How to remove the white coating on Hunter boots

Noticed a white coating on your Hunter boots?

Blooming on a pair of Hunter Argyll Wellies

Every once in a while, you may start to notice a white film on your precious Hunter boots. This pesky white powdery substance can make the boots look a little worse for wear: but they’re not faulty, it’s actually the high quality construction that leads to this welly boot phenomenon known as ‘blooming’. Hunter uses only the best natural rubber to craft all of their boots, and when exposed to certain conditions, the insoluble particles can sometimes rise to the surface of the boots causing the rubber to have a white powdery finish. This is a completely natural process and not a defect- but what can you do about it?

How to remove blooming from your Hunter Boots

Firstly, prevention will save you some time in the future. After wearing, wipe your boots clean with cold soapy water to remove dirt and debris. Never use solvents on your boots as these can corrode the natural rubber. After washing, store them in a cool, well ventilated area away from radiators or other heat sources and out of direct sunlight. Excess heat or sunlight will encourage blooming, while storing the boots while still damp will damage the rubber.
If your boots are bloomed, it’s actually pretty easy to eradicate the white coating. Firstly, you need to wash off any mud or debris from your latest excursions in the great outdoors.

On the right, see the Hunter Argyll Wellies after just a soap and water wash, on the left, see the before and after – what a difference!

In most cases, you should be able to simply wipe the blooming away with a damp cloth and your boots will be back to their original state. Dampen a cloth with cool soapy water and wipe your boots in a downward motion to remove the white coating and restore your boots.

Still bloomed? It might be time to call in the reinforcements. Hunter has created a wide range of products to restore the beautiful shine and finish you remember from when your Hunter boots were fresh from the box. If your boots are still bloomed, it is worth investing in the Hunter Rubber Care Kit, which includes a rubber buffer, boot shine sponge and a cleaning cloth. These specialised products can be used on the following finishes: Matt, Gloss, Neon, Metallic and Pearlised (however please note excessive use on Metallic and Pearlised may affect the finish).

Apply two sprays of the rubber buffer spray to the cleaning cloth and buff the boots in a circular motion to remove any excess blooming. For a little added shine, use the boot shine sponge in the same circular motions to give them that like-new finish.

You can purchase the boot care kit here.