White powder on leather boots?

I have this white powder on the sides of my leather boots, someone said it was mold or mildew. Since I haven't worn the boots in 2 years is possible?

Now how do I prevent it and maintain these boots that it doesn't come back? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

Yes, it's possible. You were probably using a boot grease leather preserver that was made from animal by-products. Things like Neat's foot oil, mink oil etc can be attacked by mold. The best boot grease I have come across is made by Browning. It's a synthetic grease that does a beautiful job of preserving leather even restoring it, then acts as a waterproofing. The boot does not even feel greasy afterwards and the dirt does not stick to the boots because the grease is completely absorbed by the leather. Dan

Dave,

Could be mold or mildew, but my guess is it's salt from sweaty feet. In either case, just wash it off with plain old waterand a little scrubing with a rag. Then let them dry in a warm (not HOT) place. Better to use a boot dryer IF you have one. If the powder comes back repete cleaning as many times as it takes, then apply a good water proof such as 'sno seal' Job done!

Clean your boots at the end of the season, apply sno seal and store in a dry spot is all you need to do to prevent this from happening again.

Doug Obert Upper Stikine River Adventures

I've used neatsfoot oil, softens and protects. <snipped as per requirements of the moderator, posted Wednesday, 1/19/00 8:12 EST>

Chances are it is salt from sweat.

Robert Lewis San Marcos, TX

Join the NRA

boots, someone said it

Try this site http://www.davidmorgan.com/CATALOGS/DM/dm16 dm76?54354217040 63196397087751725 it has a good article on care of fine leather and they also sell a beeswax treatement that really seems to work good. It the whole link doesn't work go to www.davidmorgan.com and start from their index

First to clean them up I would start off with a good scrub down with saddle soap. Then after they are thouroughly dry put on a heavy application of neats foot oil. Let this soak in for a few days and repeat. Finally, store in a cool dry place. The mildew started because the boots were in a damp area. The heavy applications of neats foot oil is to get the leather reconditioned. It is possible your boots may be damaged and willl wear out sooner than anticipated.

This so called mildew is no such mold. What you have is a case of sweaty feet. I venture to guess that the last time you wore the 'infected' boots, it was rather hot. Your feet merely sweated and the salt from your feet saturated your socks first, then your boot leather. My military boots do this a lot. Prevention....nothing! Just saddle soap those boogers every 6 months or so. If you do not remove the salt residue, the leather will begin to break down, such as a car fender driven near the California beach for a few years. Good Luck.