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Starley Chewart

Being newly aware of this hilarious function, here you go:

http://bit.ly/14pAQfC

Lots of good info!

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Live long, drop dead

Short of getting new ones, there is nothing much you can do now they have got to this stage. The only thing that may help would be leaving them to soak in a sink of cold water for 12 hours or so and let them dry naturally. But everyone's shoes smell so it doesn't really matter. Unless they're anything like FISH CHUGGER's; 12 hours of his shoes in my room turned it into a biohazard site

Putting them in a freezer will cause the bacteria to hibernate. You can store them in a plastic bag in the freezer and as long as you don't leave them in there too long you should be fine.

There's no well known way to kill off the bacteria that causes the smell without resorting to chemical methods (odour eaters etc.) but those were designed for normal shoes and not with climbers in mind. I'm not entirely sure how they interact with your bare skin and they're not designed with that in mind, so use at your own risk.

This topic gets asked a lot on UKC forums and the majority of the answers are: you can't do anything about the smell once its there, but you can prevent it by either wearing thin socks, this will cause the socks to smell instead but you can just wash them, or use bananafingers. I think the bananafingers just soak up all the moisture and don't give the bacteria a chance to grow, but I think a few teabags in each shoe does exactly the same job for a fraction of the price.

tl;dr: store shoes in freezer, chemical warfare at your own risk. prevention is key, thin socks or use something to soak up moisture after use.

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If you can't put up a fingerboard in your house, it isn't worth living in... in my opinion. - Dave MacLeod

Tried using 70% ethanol from the lab before to kill the bacteria but the smell is from the secretions rather than the bacteria. Therefore washing them helps alot, although prevention is key. Keep them in a warm, dry place i.e. not stuffed in a bag all week to fester. Stick them on the radiator now and then if they are moist after a session. If there is no moisture the bacteria will die.

You can make little material bags filled with Bicarbonate of Soda to stuff inside your shoes when you are not wearing them (in the same way the banana thingys work). The bicarb absorbs and neutralises the smell and you could also add lavendar, herbs or lemon zest to create a nice smell. They use the same technique on the popular TV programme 'How clean is your house?'. I haven't tried it myself so can't tell you how well it works!

I did try hand washing my shoes but only once they had past their best because I didnt want to wreck them - it only took the edge off for a short time!

I think certain brands of shoes smell worse than others (Anastazi greens/pinks/ whites?) so if it botheres you that much, perhaps worth avoiding these shoes in the future?

Hope that helps!

Microwave them..... but unlike JCB don't do it for too long or they melt.

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Level-headed member of Gadd-vey

... Brilliant!!

And thanks guys I think I'm going to try the washing machine (followed by socks and bicarbonate) since I really don't want to have to share a tent with them in Cornwall!

Though this microwaving idea sounds interesting if a bit sketchy... How long would you suggest?

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Starley Chewart

I think the guidelines for 600W are a 30 second burst, agitate and let stand for 30 sec, followed by another 30 seconds and leave to stand. Serve with rice

Basmati or Pilau?

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Starley Chewart

Socks! Hardly ever shag without them.

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The best climber is the one who's having the most fun!