Always wipe moisture from the interior and exterior of your boots after every use and let your boots dry between skating sessions.
Never place the boots near a heating vent. This will dry the natural oils in the leather, causing it to dry and crack.
Loosening the laces and pulling the tongue open allows greater air circulation and better drying.
Removing footbed or sock liners, especially for those that skate barefoot, help the boots to dry faster.
Do not store boots in the trunk of a car, the extreme temperatures will cause premature breakdown in the boots.
Always remove skates from skate bags once they have been transported. This allows the leather to dry and helps prevent the growth of mold and mildew, causing the leather to deteriorate.
Periodically treat your boot's outsoles with a water repellent (such as SnoSeal or bees wax); making sure boots are dry first. Complete no sooner than 12 hours after your last skate.
BLADES
Wear guards while wearing your skates, any time you are not on the ice. Cement, wood and dirt can deteriorate your blades.
Remove excess snow when you step off the ice and before you put your guards on. Blades can rust in less than 20 minutes in wet guards.
Dry blades and mounting surface with a heavy cotton towel. As the skate warms up, condensation will occur on the blades, and they should be dried again. Use soakers on blades before transporting to protect blade and absorb extra moisture.
Remove soakers from blades once they have been transported.
Check screws periodically to make sure they are tight. Carry a screwdriver in your skate bag.
Have blades sharpened when they start to slide uncomfortably. Keep a log of how long you skate between sharpening to make sure you sharpen before the blade is too dull, but not too often to wear out your blades. Only take your skates to a reputable Figure Skate sharpener.
Periodically apply a thin film of light oil to the sharpening edge of the blades to prevent rust and corrosion.
