de-stinkifying boots

[Derek S]

Hi All,

The article on footware got me thinking about a problem I have.   Namely, I have a pair of hiking boots (I forget the brand, but they are light/mid-weight) that smell bad after they get wet.   I’ve tried rinsing them in water, rinsing them in a dilute solution of laundary soap and then in water, and rinsing them in a very dilute bleach solution.   This is the second time I’ve had a set of boots with this problem, which seems to occur when I get into a situation where the boots are wet for 2-3 days and don’t have a chance to dry out.    Any thoughts on how to alleviate the situation?   I think my next attempt will be to put them in a dilute bleach solution for a longer period of time, like 30 minutes.   I’m sure it’s not great for the fabric, but at least they wouldn’t be so annoying.

[Jerry Adams]

baking soda is another thing you can try

have the boots been wet a lot and left wet for extended period?  I always dry mine out as soon as possible after a hike.  Not really noticed terrible smells, although boots are always a little smelly

[Lester Moore]

I have the same issues with any footwear that cannot be dried out each day. The following two methods work well for me:

1. Daily application of several drops of thyme or oregano oil to my feet each hiking day. This keeps the bad odors manageable during the trip. Best to apply in the morning so your feet don’t smell strongly of herbs once you reach your next campsite at the end of the day.
2. After getting back home after a wet trip, I wash the shoes with detergent, then apply McNett Mirazyme solution and air dry under a fan.

[Derek S]

I try and dry boots out, but I think what did it was them being soaked for 3 days.    I’ll try the baking soda and miraszyme solution and see how those work.   If nothing else, the smell will scare the bears away…

[David Thomas]

Most shoes without leather or with minimal leather trim can be washed in the washer.  Taking the laces out (and running them through in a mesh bag) avoids big tangles.  Taking out the insoles and throwing them in separately helps get things cleaner.  Throw a couple of (what my family calls) “dog towels” in there for padding and help the balance for the spin cycle.  Modern detergents are quite good at “destinkifying” gear.  I then partially dry them in a medium-heat dryer (not the hot, “cotton” setting) with several dry cotton towels – a lot of moisture transfers to the towels, which I then dry separately, on hot.  Lastly, I put them out in the sun or on a boot dryer.

Speaking of boot dryers, everyone in Alaska has at least one of these in their entryway (Peet Boot Dryer or various knock-offs, $30):

and using that after a trip or even a day hike does a lot to avoid the stinkiness in the first place.  When I travel, I’ll bring a set of these to dry out shoes once off the trail, before traveling home so they get fully dry a few days earlier:

[Derek S]

Hadn’t thought of the washing machine.   These have turned into my daily wear boots for wet and snowy days, so I’ve got nothing to lose if I do put a little extra wear on them.

[Andrew Srna]

Put them in the freezer for a couple days

[Rex Sanders]

Mirazyme https://www.gearaid.com/products/mirazyme

Works wonders on stinky shoes, backpacks, sleeping bags, etc. Follow the directions. Available at REI and other giant outdoor retailers.

— Rex

[Jerry Adams]

My boots often are wet for more than 3 days, that shouldn’t be a problem

[John W]

Washing machine with several drops of antiseptic essential oils (tea tree, oregano, peppermint) worked pretty good for me in a similar situation.

[Anton Solovyev]

Abandon all hope. Once shoes start to stink, nothing works, they will stink forever. You can wash and boil and bleach and it won’t go away (tried). Mirazyme and such make no difference, except for maybe making things slightly worse (due to having to get shoes wet again). The only thing that somewhat helps is that some footwear brands seem to be less prone to getting stinky. I think it has to do with the lining material.

[Michael F]

I’ve soaked sneakers in a diluted/ low concentration of peroxide for 3 days before …shoes came out very clean and were soaked completely through with peroxide…I dried them for a couple of days and they were a lot better

[Rex Sanders]

I’ve had to de-stinkify a lot of whitewater rafting gear over the years. One more tip: if you thoroughly wash something – dry it quickly! Direct, hot sun usually works well. Leaving freshly washed but possibly contaminated stuff to fester in warmish, dampish conditions just repeats the cycle.

And I’ve thrown away a few items over the years that just could not be unstunk.

— Rex

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