My grandpa's rule about boot leather that I ignored for way too long

Grandpa told me back in 2018 to never store my work boots near the heater vent in winter. I thought he was just being old fashioned (he was 82 at the time). Sure enough, after last January in Cleveland those boots cracked right along the toe crease after 4 years of perfect wear. He was right about the leather drying out too fast, and now I keep them in the closet by the front door instead. Anyone else learn a specific care tip the hard way from ignoring an older relative?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant.luna2d ago

Oh man, this is hitting close to home! My dad tried telling me for years to stop keeping my cast iron skillet soaking in the sink overnight. He said it would rust and ruin the seasoning. I thought he was just being dramatic because he's paranoid about kitchen stuff. Well, last summer I left it soaking and sure enough a whole patch of rust showed up the next morning. Had to scrub it down and start the seasoning process all over again. Now I dry it immediately after washing like he always said.

dakota1602d agoOG Member

grant.luna, that "dramatic" part really got me because I said the same thing to my grandma. She swore by heating the pan on low after drying to make sure every drop of water evaporated. I thought she was just being extra until I found a flash rust spot on a freshly seasoned skillet. Now I do the whole routine: wash with mild soap, dry thoroughly, set it on a warm burner for a minute, then rub a tiny bit of oil on it while it's still warm. It takes two extra minutes but saves hours of reseasoning work. Your dad was right, and I bet he felt pretty validated when you showed him that rust spot.

miab1622h ago

That "flash rust" thing @dakota160 mentioned is so real and so annoying. I had the same thing happen after I thought I dried my pan perfectly. Turns out just towel drying wasn't enough because there was still moisture trapped in the microscopic pores of the metal. Now I do what your grandma said too - heat it up on the stove for a bit after drying. It takes hardly any time but makes a huge difference. The extra step of wiping a thin layer of oil on while warm seals everything in and keeps that seasoning nice and dark.