My boots smell aweful...

[Pete_Hickey]

Fill them with coffee beans. Let them sit overnight. Afterwards, there must be someone at work you would like to give the beans to.

That's somewhat similar to my method for cleaning my hands of greas, after working on my bicycle. I bake bread. The kneading of the dough gets every last bit of dirt and grease off my hands. I bring in that loaf for my co-workers.

With the boots. Think about this for a moment. The smell really gets worked into the leather. You are walking for hours, the leather is softened up, warm, and it is in motion, working the smell into the leather. A simple soaking with something ay not work itself far enough into the leather to kill the smell. If you want to do a soaking thing, maybe you should fill your boots with the soaking solution, then walk for a few hours to really work it in...... Or just leave them in the sun for a few days.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Try this, take wet and used boots, put them in your car, roll the windows up, let the car bake in 90+ degree heat for a few days, then open the door and see how much the car stinks... Jay

Then, try to sell the car, a la the Seinfeld episode......

 

[Neil]

That's somewhat similar to my method for cleaning my hands of greas, after working on my bicycle. I bake bread. The kneading of the dough gets every last bit of dirt and grease off my hands. I bring in that loaf for my co-workers.

My uncle used to do the exact same thing. He was a proctologist.

 

[Paradox]

Sodium Hypochlorite (laundry bleach) is a very powerful oxidant. It will not do much damage to plastics such as nylon, polypropylene, teflon (Goretex) and the like, but leather, natural rubber and organic dyes used as colorants will take an awful beating. I like the fresh air and sunshine approach. Also, try washing boots by hand with an antibacterial hand soap, then fresh air and sunshine. Also a few lumps of hardwood charcoal (not briquets) in a Crown Royal bag will absorb odors.

 

[una_dogger]

My uncle used to do the exact same thing. He was a proctologist.

Doh!

 

[blacknblue]

Buy orange.
Peel orange.
Eat orange.
Put orange peels in boots.
Wait 24-48 hours.
Go hiking.
Buy orange.
etc
etc
etc

 

[prino]

Try rubbing a few drops of this

Smelly Stuff

on them

 

[Grayjay]

If your feet sweat, then they might start to stink again after sunning them. A light application of bleach sounds good. Lysol, mentioned once, is amazing stuff. Once I wore boots for an immergency oil spill in a basement. I soaked them in Lysol and water a couple days, and the smell was gone, and the boots held together for another year.
Also not mentioned is foot powder.

 

[paul ron]

The bleach works just fine but consider the boot ruined as the fungus is in the foam insulation adn it will take a bomb to get it out for good.

My 8 year old heavy Vasque Treckers had this problem after crossing streams a few years ago. The stench was awful. I tried lysol, sunning em, washing in orange soap, lemons, charcoal insoles (aka odor eatters), nothing would take that stench out. I got fed up and soaked em in bleach. That worked fine for a few more years but the foam eventually deteriorated so badly I had to shoot em. BTW the bleach doesn't effect the leather at all aside making em look much cleaner.

 

[Breeze]

Hiking boots aren't built/meant to last a lifetime, unless they are Peter Limmer's hand made.

In the near term ( while shopping for new boots) crinckle up newspaper, sprinkle the crinckles with a LOT of Baking Soda and stuff the boots tight right to the toes with the newsprint/Baking soda combo , give them hot sun, even the "in car 100 degrees F " That will dry and de-odorize the interior

Instead of soaking the boots in Bleach solution, wipe the outside with a dilute bleach solution( one part bleach to 10 parts water) before you put them out in the sun to bake. Keep it up from the inside and outside and you'll get the better of your odor.

I love my new high top leather KEENS. OMG. A waterproof leather exterior, a breatheable wicking liner, an anatomical orthotic footbed( removable if you have an RX footbed to swap), a 3/4 shank that rocks your foot from heel plant to toe lift, stabilizers that prevent lateral ( knee) wobble, a wide toe-box that accommodates the toe-lift post- stride, and a wraparound rubber toe bumper just for more reinforcement and stability. The soles are high definition 4 Way Directional ( all terrain) tread, and the lacing pattern is designed with a nonstretchable ribbon support to prevent your heel from lifting or shifting. No heel Blisters with these puppies


These Keens truly rock and are comfortable enough to be a daily wear shoe.

I'm amazed.

Breeze

 

[Stan]

The bleach solution is my choice too. You can also use hydogen peroxide. My hiking boots are goretex lined so the contact with the leather is minimal, I just pour the solution in and let it soak for a while. If the water leaks out I know the goretex has failed but it hasn't happened yet.

I occasionally wash the boots with plain water, inside and out, with no ill effect on the leather. However, I do treat them with a leather conditioner afterwards, a few times a year regardless of how dirty they've gotten inside since the outsides always take a beating.

I top the leather conditioner with a rub on water proofer, bees wax and the like ... I've even heard of people applying bacon fat to help preserve the leather ... I also hear these poeple tend to atrract dogs and bears.

 

[Motabobo]

Couldn't resist to quote my old pal FZ even though it applies to foot, not boots;

"Now scientists call this disease bromidrosis
(thats right!)
And well they should
Even napoleon knows that
But us regular folks
Who might wear a tennis shoe
Or an occasional python boot
Know this exquisite little inconvenience by the name of:
Stink foot"