How to Make a Stationary Boot Cleaner
Have you ever gotten your boots filthy and end up spending more time than you would like cleaning them up? You’re not alone, and this is the last thing that most of us don’t like doing at the end of a long day. The good news is that if you have some extra 2 x 4 pieces of wood, along with some other basic items laying around, you can make a simple but effective stationary boot cleaner. Take a look at the steps below and see how easy it is to improvise this project into something useful to have on hand.
Required Items
a few 2×4 boards
2” wood screws
Saw
2 angled scrub brushes
2 standard scrub brushes
Some Ingenuity
The basic concept is to build a platform for your feet and then mount the brushes in the middle. How you go about doing this is completely up to you. There’s plenty of room for improvisation, and this basic design is intended to get your creative juices flowing so you can make one that is customized around your needs.
Building the Platform
The first step is to build the platform by cutting a few pieces of 2×4 boards into 3′ segments. Next, you want to cut two smaller pieces that will hold the platform together while also serving as legs. Place the platform boards next to each other and align them. Place each smaller piece perpendicular across the boards at about 2-3 inches from the outside edges. You can also add a third piece in the center to support additional weight. Screw in the pieces to each individual board on the platform to secure everything together.
Building the Cleaner
The trick is to center and mount the cleaning system, but you will need to adjust it according to the width of your boot and the amount of “squeeze” you want. The object is to place the standard, flat scrub brushes next to each other horizontally on the platform. You can also use ones that have a V shape in the handle, but they may not be as stable. In any case, these brushes will be the ones that clean the soles of your boots. Secure them in place with at least two screws each.
The next step is to build the side walls of the cleaner. Cut three smaller pieces of wood for each side. Two will be used to connect the brushes and the third as a support. Place two pieces next to each other. Place the support piece horizontally across the bottom. You want the two pieces to stand up vertically with the support placed horizontally.
Next, attach the brushes horizontally across the top portion of each side wall. You should end up with the brushes on top and the support piece on the bottom of each segment. Make sure everything is flush, so the side walls will rest perfectly atop the platform next to the sole brushes. Screw them into the platform as well as into the ends of the support brushes if possible.
Important Considerations
You want to make sure that you’ve spaced the brushes properly so they grip to your boots enough to grab as much dirt and gunk as possible. You may need to do some measuring in addition to trimming the ends of the brushes in order to create a customized fit. You should also consider treating the wood in order to be able to rinse and clean everything up afterwards more quickly.
Other than that, this is a simple project that can be done in about an hour, and you can improvise the heck out of it to make it work for you. Think of all of the time and energy you can save from cleaning, especially when you’re in a situation where supplies of water are scarce or you don’t want to get your boots too wet. Try it for yourself, and feel free to share any insights on how to make this boot cleaner better and more effective.
