Ozone smell remover and Vibram rubber

[Mircea Croitor]

Hi

I have a few hiking boots (Scarpa, Lomer, Boreal) and mountain running shoes (Merell, Salomon) which have a persistent smell even after repeated washings. Mirazyme was of no help for them, so I would like to try the next thing people says it works, which is ozone “therapy”.

The problem is all these shoes have Vibram rubber sole or something equivalent (thick, solid rubber). From some sources online I learned that in general rubber doesn’t stand well to ozone, which causes cracking even in small concentrations.
Source : http://www.applerubber.com/hot-topics-for-engineers/understanding-the-link-between-ozone-and-rubber-deterioration/

So it depends on how the rubber is treated for ozone resistance. My question is, does someone have experience with ozone odour removing for hiking boots, especially those with Vibram rubber ?

 

[Billy Ray]

No experience with ozone, but my solution on one pair of boots was to immerse the boots in rubbing alcohol for 24 hours… bought a gallon at a hardware store. Did not seem to damage the boots, though did seem to take some of the color out of the exterior leather. It did take the odor away, but after one backpack it seems to be coming back, but not as strong yet.

billy

[Grzegorz Przeorski]

It worked with my clothes;

http://www.247wildlife.com/skunk-smell-removal.html

 

[Mircea Croitor]

Thank you guys, but me question was very specific. I am not looking for a general odour remover, I was asking how Vibram rubber resists to ozone. Is Vibram rubber the type which can stand ozone aggresion ? (EPDM type, saturated rubber, whatever that means)

[Nick Gatel]

Ozone isn’t a problem with Vibram soles, you will wear them out not succumb to ozone.

The boots on the left are Pivettas. They do not have the original soles, but the soles are over 40 years old. Same with the Danner Mountain Lights on the right whose replacement soles are about 30 years old.

All my boots and running shoes smell like sweat and dust. I love the smell of sweat and dust in the morning when I put on my footwear, and can guarantee you that it is preferable to napalm.

Ozone is naturally occurring in the atmosphere and it does affect things like tires.

[Mircea Croitor]

I am well aware how a used Vibram sole should look. That’s why I would not want one to crack on me before I would use the boot to upper part disintegration, because of the ozone treatment. An ozone generator reaches much greater concentrations than the naturally occurring ozone.

Nick, you are the first man I hear to say that he likes the sweat on shoes smell. Well, when tent camping it’s tolerable, but sometimes I do spend the night in cabin/hotels with trip companions and that smell of the boots in the room it’s totally unsociable …

[Ed Biermann]

Put boots in plastic bag when inside a structure then. Way cheaper and safer than an ozone generator.

[Nick Gatel]

Since I normally hike alone there is no one to complain, plus I am anti-social, so driving others away because of smelly footwear would be a bonus for me :)

There is one exception for me — Vibram Five Fingers. After a week the smell is repulsive and I have to wash them. My synthetic trail runners can get awful too if I am walking through a lot of stagnant water and icky mud, but I usually wear them out before I need to wash them. One time my wife tried to throw away a pair of my shoes because she said the smelled bad, and we compromised by keeping them in the garage. Later I washed them in mild detergent and restored them to their rightful place in my closets and it also restored marital harmony.  Leather never gets as bad as synthetic materials.

[Mircea Croitor]

Put boots in plastic bag when inside a structure then

What If I wanted them to dry overnight ? Isn’t it nicer to start with non smelly shoes in a trip ? Especially because ozone treatment seems to work so good, as reviews indicate.

I guess I’ll have to try it myself to a pair of shoes I can afford to spare… there’s no substitute for experience, especially with internet forums which go offtopic so quick …

[Author]

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