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Obviously left damp once too often.
Is there a cure beyond replacement?
There's a spray I've bought from Deichmann Shoes. It says not to use it indoors, it is correct in it's advice, any you breath in really gets the back of your throat, it has kept my climbing shoes relatively smell free even though I've not added any spray in about a year. I would give it a go.
I filled a bucket with water and added a fair bit of dettol and soaked them over a day or two, then rinsed them out and dried them. The colour did bleed out of them a lot but they smell ok, if not a bit dettol ey.
Wash them in oxy stain remover, then nikwax wash, then nikwax re-proofer (or grangers etc). The oxy stuff kills any bugs, then washing and reproofing stops them staying waterlogged for so long so they won't go stinky.
This comes up a lot and is even being discussed on UKClimbing at the moment.
The smell comes from the cardboard liner under the insole remaining damp and growing bacteria. The answer is to dry the shoes thoroughly after each use, pulling out the insole. Hanging them on the line will help as UV also kills bacteria and funguses. If you've got Athlete's foot it won't be helping.
The answer is to dry the shoes thoroughly after each use, pulling out the insole.
I even have one of the shoe drier fan heater things from chas olsen that does a lovely job of drying everything out.
But I've obviously neglected to use it every time and here we are...
Lavender and tea tree oil, several drops in the shoes before riding.
You can also add the oils and then seal in a freezer bag. If you wash and dry them as well, that will help, but honestly, this oil combo works wonders.
We gave up trying to get rid of the smell (family of 4 doing mtb and cx is impossible to stay on top of).
When travelling, just keep the funk sealed in one of these.
Took the footbed-thingy out and added a generous dash of Neutradol Carpet Deodouriser. Leave it a few days and empty/vac out
From ski touring days, Dettol is the answer.
Help! My winter boots smell like an explosion in a Dettol factory.
I'll see what they're like when they're dry but after 24 hours in a bucket of Dettol the medicinal niff is certainly masking any swampy one.
Does the smell fade or will I just have to stay downwind of everyone on group rides?
The aromatics in Dettol are quite volatile and will evaporate in a day or two especially in a warm place.
especially in a warm place.
they're sat in the sun on the patio with my boot warmer blowing warm air inside them, hopefully that'll do the job 🙂