which works on leather,suede, nylon, and other synthetic materials. SWAT Shield can be purchased at an Authorized Original SWAT Retailer or online at www.originalswatonline.com. We do not recommend this product for our Dress Oxfords (1180).
Black Leather & Nylon Uppers
The nylon panels of your boots can be cleaned with a small amount of mild detergent and water, such as diluted dish washing liquid, or a commercial nylon cleaner, such as an athletic shoe cleaner. Gently wash nylon with the cleaning solution and a soft brush. Rinse surface carefully with clean water. Do not soak your boots with water. Allow boots to air-dry thoroughly.
Most of our boots with a full-grain non-suede leather toe are uniform code and polishable. Use a high quality leather cleaner on the leather panels to remove dirt and scuffs, followed by a high quality polish fora shiny appearance. For a very high gloss, follow the instructions below for Al Baker's Military Spit Shine.
Allow boots to dry completely before replacing laces and insoles.You may wish to treat your boots with a product such as Scotch guard to protect from scuffs, dirt, and water. Many of our leather/nylon boots are already treated with Scotch guard, but we recommend re-applying it after cleaning.
Suede & Nylon Uppers
The nylon panels of your boots can be cleaned with a small amount of mild detergent and water, such as diluted dish washing liquid, or a commercial nylon cleaner, such as an athletic shoe cleaner. Gently wash nylon with the cleaning solution and a soft brush. Rinse surface carefully with clean water. Do not soak your boots with water. Allow boots to air-dry thoroughly.
On suede, use a stiff brush to remove dried mud, dirt and debris. Use a high quality suede leather cleaner on the suede panels to remove oily dirt, stains, and scuffs.
Allow boots to dry completely before replacing laces and insoles.You may wish to treat your boots with a product such as Scotch guard to protect from scuffs, dirt, and water. Many of our leather/nylon boots are already treated with Scotch guard, but we recommend re-applying it after cleaning.
Clarino-Style Dress Shoes - #1180
Our Dress Oxfords have a glossy sheen right out of the box. To maintain that gloss, we recommend using a specific cleaning and shining product made for Poromeric materials such as Clarino and Patent Leather.
Zipper Care
The boot zippers should be operated with care to keep them trouble-free.
The zipper has a 103 lb. breaking strain, which is achieved by having a higher number of teeth per inch. This also provides the necessary flexibility in a zip of this length.
However, care must be taken when operating this zipper to:A) Not get gussets caught in the zipperB) Should the gusset get caught, you must reverse the zipper direction to release the gusset under NO circumstances try to force the zipper.
Forcing the zipper could result in breaking the zip-pull tab or the zipper itself. This will not occur under normal operation and will therefore be considered "abuse" and negate any guarantee. If you happen to break a zip-pull tab, contact our customer service department for a replacement.
The Military SPIT SHINE
Al Baker, the inventor of the Baker Batshield and president of theBaker BatShield Company (www.bakerbatshield.com), has perfected the art of the military spit shine. When we saw how well his Original SWAT boots shined after the "Al Baker treatment", we asked him to share his method for achieving that amazingly high gloss.
The Military "Spit Shine" - A How - To by Al Baker
No set of boots on the ground ever looked as good as the pair with a snappy spit shine, the genesis of which may be traced to United StatesMilitary troops over generations of marching through battle.
The process is simple but it takes time and patience, and like any good recipe, the correct ingredients.
Step One: The materials required
A quality pair of leather boots, or shoes with plain, rounded toes. The typical black "Combat Boot" is the most common.Brown leather and polish may also be selected, however, black has traditionally been the more popular. A tin of high-quality, paste-wax, shoe polish. The brand name "Kiwi" has remained optimum for over 100 years.A box of rolled, 100%, sterile cotton - [Must be 100% cotton; no synthetic fibers, no substitutes, no cotton balls]A supply of clean, cool, fresh water. ["Spit" is a myth]Time, patience and a comfortable, bright place to work.
Step Two: The Process
Begin with the footwear in a clean and polished condition.Secure a liberal handful of the cotton from the roll. Cotton balls do not work well as it takes too many to make up a working pad - plus the balls tend to fall apart.]Generously drench the cotton in cold fresh water then wring out the excess water while allowing the cotton pad to retain a liberal amount of liquid and forming the wet pad into a roughly 4 inch square, flat,smooth applicator .Place the supporting hand deep inside the boot or shoe. Recommend leaving the laces tied and/or the zipper closed so as to control the boot or shoe in a firm manner.
Holding the wet cotton pad in the strong hand and positioning the fingers within so that the wet cotton pad maintains a smooth surface,gather a small amount of shoe polish from the can in a circular motion- a quarter-sized amount should suffice at the start.Begin applying the polish in firm, tight circles over the entire tip of the shoe or boot. Beads of water should be visible as should the dull,wax polish. As a firm circular motion is continued, the polish will be absorbed and the leather will begin to take on a harder, more visible shine. It will take many repetitions of this process for the shine to begin to "take". This is where the patience comes in.Repeat the process over and over - re-wetting the cotton - re-gathering the polish and repeating the firm circular motions until each succeeding application of polish is absorbed and the shine improves.The ratio of polish to water to time and effort will become a learning and experience curve as the process continues. Repeated sessions over multiple days seems to yield best results.Eventually, the shine will get better and better and the process of restoring the high gloss finish will become easier and easier as a base of shine is established.Should the boot or shoe become soiled, muddy, dirty or otherwise subjected to loss of shine, apply a soft, wet, cloth to remove all foreign matter, polish the boots or shoes in a standard manner and begin again at Step 2 above to restore the "Spit Shine" The process may also be performed on the heel of the boots or shoes or to any area the wearer desires - however - applying a "Spit Shine" to more flexible areas of the leather may be less productive. Traditional military spit shines are typically seen on the hard leather portions of the toe and heel.
Step Three: The Finished Product
Nothing tops off a pair of handsome, military "Spit-Shined" boots like a crisply pressed tactical uniform.As an option, some individuals prefer the "bloused" leg look - which is the use of elastic blousing bands gathering the lower leg cuffs and turning them up and inside the bands thus leaving the shafts of the boots more exposed and the military shine more apparent.
-Al Baker - March 20, 2008