Quickie Prevention
This seems to extend the “clean duration” time of neo shoes. When you’re done paddling simply rinse the shoes in the water and attach them securely to your roof rack to blast dry them on way home. Seems to make for longer periods between chemical warfare sessions on the stink.
See you on the water,
Marshall
http://www.the-river-connection.com
get some crocs
– Last Updated: Jul-29-04 10:04 AM EST –
closed cell mini-foam shoes, very light, very comforable. no stink. get the kind with the sliding strap...up for clogs, down for paddling.
and they protect your wittle tootsies from stubs too.
http://www.crocs.com/index.asp
we got ours at our local outfitter...great outdoor provision co in nc
vinegar…
Soak in vinegar overnight. Rinse well. Then leave in the sun to dry. Or you can just buy new shoes.—Rich
no thanks
Most of us already have shoes and would rather clean them than tossing them to get new ones 
My new Teva water shoes that I’ve worn a grand total of 4 times already stink. I always rinse them out when I get home, too. A little disappointing.
Love my Crocs
Catch alot of grief from the friends but once they try them on they understand how comfy, non-odor absorbing and handy to wear as a paddler.
Brian
Here’s what I do
Put a few drops of scented shampoo in them, then rinse them out in the bathtub. Squeeze out excess water, then stuff with wadded newspaper overnight (this dries them amazingly well). Remove newspaper and stick a “Bounce” dryer sheet in each shoe to store. Voila, stink gone. The key is to do this right after returning from your paddling trip. If you leave them overnight or longer without rinsing them out thoroughly, you’ve got two mini toxic waste dumps for shoes.
Yes, vinegar.
The best natural sporicide around. Will kill most bacteria as well. Mix with a little lemon juice and your paddling shoes will be daisy fresh ; ) I actually use this for all household cleaning/disinfecting. It’s alot better for me and the environment.
Alan
I thought…
the smell in my car would surely take care of my saddle stink. Then I realized it was my saddles!? Go Play Outside!
since i’ve been using cheapo wal-mart
beach shoes, it was a no-brainer for me to get the crocs.
the main reason i hadn’t bought teva or beene or whatever was this very problem.
don’t have the problem with the crocs.
all shoes wear out so try them next time.
P
stink
I foudn a product at the local dive shop called “sink the stink” , it seems to work pretty well. Reports are that “New Dawn” aslo does the trick, I havent tried it yet tho…kim
Prevention is key
What I’ve found is that the stink in paddling shoes is generally caused by skin oil, perspiration, skin cells and whatnot that are a perfect food source for bacteria when you combine them with moisture. Here are a couple of things you can do to prevent the stinky shoe problem.
- Wear socks. This may sound silly, but it works, especially if you wear something that completely isolates your feet from your footwear. Since I installed latex socks on my dry suit, my neoprene boots never get smelly. Sealskinz may work well for this. Anything helps, even cotton or wool socks.
- Rinse your footwear THOROUGHLY after use. You don’t want to leave anything in there that can grow or decay.
- Dry your footwear COMPLETELY between uses. Leaving it damp not only encourages bacterial growth, but it also encourages mold and mildew. You can buy or make boot dryers if necessary. A simple, cheap alternative is to stuff your boots/shoes with newspaper. I know some people who use cedar shavings rather than newspaper. Either will absorb moisture and both have anti-bacterial properties. Whatever method you use, the important thing to remember is that bacteria, mold and mildew cannot grow in a dry environment.
- Foot powder can help reduce odors and speed drying of footwear that’s not quite dry.
If your footwear is already stinky, I’ve found a mild bleach solution to be the best cure. I haven’t tried vinegar, but it seems like it should work. Don’t waste your money on overpriced products like “Mirazyme” and “Sink The Stink”. I haven’t found them to work any better than thorough rinsing and complete drying, which they both recommend BTW.
teva must infuse stink into thier shoes
thats pressure activated,only extended periods of direct sunlight seems to help.
Woolite
Woolite works for me.
Agreed…
as to wearing socks.
I wear poly liners in the warm weather with Nike Toketee shoes and the odour problem is dramatically reduced as compared to wearing them without the socks.
When I put out, I also remove and rinse the shoes thoroughly. I carry them in a mesh bag to facilitate drying while driving home. Upon arrival, stuff them with a bit of newspaper and all is well.
~Holmes
No to Woolite!
– Last Updated: Jul-30-04 5:52 PM EST –
I would not use Woolite on any synthetic fabrics or materials (check the product label). It is recommend for natural fabrics (i.e. cotton and wool), not synthetics. The stuff actually attacks, lycra/spandex. I speak from personal experience. Woolite is advertised as a gentle laundry product for your "delicates". Sounds good, so I used it on my cycling clothing, without carefully reading the label. Damage is cumulative. You will not notice it after just one or two washings. I ruined two pairs of top end bicycle tights and three pairs of shorts before I figured it out. I do not know its effects on Neoprene, but I am sure Woolite will trash any Lycra that is used in making a Neo garment (i.e. collar, cuffs, trim, liner, etc.).
YMMV, Joe
Smelly Shoe Cheese
Gotta be a use for all that organic material,
Perhaps something in a blue cheese ? a stilton, gorgonzola or a roquefort…yikes o’mighty :()
Brian
Thanks for the heads-up N-P
.
pert plus
works every time in no time at all.
might be the sucessor to prell
– Last Updated: Jul-31-04 5:44 AM EST –
my favorite wetsuit shampoo in 1976.
Simple
a capful of bleach in a gallon or so of water. Soak shoes for a half hour or so and let dry fully in sunshine if possible. Some newspaper in the shoes assists getting them really dry. I do this often and it ALWAYS works. Same results with my farmer john.