Shoes: keepin the stank out

[RustyP]

I've got a pair of Merrel's with the factory anti-microbial insoles that I've been playing in for the past year and a half. Up until last month, those insoles really worked well - I have pretty smelly feet after playing multiple rounds in thin socks, and sure enough, my shoes never smelled like rotten ass...that is, until I had to step into some nasty Louisiana swamp water a few weeks ago to retrieve a disc.

Just wondering what you guys use to suck the stank out of your shoes, aside from throwing them into the washing machine. In the past I've tried the baking soda method, but it didn't really work. Any particular sprays/powders or maybe a specific brand of insoles that worked for you?

[SkaBob]

If you got them wet, only getting them wet and clean is going to get rid of that stank...

[tigel]

dry coffee beans possibly?

[Jesse B 707]

my superfeet insoles dont really seem to absorb stink.....sounds like you'll need some serious washing to rid yourself of that problem though

[Mr.SmOOOth]

I made the mistake of walking in some stinky, stagnant water in Florida a few summers ago. When I got home I stuffed newspaper into the shoes to help them dry quicker. Next time I wore them the funk was still there. I washed them in the washer, let them dry and after playing in them, yup, the funk was back. I had to keep them on my balcony.
You got a year and a half out of the Merrels, that's a good run. I'd get a new pair and keep the old ones for muddy days.

[Jaysus]

I have yet to find a way to get nasty creek stank out of shoes... I always wind up keeping them outdoors as well if that happens.

[Yehosha]

Try fabreeze, it works great. Just wash your shoes, let them dry, then generously spray the febreeze all over inside and out.

[Pat]

Try fabreeze, it works great. Just wash your shoes, let them dry, then generously spray the febreeze all over inside and out.

I wouldnt recommend this. Next time the stank comes back, it comes back much worse. Its like the stank multiplies exponentially.

[WRK]

Throw out insoles, wash shoes by hand with woolite, wash until rinse water is clear, air dry, replace insoles, insert cedar shoe trees, that's always worked for me, it's a LOT tougher/less effective with gore-Tex shoes.

[Dogma]

Doesn't help after they stink, but I've had good luck with prevention. If I do any wading (or swimming) I remove my insoles when I get home and dry shoes and insoles in front of a dehumidifier. The key is to dry them quickly before the stink develops. Once it moves in it never really leaves.

I haven't tried it but rinse with mild bleach solution while they're still wet may help.
Or maybe try it as a way to kill the stink in shoes that have already dried.

[stoneman]

wash thoroughly with dish soap in the sink...I mean really wash those buggers (try to not let the wife find out). Then rinse them waaaay too many times, and get them semi-dry. THEN soak them in a bucke of hydrogen peroxide. It will kill anything that stink. Let it bubble awhile,a nd keep pouring more in. Then rinse with water, and wash again with soap. Might have some discolouring from the HP, but man, mine smelt good as new, and I had been in some deadwater swamp stuff that would have killed an ordinary man.

[practically invincible]

Careful with the HP, did that on my old chameleons when they first started getting nasty, it got in a slight seperation between the sole and kinda messed with the adhesive. My favorite remedy is....

1. Fill sink with almost boiling h20, Dump in some oxyclean. Soak until the water is hand touchable, shake, scrub, what have you.
2. Repeat with detergent.
3. Run through washer w/o soaps.
4. Allow to dry.

I usually do this all twice, but my girlfriend and I will do 4 pairs of merrells at a shot.

[JR]

I've heard that getting the old smell out of technical gear happens in a freezer overnight. Perhaps slipping in insoles wrapped in air tight plastic in the freezer goes unnoticed. Supposedly the cold kills the bacteria eating stuff then farting all that smells.