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Boot Stink… anti-bacterial ?
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Home › Forums › General Forums › General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion › Boot Stink… anti-bacterial ?
- This topic has 29 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 4 months ago by Cayenne Redmonk.
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Nov 17, 2015 at 2:56 pm #1334280
On my recent trip into the canyons of Utah I had a problem with boot stink. I mean, this was a REALLY REALLY REALLY bad smell. Best I can describe, it smelled something like i imagine limburger cheese might smell if it went sour… really awful sour stink. I didn't even want my feet in the same tent with my nose… It was sooooo bad I was afraid it might transfer off my feet an into my sleeping bag so I washed my feet and put on my down booties each night as I figured my socks were already contaminated and didn't want them touching my bag. I assumed this stink was due to some exotic bacteria so when I got home I washed my down booties and soaked my boots, socks, and insoles in rubbing alcohol over night. I am not sure if this has killed the bacteria… not even sure the smell was from bacteria. But I thought I would ask if there is something else I can/should put in/on my boots to add further protection. I really don't want to have to camp with that stink again. I've never had a problem with anything like this before. thanks, Billy
Nov 17, 2015 at 3:30 pm #2238738AnonymousInactiveWell, i got to say, this thread is really..ripe.. for the cheesy humor… Could be bacterial, but could also be fungal. Seems like fungi can be really hardy, hard to kill stuff. What kind of socks do you wear? Has your diet or health changed in major ways recently? Go to any "exotic" places recently? Lot's of different variables.
Nov 17, 2015 at 3:47 pm #2238739make sure you dry them as much as possible, like between trips baking soda sprinkled in can absorb odors there's anti-fungal spray
Nov 17, 2015 at 3:50 pm #2238740I don't think it's me or the socks. None of my other boots have the smell using the same feet and brand of socks. What ever it is seems to have come with the boots… b
Nov 17, 2015 at 3:51 pm #2238741And I live in a dry climate and always dry them out each day after hiking. Treat all my footwear the same and this pair of boots is the only ones that have EVER stunk like this in the 40 years I've been hiking. b
Nov 17, 2015 at 4:01 pm #2238742Maybe the boots were made in China and some joker actually put limburger cheese in them? :) on a more serious note, after soaking the boots in alcohol is just drying them okay? will the alcohol evaporate completely or does it leave a residue that I should rise out with water? billy
Nov 17, 2015 at 4:42 pm #2238748I've had good success deodorizing shoes using MiraZyme. Also available from several other sources.
Nov 17, 2015 at 5:32 pm #2238759>"will the alcohol evaporate completely or does it leave a residue that I should rise out with water?" If by "alcohol" you mean ethanol, methanol or isopropyl alcohol, yes, it will all just evaporate away. If you mean ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, those are much less volatile and would remain as a residue or bulk liquid much longer. My concept of boot drying advanced when I moved to Alaska. In California, I'd leave them propped open or near a heater vent. A much better way is the Peet Boot Dryers everyone has up here. Not only does it circulate moderate temperature air so the boots get dry without damaging them, if you store them on the dryer, they will be pleasantly warm to put on the next time you go out. $34 on Amazon. There are also doubled versions and taller ones for hip boots.
Nov 17, 2015 at 5:46 pm #2238765Thanks David… yes, isopropyl alcohol hope it killed the (assumed) bacteria I just turn my boots upside down over a furnace vent in the laundry room.. billy
Nov 17, 2015 at 5:58 pm #2238768Lysol
Nov 17, 2015 at 6:26 pm #2238772What boots were they? Was this your first time using them?
Nov 17, 2015 at 6:42 pm #2238774garmont zenith mid not the first time using them; and not the firs time I notice that smell.. but it was MUCh worse this time… maybe because previous times were day hikes for just a few hours in a cooler climate… Lysol… can't use this product as it give me migraines… awful stuff…
Nov 17, 2015 at 10:36 pm #2238805The internet review says Garmont's Zenith Hike GTX … while providing a natural antimicrobial quality to fight odor … Perhaps the first thing to grow on the anti microbial liner stinks, or, it's so effective you can smell it working ? Maybe it fights odor with a stronger odor ?
