Skatingforums.com has a skate maintenance event on the 8th of each month on our online calendar.
http://skatingforums.com/index.php?action=calendar I skate 5-6 days a week for 2-5 hours at a time, mostly coaching/standing. (Or, as my skate fitter calls it, "directing traffic.") I have to apply Sno-Seal at least four times a year and it's always overdue - it usually takes me 2-3 weeks after I first see the darkness to actually do the deed.
There's no real "timer" that can be applied universally to all skaters. When to re-apply Sno-Seal depends on several factors:
. How "wet" is your environment? (Rinks with puddles require more protection than cold, hard hockey ice rinks.)
. How new are your skates? (New boots usually come with some polyurethane or other finish that keeps snoseal out.)
. How often do you skate and for how long? (Half-hour freestyles twice a week don't expose the skates as much as daily 4-hour sessions.)
. How well were they last treated? (If it was a quick application and more could have been absorbed, it won't last as long.)
To make it easier, I acquired an old hairdryer that no one wanted and put it in a storage tub along with the packets of sno-seal and plastic bags/gloves. I used to hook the skate over our single-knob faucet in the sink but one accidental push led to having to dry out the insides of my skates, so I switched to using the garage workbench's vise. I just close it on a broom handle and use that to hold the skate in place.
My new skates should be coming soon and the soles are supposed to be maintenance-free. *crosses fingers*