I have an older pair of synthetic felt-soled Chota water boots that I was thinking I would have to get rid of due to concerns over spreading spores of didymo algae. Disinfectant soaks have been shown not to work. But upon doing some research recently I found this article which indicates that heating them to at least 113 F degrees for 20 minutes sterilizes them. I though others who have similar footwear would be interested in the study results.
http://www.stopans.org/Cleaning/Science_of_Felt.pdf
Since the low setting on a home laundry dryer runs around 120 to 130 degrees F, henceforth I will put mine in a mesh bag and tumble them after use. This probably will eventually break down the neoprene with the heat but it’s preferable to just ditching them. I don’t use the felt soles that often for paddling but they are great for some shallow rocky streams where you have to get out at times and drag the boat over slimy boulders and cobbles or for steep launch sites with similar moss and algae slick hazards.
the rubber soles with cleats or somekind
of metal bars work really well on rocks with somekind of growth covering them...wish all marketing would adjust, although a little late where Didymo/other-invasive growth is. Haven't the chlorine solutions worked with felt? (Ditched mine for cleats's effectiveness long time ago). Good get on the article.
?
https://www.google.com/search?site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1171&bih=608&q=didymo&oq=didymo&gs_l=img.1.0.0l10.3189.5391.0.11629.6.6.0.0.0.0.280.463.4j1j1.6.0…0…1.1.64.img…0.6.456.ZUJ9z0qzx0Y
heat
why not put them in hot enough water for 30 minutes?
Thanks for the info!
I am not surprised by those who put their own interest frist, and refuse to belive they are the problem. Just look at those that deny we are impacting the climate. What about those that throw plastic bottles overboard or out the car when empty thinking nothing about littering let alone what is happening when it breaks down to nano particules that kill zooplankton in the Oceans. We are the problem, we are perhaps the most invasive specie!
I’m one of the guilty ones
have a pair of felt soled booties- wear when I think there is a high probablity I’ll spend a lot of time out of the boat, wading over slick boulders and such- creek exploratories- not first descents but seldom run stretches that are impacted by wood or may have unrunnable stretches. Not frequent use but they sure are nice to have. Another time they have been real handy is when I’ve taken river rescue practice-
very nice to have in those situations- so you don’t bust your a**.
The bigger impact in my area is when folks swim, don’t get their boats drained completely and then swim again- all the popular ww runs have “rock snot” for this reason
thanks for the tip about heating up the spores to kill them off- now I just gotta wait until the wife ain’t around to throw them in the drier.
shoes in dryer
One warning – shoes in the dryer make a lot of clunking as they circulate so you’ll have to make sure she is gone for the whole half hour! I’ve always put my fabric type water shoes and athletic shoes in the dryer.
But then all my dryer loads clunk because I have wool dryer balls – they work like those hard plastic knobby dryer balls by knocking the clothes and towels around so they don’t twist up. I find that the loads dry about 5 or 10 minutes faster and are less wrinkled since I have been using them. The wool balls (which are softball sized and made of dense white felt) are easier on the dryer finish and the clothes than the plastic ones.
Some of us geezers probably remember how back in the 70’s the outdoor gear vendors would tell us to dry our laundered down jackets and sleeping bags with a pair of clean tennis shoes or tennis balls in the dryer to break up the soggy clumps of down. Same principle.