Set the timer to 155 seconds

How to use the online timer

Set the rinse going over your muddy boots, start a countdown for two minutes and thirty-five seconds, then leave the utility sink to hang up your wet coat and put the kettle on. After a walk across the moor, that interval gives running water time to loosen grit around the tread without turning boot cleaning into the evening’s main job. Return when the alert sounds and check the grooves before stopping the tap.

While you are putting away your walking gear, the countdown tab may slip into the background. On a phone, the browser might dim the screen or pause visible updates, although the finishing alert can still depend on notification and battery settings. A laptop left awake near the sink is less likely to be silenced in a pocket, but its alert may be harder to hear from the hall.

For boots beside a kitchen or utility sink, a phone is usually easier to keep close while you move around, provided it stays somewhere dry. A laptop makes more sense if muddy hands would otherwise touch the phone or if you are hanging clothes in the next room. Once back at the sink, rinse from the ankle towards the sole and use a small brush only where packed moorland mud remains.