I'm looking for some assistance and advice if possible. At the weekend I ran the Pretty Muddy race for life and needless to say my trainers were soaked through. In fact, they still are ........
Because I didn't want to get my "running shoes" wet i decided to run in some Regatta outdoor trainers.
They have been "drying" in the garage for 4 days now but are still sopping wet but even worse...... they are now ponging really bad.
Anyone know how best to get these dry and get rid of the smell?
I've now taken the insoles out and stuffed them with paper.
Very wise to wear an old pair of shoes Alan. The first action after a trail run is to bag them together to get rid of as much as you can (not wearing your Best clothes). I’d then get the hosepipe on them outdoors, to get rid of most of the mud. Once you’ve got them clean, then stuff with newspaper and allow to dry indoors. If they really are that bad that they can’t be indoors, I’d throw them in the bin
Hidden you definitely did the right thing stuffing them with paper. Remember to change it regularly if the shoes are sopping wet.I find that lavender bags are great for absorbing shoe pongs. I make my own - just cut a circle of cloth large enough for a shoe toe sized pile of lavender, tie the bundle with string and pop inside your (dry) shoes...it can take a while, but if you store your shoes with them in it really works. (Hopefully you can still find some lavender to cut? It may be late in the season, but well dried it is better than nothing).
I know what you mean! I now save the brown void filling paper that comes with parcel deliveries - it does the trick perfectly, and can be dried and re-used many times 😇
As a last resort, put them in a front-loading washing machine on a cool wash (30°C or cooler) with some normal detergent and a bit of Vanish powder. Tie up the laces so they don't get stuck in any holes in the drum. If you have a mesh wash bag, put them inside one of those.
The zeolites will get the mud and the enzymes and peroxides in the powder should get the pong.
Then if they smell OK, a warm room for a few days to dry out. No direct heat. No tumble dryer. No fabric conditioner.
I dry mine using a desk fan (no heating, just moving air to dry them out). It does the job and prevents them getting smelly. Since the stink has already set in, you may need to resort to washing.
Before drying them, I use a scrubbing brush and a bucket of water to remove the mud. Also, if the insoles are loose, remove them and put them on top of your shoes whilst they're drying.
I think that the washing machine is the only thing that could save this particular scenario! Your shoes may suffer some damage, but basically you have nothing to lose 😂
When my shoes get wet I lean them soles upwards against a warm pipe I happen to have in my bathroom low to the ground (putting them on top of a radiator would have the same effect). This warms the shoes to speed up the drying process, and allows air to circulate round and through them. If the shoes are really really wet I will take the insoles out of them to dry separately, and wrap the shoes in a old towel for 30 minutes or so to soak up some of the water - and then put them in the warm place. You will read that heat is not good for your shoes, but to avoid bad smells it is really important to get them dry asap!!!
Not running shoe advice, but years of experience with dinghy boots...If you leave seawater to dry in neoprene the smell is unbelievable. The answer is to soak them in a bucket of dilute Zoflora disinfectant, rinse with fresh water and leave to dry. Sunshine is ideal (ah, sunshine, remember that) but a radiator would do. It worked on some smelly Skechers which I thought I'd have to chuck out, it might work for you too.
Oooh! That is interesting. A quick check this morning and I now have dry shoes. However they are failing the "sniff" test.
In the absence of any lavender im going to throw in some baking soda to see what happens. If that fails I will get the Zoflora out and repeat the cleaning and drying process.
A quicker suggestion might be Febreze. Marvelous stuff. Spray the shoes inside and out and put them outside in the fresh air to dry for an hour or two.In case you're wondering why I know about smelly stuff, 3 sons 😂😂😂
Febreze doesn't actually get rid of the stuff causing the pong. It just traps the pong chemicals in larger chemicals so that you can't smell them any more.
Thank you so much OBK. I am pleased to report that after re washing my shoes in a Zoflora solution they have now dried and my feet smell of lemons 🍋 🤣🤣
It's probably heresy, but I just bung mine in the washing machine on a short cycle when they get really heinous. As Nowster suggests, tie the laces to avoid catching, and I always put them in with an old towel (the dog's is always needing a wash anyway 😉) to minimise the crashing about. I dry them sole down on a friendly radiator & they seem fine. If that doesn't work, you may have to take Ripley's advice: "I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure". Good luck 😁.
I don't think sodium bicarb is going to make much headway into removing the aroma. Rinse it off and stick 'em in the wash. If you normally use washing powder (rather than liquids) you won't need the Vanish.
The biggest dangers in washing them are abrasion (scuffing) and heat (undoing glue). As others have said, put something in there with them to stop them clattering about.
Given you can't currently give them house room, what have you to lose?
Would bicarbonate of soda work? It tends to neutralise things- perhaps 🤔. If not pop them in the washing machine. I have a teenager with frequently smelly trainers 😆
Something to try in future, once dry put any offensive items in the freezer, it kills bacteria and can neutralise bad smells. I used to do this with my winter motorcycle gloves which could get a bit pongy from getting wet and drying badly and they weren't washable by any means 👍🏻
Freezing does not kill bacteria. It inhibits their growth, which is why freezing is a good way of keeping food for longer, for example. Freezing will not sterilise your shoes or anything else though, so please bear that in mind xx
The freezer inhibits the growth of mould in water bladders, so if they are kept in the freezer most of the time we probably wouldn't see mould growing in them. Mind you, I have read a lot of commenters online saying that they just wash and dry their bladders and don't have any problems with visible mould growth. I suppose there are various factors involved!
I rinse the water bladder several times with fresh tap water (with a noticeable chlorine smell), then hang to dry for several days. I avoid putting anything in the bladder which might contain sugars or fats.
Stuffed Newspaper for 48 hrs or so, but replaced a couple of times to remove the wet paper and add fresh dry paper. Then try a hair dryer on them to really help dry out the insides. Need to stop the mould growing to remove the smell. Good luck with that!
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