Nov 17, 2015 at 10:40 pm #2238807"Perhaps the first thing to grow on the anti microbial liner stinks, or, it's so effective you can smell it working ? Maybe it fights odor with a stronger odor ?" Surly you did not read my original post… THIS IS THE MOST DISGUSTING ODOR KNOWN TO MANKIND… ANY BOOT MAKER THAT WOULD INTENTIONALLY PUT THIS ODOR IN THEIR PRODUCT WOULD BE TRYING TO COMMIT PRODUCT SUICIDE… You got the idea now? this is not just an odd odor or an unpleasant odor… this is a weaponized grade odor. billy
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:22 pm #2238816"Lysol… can't use this product as it give me migraines… awful stuff…" Sure. But it does work. Maybe someone other than you might find it helpful. I would prefer to use it than dunking my stuff in alcohol. Different strokes. Get it? If it's unpleasant the Germans have a word for it. Kaesefuesse
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:43 pm #2238817Yea… If I soaked my boots in Lysol I'd have to sell or give them away. And yes, fair enough Ken… but do YOU get it? Maybe someone other than you might find it helpful… that Lysol can cause migraines Different strokes Ken… Get it? billy
Nov 17, 2015 at 11:45 pm #2238818Yes, I meant that perhaps you grow the microbial ecosystem of the supreme funk, and even a treatment can not slow the growth. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Perhaps the soil and goretex combined to create this odor of ultimate offensibilty, and even the microbial resistant liner couldn't help. Maybe the gore holds the perfumes on the sock and at the end of the day the aroma is strong enough to blind an eagle.
Nov 18, 2015 at 7:53 am #2238844Spray Lysol. Not dunking. The liquid stuff is way nasty.
Nov 18, 2015 at 10:54 am #2238878Vinegar and baking soda are good for getting odors out of clothing. I'm not sure if the vinegar would have a detrimental effect on the footwear glues though.
Nov 18, 2015 at 11:21 am #2238887I've worn leather Zamberlan's for the past 20 years. Never a problem with smell. Last year I bought Salomon X ULTRA MID 2 GTX boots. The insides of the upper section of the boots look very much like your Garmont Zenith Mids. In the Salomon's it seems that the inner upper section wicks sweat right out of my socks. The uppers can get quite sweat wet. It's the source of the smell. Only occurs on hot sweaty days. On the trail, whenever I take a break, I take the boots off and try to dry the inners and socks as much as possible. Once I'm home, I dry them as quickly as possible. At some point, I might try alcohol, though I'm not sure what it might dissolve or damage. I won't use Lysol. That will just land on the material surface IMO (and I don't like the chemical smell). The sweat is much deeper into the fabric.
Nov 18, 2015 at 11:30 am #2238892Certain fabrics will make you stinkier than others, although it’s not the fabric itself that’s to blame. It turns out that Micrococcus bacteria prefer the open-air lattice of synthetic fibers over cotton, according to new research by Chris Callewaert (aka “Dr. Armpit”) and colleagues.1 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/20/synthetic-polyester-fabrics.aspx leather and wool are better for fresher smelling toes. Acid destroys nylon. Vinegar is acid.
Nov 18, 2015 at 2:15 pm #2238920"Perhaps the soil and goretex combined to create this odor of ultimate offensibilty, and even the microbial resistant liner couldn't help. Maybe the gore holds the perfumes on the sock and at the end of the day the aroma is strong enough to blind an eagle." My boots are the non-Gortex version. This smell is an order of magnitude (or two or three) beyond any stink I have ever smelled in an fabric or boot… whether natural or synthetic Perhaps I should not try to kill it… maybe I could sell it to the military for their bacterial warfare program :( billy
Nov 18, 2015 at 2:40 pm #2238923Is it possible they don't smell to other people, and you have a nose that is sensitive to the aroma ?
Nov 18, 2015 at 3:15 pm #2238929I do have a very sensitive nose, but I also know the difference between a subtle smell and an extremely gross smell. It was so bad I dreaded taking my boots off. Anyway.. the alcohol treatment is done. Not sure when I will get a chance to hike them, but that will be the true test… maybe I'll also hit them with one of the enzyme treatments for smells. P.S… there is no obvious damage to the boots from the alcohol… no melting or disappearing threads… the socks and the insoles came out good too. b
Nov 18, 2015 at 3:57 pm #2238939My kids ski boots would get the same smell if they didn't get dried properly. If they got stinky I'd soak or swish them with Listerine. I've also used Listerine on stinky wetsuits. It'll kill the smell, plus your feet will smell like mint mouthwash afterwards! K
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