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Help with stinky shoes

2K views 26 replies 25 participants last post by  stumblemumble 
#1 ·
It's been hot, wet and humid this week and my shoes are not doing so well. The last time they got wet and dirty, I washed them with detergent and dried them with newspaper inside and they stunk. Now when I wear them and especially with the humidity, the stink just gets worse. So I washed them again and am drying them with newspaper, powder and they are in front of the fan all day. I will be packing them up to fly out to Colorado and I am wondering if anyone has any tips to get rid of the stinking in case this doesn't work.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Some shoes stink cause they're made of crappy materials which get funky when wet. You'd think that an MTB shoe would be made better, but sometimes they are not. If you're in that boat tossing them is the only solution!

Otherwise I usually just hose mine off when they're really caked in dirt/mud and leave them outside to dry. No odor problems here. If you have foot stank odors then maybe some sort of antifungal cream is in order.
 
#6 ·
I used to take my ice hockey goalie equipment swimming with me... for the record don't wear it when you try it.

The chlorine helps kill the bacteria which is usually the source of the foul body odor smells it probably isnt great for hockey pads but mine lasted for years. I imagine it would work for shoes as well.

Used a large Box Fan and some febreze on them after they dried

(ps dont use febreze on the insides some people are allergic I was and it made for a nasty rash)
 
#9 ·
I don't have the problem with my shoes getting to smelling extremely rank but my gloves get to smelling like something dead after a while. I soak them in scalding hot water with lemon scent ammonia, rinse them good and hang them outside on a hot sunny day to quick-dry them.

I think the trick is to get them dried out quick after you wash them, keeps the moldy, smelly bacteria from taking hold:prft: .
 
#11 ·
You mean a bit of bromidrosis? Let Frank Zappa console you

In the dark
Where all the fevers grow
Under the water
Where the shark bubbles blow
In the mornin'
By yer radio
Do the walls close in t' suffocate ya
You ain't got no friends . . .
An' all the others: they hate ya
Does the life you been livin' gotta go, hmmm?
Well, lemme straighten you out
About a place I know . . .
(Get yer shoes 'n socks on people,
It's right aroun' the corner!)
Out through the night
An' the whispering breezes
To the place where they keep
The Imaginary Diseases,
Out through the night
An' the whispering breezes
To the place where they keep
The Imaginary Diseases, mmm . . .

This has to be the disease for you
Now scientists call this disease
Bromidrosis
But us regular folks
Who might wear tennis shoes
Or an occasional python boot
Know this exquisite little inconvenience
By the name of:
STINK FOOT
Y'know, my python boot is too tight
I couldn't get it off last night
A week went by, an' now it's July
I finally got it off
An' my girl-friend cry
"You got STINK FOOT!
STINK FOOT, darlin'
Your STINK FOOT puts a hurt on my nose!
STINK FOOT! STINK FOOT! I ain't lyin',
Can you rinse it off, d'you suppose?"
Here Fido . . . Fido . . .
C'mere little puppy . . . bring the slippers
"Arf, arf, arf!" (crash-crumble-bump-bump-bump)
Heh heh heh . . . sick . . .

Well then Fido got up off the floor an' he rolled over
An' he looked me straight in the eye
An' you know what he said?
Once upon a time
Somebody say to me
(This is a dog talkin' now)
What is your Conceptual Continuity?
Well, I told him right then
(Fido said)
It should be easy to see
The crux of the biscuit
Is the Apostrophe(')
Well, you know
The man who was talkin' to the dog
Looked at the dog an' he said: (sort of staring in disbelief)
"You can't say that!"
He said:
"IT DOESN'T, 'n YOU CAN'T!
I WON'T, 'n IT DON'T!
IT HASN'T, IT ISN'T, IT EVEN AIN'T
'N IT SHOULDN'T . . .
IT COULDN'T!"
He told me NO NO NO!
I told him YES YES YES!
I said: "I do it all the time . . .
Ain't this boogie a mess!"
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
(POO-DLE . . . )
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
( . . . BITES)
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
(POO-DLE . . . )
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
( . . . BITES)
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
(POO-DLE . . . )
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
( . . . BITES)
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
(POO-DLE . . . )
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
( . . . BITES)
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
THE POODLE CHEWS IT
THE POODLE BY-EE-ITES
 
#12 ·
The cure to damp rotten stinky shoes is hot sunlight.

You need to get your shoes dry and the sun helps kill the bacteria

What I do after a ride is just stick my shoes under the rear window inside my car (its a sedan). The area under that rear window is super hot and sunny. They dry in less than a day. I store them there and they are always waiting in the car when I go for a ride. Problem solved!
 
#16 ·
Activated charcoal inserts from your local supermarket.

Seriously. I was known as "cheesy feet" for years, especially with non-leather sneakers and shoes. I tried a pair of those and they work for ages. Wet shoes and all.

I have been in a situation where I had wet shoes, and could only dry them minimally for 3 days. Still only a faint odour.

Drying out and washing can help, but these things really do the job. My feet are really dreadful, because I go barefoot quite a bit. They are calloused and rough; a right little breeding ground.

Enough information? <G>

Don't just get the pads that are for fit only. Make sure you get the ones specifically designed for smelly feet.

Nick
 
#18 ·
Some good suggestions. Buy a second set of shoes or maybe three sets if you ride alot especially in wet/humid/hot areas and rotate which pair you wear along with some of the above recommendations.

FYI, some shoes are made of crappy materials and are far more likely to stink after getting wet. However, I have two pairs of the exact same Red Wing dress/work shoes that have both gotten soaking wet several times. My newer pair stinks like heck no matter what I do and the original pair is fine. Old guy at the shoe store said they have encountered that... just seems to depend on the leather that was used and he claims theres' no way to tell what hide is going to stink until they have gotten wet and worn. :( $150 shoes should not have any of these kinda problems!
 
#25 ·
I have to bring three pairs of gloves when I ride to swap out the soaking wet ones. Then the shoes are all squishy from sweat also. I cannot get the funk out of all my gear no matter what I try. Baking soda is next, then vinegar. Hell, I was thinking a good ****** poured intot the washer might help.

The sad part is I hardly need to wear deodorant in normal times and my feet have never stunk with normal shoes.

T
 
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