Are you one of the many thousands of fashion conscious, comfortable footwear loving, downright sensible people who have discovered the joy of real sheepskin boots? Are your beautiful sheepskin boots looking a little dirty and sorry for themselves after all the hard work of keeping you warm and snug last winter (and maybe some winters before that too)? Do you look at your once pristine uggs and think that maybe they've seen better days?

Well - don't consign them to the rubbish bin just yet because now is the perfect time to give them a little wash and brush up and see if you can't get them to come up looking as good as new.

Boots which have been made from high quality real sheepskin are very easy to care for. They can be hand washed in next to no time and provided you use a special sheepskin shampoo or mild soap flakes they will be fine. (Do be careful what you use though - I stripped the colour from a cheap pair of sheepskin boots by using too strong a detergent! So now I use a specially formulated sheepskin shampoo and have had much better results!) Also - do not under any circumstances be tempted to put them in the washing machine - you will regret it!

From personal experience I've found the best method to use is as follows:-

1) Fill a basin with lukewarm water and add some sheepskin shampoo. Stir the shampoo into the water (it won't foam very much but don't worry). The essential thing to remember when washing real sheepskin is that it doesn't like to get too hot - water that is too hot will make the wool's fibres seize up. If you've ever machine washed a pure wool jumper that should only have been hand washed you will know what I mean - it's quite astonishing how an adult sized jumper can shrink to the size of dolls clothing in just one wash!

2) Dunk the whole boot into the water almost up to the top of the boot - try not to get too much water in the top of the boot unless you specifically want to wash the insides. (If you want to you can take the sheepskin insoles out and wash them separately - I've found this freshens the boots up nicely without the need to wash the insides). You will be amazed how dry the insides of the boot remain even when you dunk the whole of the boot into the water - it just goes to prove the assertion that real sheepskin is naturally water resistant.

3) Using your hands just pour the soapy water over the boot and massage the boot surface to get it clean - if they are very dirty I use a soft nail brush to gently scrub them - but do be careful not to damage the suede outer surface of the sheepskin.

4) Once clean the boots can be rinsed, either under running water or in another basinfull of clean water (again lukewarm).

5) Squeeze the boots gently to remove the excess water and then blot the outsides and stuff the insides with clean kitchen towel.

6) They now need to be left to dry naturally - away from direct heat. You will have to be patient as this can take a few days depending on the ambient room temperature but please don't be tempted to put them on a radiator - they might go hard and you could permanently damage the sheepskin.

7) Once the boots are completely dry you can brush them to bring up the suede surface, although I've never felt the need to do this.

8) Lastly and most importantly, don't forget to re-protect them once they are clean by spraying them with sheepskin or suede protector spray.

If you look after your real sheepskin boots they will look after your feet for years to come - so what are you waiting for - get those boots washed and ready for the coming winter now!

(c)2005. Sue Madelin is the owner of The Snug Stop, purveyor of finest quality Australian Merino sheepskin boots, and a huge fan of her many pairs of Warmbat sheepskin boots.

Sheepskin shampoo and protector can be bought at http://shop.snugstop.com/careproducts.html and more information on looking after your sheepskin ugg boots can be found at http://www.snugstop.com/care-of-sheepskin-boots.html.