Someone in this fine fishing village must have a fix for this. Finn asked for a pair of fishing boots for Christmas. He wanted either xtratuf or Grundens. I searched kind of high and wide for a Youth pair in his size that wasn’t super expressive. I was psyched to find a pair at a pretty discounted rate…..and tucked them away until Christmas morning. As he unwrapped them and saw the label on the box he was pumped. He threw the box open…..and, well, not so much. While I ordered a Youth Size 5….what was in the box was a Child size 5 that are, no joke, like six inches long. They are the cutest little things you’ve ever seen….but, they weren’t going to work for Finn.
So, long story short, as the weather has turned nice and Finn is fishing as much as possible, I remembered that I “owed” him a new pair in his proper size. We found an awesome pair of Grundens and he’s in love with them! He’s probably worn them about 7 times and suddenly they are peeling and flaking like crazy. At first I thought it was a film of salt on them that could be wiped off….but, it’s actually more like a layer is literally deteriorating. So, my question is, can anyone recommend a product that will bring some life back to them? I appreciate any help and ideas! Thanks in advance!
Good Morning Gloucester 
Hi I have the same issue, did you get advice on a good repair?
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I received this message back from Grundens:
Hi Nichole,
First, I want to say it makes me super happy seeing that your kid has taken to fishing like that! It’s the best part of working in this industry, so thank you for sharing! Tell him we said “Awesome bass!”
What you are seeing is actually completely normal and I will walk you through how to get them looking great again. Our design team wrote this up the first time we saw it.
“Rubber will naturally age and oxidize over time. Direct sunlight and heat will accelerate the aging process. To slow this process, we apply a surface treatment to the boots at the factory.
To properly clean Grundéns Rubber boots one should only rinse boots off with fresh water and brush off debris with a rag or soft bristle brush. Do not use any soap as the soap will degrade the treatment applied at the factory. Rubber boot are like leather boots in the fact that they can dry out and crack. They need to be treated with specific rubber boot conditioner/cleaner every few months (link to popular cleaner below and video on how to clean rubber boots).
In the event that boots have been exposed to alkaline soap, and the factory protective treatment begins to degrade the boots will begin to look like the below picture. This is how you should be able to take care of our boots and to not panic when this happens.
In the event that you see boots like this, there is nothing wrong with the product. This is the treatment coming off the boots. The base of the boot remains a high quality, natural rubber boot and there is nothing to be concerned about.
Once the factory treatment has been removed, proper care of Grundéns rubber boots CHANGES, and should be regularly cleaned with a mild dish soap and warm, fresh water.”
https://www.gearaid.com/products/revivex-care-boot-rubber
https://www.gearaid.com/blogs/learn/rubber-boot-care-101-blooming-and-white-marks
I hope this was helpful, and let us know if there is anything else we can do for you!
Justin
Grundens Technical Service Representative
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