Why we chose it: A good value, eco-friendly and easy way to make footwear last longer

Nikwax have made it into our Green Gear Guide every single year that we have run it and they’re genuinely one of the first brands on the list. Why? Because they help us to get more out of the gear we already own and ultimately save us buying more. OK, we like brand new eco-friendly outdoor gear here at Outdoors Magic, but we know that the most sustainable decisions we can all make are to look after what we already have. 

And the thing about this care kit from Nikwax is it works so, so well. In fact, every time we conduct a test with it, we’re blown away by the results. 

The Nikwax Footwear Care kit contains a bottle of Nikwax Cleaning Gel, Nikwax Fabric and Leather Proof and then their Waterproofing Wax for Leather. You also get a handy little brush and a rolltop drybag too. 

“none of their solutions contain eco-hazardous chemicals (including the PFCs commonly used for waterproofing) and they’re all water based.”

The method for applying these is really easy and will take less than 10 minutes from start to finish – and that 10 minutes will make a big difference to the performance and lifespan of your footwear. 

We recommend using the Nikwax Cleaning Gel as often as possible as that’ll ensure that the materials that your boots are made from don’t ‘wet out’ and cosequently lose their breathability. Dirt draws water, after all, so if you can keep your boots dirt-free they’ll instantly be more resistant to saturation.