twilkins9076

After a lot of miles, both indoors and out, my cycling shoes are getting pretty ripe, and I've not been able to find a way to neutralize the odor. I put them on a furnace vent or under the refrigerator exhaust every night to dry out, have tried various powders, have put carbon based insoles in them, and have even resorted to washing and drying them, but nothing has really eliminated the nasty odors.

Has anyone out there found anything that will work, or do I just need to bite the bullet and buy new shoes?

apclassic9

try baking soda - pour some in there, shake it around, let it sit for about an hour, and then dump it out & maybe vacuum them. If that doesn't work, try heavy duty febreeze?

SpiderMike

I had that issues when I first went clipless. Bought a second pair for alternating. Once the new shoes came in, I did what apclassic9 suggest. Started with the baking soda. Finished them off with febreeze. During the summer I tend to put some gold bond in the shoes, then hope it helps kill any of the other types of funk that grow in there.

Japhy

There is a substance - can't remember the name now - that is made to chase odor from wetsuits and sandals (teva and chaco type) that should be available at outdoor or scuba stores. It is in a small yellow tube with black lettering- and it works in small amounts when diluted with water. If I remember the name I'll post it.
J

bkaapcke

Washing your feet with Hibiclens 2-3 times a week will go a long way to preventing it. Of course, you'd have to start with a new pair. Once the bacteria really take over a shoe, it's tough to fix. Having two pair helps too. bk

pj7

1 two-gallon bucket
1&1/2 gallons of tap water
1/2 cup of antibacterial soap
mix together
let shoes soak in there for a while

slowandsteady

Try boiling them. That should pretty much kill everything. If you don't mind the insoles getting pale, a good soaking in 10% bleach should kill the bacteria as well as neutralize the odor. Also, Skunk Away works really well to neutralize all kinds of nasty odors.

Coyote!

About twice per year, I need to 'treat' my runners and cycling shoes. Agree with this technique, but I add a dollop of chlorox instead of the antibacterial soap and let 'em soak overnight.

Berg417448

I used some of Rug Doctor Oder Remover when an animal "sprayed" my cycling shoes out in my garage. I tried all of the "home remedies" and none of them worked. The Rug Doctor stuff worked immediately.

ghettocruiser

If you live in a cold climate, leave them outside overnight.

-20C was more than enough to dispense with the odour-causing bacteria.

If it's not cold where you are, putting them in the freezer (i.e. with food) may be a tougher sell.

GreenGrasshoppr

In a big enough pressure cooker, you could put them in large, wide-mouth jars, and sterilize them for one hour at 15 psi.

If the shoes don't melt, the stinking bacteria should be totally obliterated.