Hotspotoutdoors

Okay it is not boots, but my goretex running shoes I wear at work on mornings like today when it is wet outside (I teach Elementary PE). They smell like the inside of a middle school locker after a rainy week of football practice and no one took their stuff home to wash it.....

My feet don't smell, but these shoes are BAD, I don't want to spend another 100 bucks to replace these shoes right now, what solutions are out there....

Bring them to the (Life skills class) and see if they can clean them up in their washer!

Lysol?

I have had the same gore tex running shoes for about 3 years now, when ever they get funky I just wash them out by hand with some plain laundry soap (no fabric softener kind) and warm water, then let them air dry. Once they are completely dry I put some baking soda or foot powder inside. The insoles in mine pull out so if I wash them after heavy use I don't have to wash the whole shoes every time.

Use your hunting scent eliminator.

hunting scent eliminator, I like that idea

a baking soda wash could do the trick, the footbed is likely the culprit rather then the shoe itself as they tend to contain both rubber and cardboard depending on the shoe. The expensive route is to go with an ozone machine and put them in there for a day and that will take all of the smell out. The fire restoration companies use ozone machines to take the smoke smell out of buildings after fires. Scent spray is an option as well depending on how deep the odor is embedded into the shoe and this is basically a baking soda soloution. Bleach water solutions would take care of the bacteria but may bleach the shoe if it has much color to it. Dusting your socks with baking soda may inhibit the smell somewhat but if it is in the footbed or the fabric then you'll have to wash the shoe itself. Good luck and if you find a soloution to your problem post it for the rest of us!
tunrevir~

Isn't this the sort of thing you're supposed to ask your mom?

Try Norwex Sportzyme. It has enzymes that will eat away the smell. www.norwex-chemicalfreecleaning.com

Hang them on one of those boot and shoe driers the dry heat will kill the bacteria and dry your shoes to boot.

That's right...whatever it takes to kill the bacteria. Once shoes are funked up it's almost impossible to get them "good" again.

thanks for the help and ideas, I am just hoping to make it through this school year before I ditch them, 3 years is pretty good on dry feet in the fall and early spring....

Did a bit of research on boot dryers and came up with some new products offered by the original maker of the boot dryer the PEET dryer.
They actually have one with a fan and an Ionization technology in it for killing germs and bacteria to eliminate odors. Called Advantage Peet shoe dryer.

I think its essentially the same as creating ozone witch tunrevir was talking about, good call tunrevir.

I didnt realize they also made portable dryers ran off propane and even one to plug into the cigerate ligher be great for being out on the ice.

I work with some guys that swear that if you take some cat litter (clean of coarse) and fill an old sock (no holes preferably), tie the end shut, and leave them inside each shoe over night , the smell will be gone. I haven't tried this myself.

scent killer is what i used. spray them every few days.

Are you storing them in a gym bag or somewhere that lacks ventilation? Make sure to store them where they can dry out quickly. It also helps to remove the soles, especially if your feet get wet or extra sweaty.

nope they sit out in the office and stink out the joint...I am going to be spraying them tonight

put some baking soda under the insoles periodically.

Not only does gortex hold water out it holds the stink in. Both pairs of my hunting boots smell like a cat [PoorWordUsage] in them after getting them wet pheasant hunting 4 days this week. I wash them with a detergent and use baking soda and some other oder eaters stuff but once they get that way it come back as soon as they get wet again.

I learned from the first pair of rubber boots I bought that the next pair I bought a boot dryer for like $10-$20 and have used it after everytime I wear my newer rubber boots or any boot/shoe.....I can still smell the inside of my boot and it has that new smell to it and I have put quite a few miles on the boots.....I highley recomend getting a boot dryer!!

I second the boot dryer and the baking soda and scent illiminator work great

Place each offending shoe into a plastic bag and place into the freezer overnight. The next day remove from the bag and freezer. Place the shoes outside in the sunlight to thaw, and dry

they have been moved to the storage room at school, I won't worry about them until spring, then they will hit the garbage, unless I can get rid of that funky smell.....

Put your shoes on a boot dryer every time you get done using them. Bacteria doesn't grow very well on dry surfaces.

If it is foot odor only use Scent Shield spray (may have to reapply as the active ingredient gets used up)or baking soda will eventually get it if you get all parts exposed to it. Killing bacteria, such as with a peet boot dryer, or with ionization, will help prevent some of the odor formation in the first place but will do absolutely nothing to an odor that already exists. An ozone generator will oxidize the odor completely as well.