Get in Gear - Boot Cleaner

Periodically, I will be posting about some of my favorite gear. 

If you've done any hiking, you know the lugs on the bottoms of your boots (think of them as tire treads) can quickly fill up with dirt, gravel, seeds and debris from the trail. Many state parks and some trailheads provide a fixed boot brush on a stand to help you clean your boots before and after a hike. Unfortunately, those brushes wear down pretty fast. 

I have found a light and handy tool that not only works on horses' hooves, but is fabulous for quickly cleaning your boot bottoms. I was first introduced to these through my MN Master Naturalist training. We all received these handheld bootbrushes from PlayCleanGo®. 

The pickhead easily gets through the narrowest parts of your lugs. The stiff bristle brush head quickly brushes out any sandy/silty dirt. You might note that this very portable brush is exactly like a hoof pick and does the same job.

Using the boot cleaner helps you avoid bringing invasives on your boots from trail to trail. And, of course, it also helps you keep your boots house-worthy after a particularly wet walk!

In this photo, the boot on the right is fairly caked with mud. After a quick clean with the boot pick, the boot on the left is free of debris and ready to take me back on the trails. On hikes in fragile environments, I take a few minutes to pre-clean my boots so I don't bring invasives in.

Best of all, it's easy to stow away in my backpack or in my trunk. Taking a few minutes post-hike to clean my boots means I'm ready to hit the trail next time!

Images - Marge Loch-Wouters