Trendy Wendy Wednesdays * Get Your Boots Ready For Walkin'

It was 75 degrees in North Carolina today. Seventy-five glorious degrees. Tomorrow? Let's not talk about that. Really? We have to? Ok, ok - we're looking at a 30 degree temperature drop. And while I know that some parts of the country (hi Mom and Dad) have already seen some of the white stuff, and I'm ready for fall and boot season (I have a boot problem - do they have a boots anonymous group for that?), I'm not ready for winter and. . . . snow. And neither were my boots.

Boots all cleaned up and ready for . . .  don't say it. . . . winter.

Until today. Today my boots got a fall overhaul. That kinds sounds like a lot of hard work. And it was. Wait. No. It totally wasn't. I just wanted to make it sound like I'd had a more productive day than I did. It was super easy and save for a couple of items, I was able to use regular household products for the clean up. 

   

Scuffed up boots that are in desperate need of some love.

Time to get your boots ready for walkin'? (I couldn't resist). Here we go.

Olive Oil
My boots get pretty scuffed. I have no idea what I do to them to make them so scuffed up, but by spring they always look awful. Know what fixes boot scuffs? Olive oil. Yup. The regular stuff you have in your pantry. Just dab a little on a soft cloth or very soft paper towel (or your fingers) and rub it directly on the scuffs. Want to keep your boots looking shiny after you clean up the scuffs? Use a little saddle soap and a soft cloth to clean them up and condition them and then a shine brush to get them good and shiny. You can also use some neutral shoe polish if you don't have any saddle soap. 
Lemon Juice
We don't get salt stains on our boots in this part of the country, but when I lived in Iowa (hi Mom and Dad) and Chicago my boots were always getting stained by the salt on the roads. If only I'd known then that all I needed was a lemon. Mix lemon juice and water in a 50:50 ratio (you can also use white vinegar instead of the lemon juice) and wipe your boots down using a soft cloth. Let them air dry and then see the olive oil step above to get them back to looking shiny and new.
Grocery Store Plastic Bags
Even though we have reusable bags to take to the store, somehow we seem to accumulate those grocery store plastic bags and we have a ton of them (I think The Hubbs has no reusable bags in his car, so he may be the culprit). But you know what they're good for (besides picking up dog poop on our daily walks)? Stuffing into your boots to help them keep their shape. Who needs fancy boot shapers, when you have plastic bags that will do the trick just fine? Take one bag and stuff several more inside. Then stuff the bag into your boots. Ta da. Your boots keep their shape and you save money. 
Sharpie Pens
Remember when I said I'm tough on my boots and they get lots of scratches? Well, that includes on the heels. Not on the leather part, but on the actual heal of the boot. Sometimes the "wooden" heels peel or get scratched up. One time I was out of town for work and realized I had totally scratched up my boot heels. I had a Sharpie pen in my briefcase and . . .  voilà. They looked brand new. Heels are usually brown or black, so keep one Sharpie of each color on hand and your set. 

Scuffs all gone and boots all shined up and ready for <wait for it> walkin'. 

Good luck with the coming winter. They say it's going to be a tough one. Even tougher than last year. And you folks in Florida and SoCal? We don't want to hear about it. But even you're welcome.