Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

So I've been ramping up the commuting lately and with the wet weather in Sydney I've been getting a bit wet. I have a heater at work that dries out my gear pretty well, including the shoes but they're still getting a bit manky and starting to smell a bit rough.

How do I "freshen them up" a little? I'm considering chucking them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle and hoping for the best...

If it makes any difference, they're Shimano MT-42 shoes. Nothing flash but still plenty of life left.

Washing machine sounds like a plan, or maybe a bucket of warm soapy water and hand dunking and a bit of a scrub. Follow it up with a thorough drying. I've done joggers before with no problems.

As I posted in a recent thread, Howard's Storage sell bamboo charcoal pouches that absorb odours. They are only a few dollars and when recharged with sunlight last for ages. If they freshen up my 13yr old's lacrosse gloves, they will work with anything!!
Andrew

As as I approach the status myself, an old geezer's trick I learnt to also help drying shoes during the day is to stuff them with old newspaper and replace/check once or twice during the day. The paper helps absorb a lot of the moisture... I used to do this with my sopping wet shoes sitting on floor vents in a data centre. They were 95% dry by the end of lunch.

As for clothes/shoe stink; If I am conscious (or made aware) that my stuff stinks I also give it a light rinse in very diluted bleach to kill the funk of the partying & procreating bacteria responsible. By diluted. I'm talking one cap fulls worth in a 9 litre bucket of water. I swish the stuff around in there, leave it to soak for a bit and then take it out and and rinse properly or otherwise chuck it through the rinse & spinse cycle of the washing machine. I'm conscious that bleach/chlorine may well degrade some of the modern wonder materials most of use as keen cyclists these days.


Over summer by the diluted bleach means, I can drip dry my jerseys or shirts overnight without actually fully washing them or dirtying additional tops through the week. It's just a matter of routine once you get off the bike at home. Use the used bucket of water/bleach to flush the dunny next time you use it.

If you are dealing with actual mould on shoes, try swabbing them over with clove oil suspended in baby oil. Tried this with a pair of doc martens I got soaked, shoved in a cupboard and forgot about for like a month - to the point they were coated in white fuzz when I finally sniffed them out. Clove oil, then dried thoroughly in the sun and they are good as gold today.

I just wait until my wife can't stand it anymore. Then she does it in exasperation

Of course, I pay dearly

I've washed my shoes in a machine a couple of times. Works quite well if they're wrapped in a towel. You can get purpose shoe drying posts but not sure if they're worth the money / space

Another one for newspaper to get rid of the wet/damp and for prevention, I have three year old shoes used in all weather and they don't smell any worse than expected, As to the smell- wait for a warm dry day and stick them out in the sun all day until they are baked

CXCommuter wrote:Another one for newspaper to get rid of the wet/damp and for prevention, I have three year old shoes used in all weather and they don't smell any worse than expected, As to the smell- wait for a warm dry day and stick them out in the sun all day until they are baked

+1
Whats more the sun will also kill lots of the "smelly" type bugs. Hand washing with pure laundry soap works for me as well.

The news paper+2 and this:

https://protectoralsafe.com.au/search/p ... ?c=Product" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers everyone.
They aren't actually mouldy, just starting to smell a bit. I use the newspaper trick - combining this with my heater at work I've had squelchy-wet shoes pretty much dried by lunch time.

I might soak them in a weak bleach solution and then give them a gentle cycle in the wash.

I used to loathe changing back into wet shoes at the end of the work day even I was still likely to be getting wet again on the way home, hence the "rapid" dry newspaper method. When I have the luxury of time I still prefer to air dry my shoes at home. Pegged by the tounge pulled right out on the clothesline under the verandah. Tends to be my MTB shoes that get this treatment more often though.

I often chuck my socks, gloves & helmet padding in the same weak solution of bleach as well. I'm conscious they're heaven for the manky little greeblies as well. Quick rinse in fresh water and leave to drip dry. Depending on temp and breeze, they're usually good to go again the next day without the need for a full wash. Can just alternate pairs of stuff during the week for a full wash on the weekends.

I did the newspaper in shoes thing a few weeks ago & it worked well. I've left the scrunched up newspaper pages in my garage. As far as I know they're dry & ready for next time. I assume its OK to re use them?

malnar wrote:I assume its OK to re use them?

It depends how scarce a resource old newspaper is for you! You could iron the paper if you wish.. that would better assure longevity.

I for one rarely buy newspapers these days, but previous days papers were often laying around or easily fished out of the recyling bin at work. At home I save those free community news papers we get delivered. I get two seperate ones in my area. I use them primarily for wrapping kitchen scraps in so the bin pongs less as well

Actually thinking more on the matter... a heater for drying mightn't necessarily the best thing for discouraging the smelly bacteria; remembering the stuff thrives on moist & warm environments. You're possibly just replacing the natural body temperature incubation they have from your cheesy, wrinkly feet with an artifcial one i.e. the heater.

The floor vents I used at my last job in the Data centre had pretty cool air flowing out of them. My reasoning was any airflow was better convection for wiking moisture out from the shoes externally, whilst the stuffed news paper drew the moisture in from the inside. I think a fan blowing or circulating room temperature air over the shoes would be be marginally more efficient energy wise for a similar effect.

Dry bicarbonate soda. Apply liberally, leave overnight or as long as possible. Then shake out as much as you can.

As above, newspaper to dry shoes out. For smell, which can be mildew try a little white vinegar on the newspaper.

Something about vinegar and newspaper, really cleans glass like nothing else.

pacra wrote:As above, newspaper to dry shoes out. For smell, which can be mildew try a little white vinegar on the newspaper.

Something about vinegar and newspaper, really cleans glass like nothing else.

So you've got Cinderella's slippers have you? I guess they'd have a nice stiff sole.

for the smell I was watching the man space on tele and they had a segment on smelly shoes, turbs out putting them in a bag then in the freezer overnight gets rid of the smell, haven't been able to try this myself though.

Bit of a thread bump and I didnt want to create a new thread.

After the previous few weeks of wet weather commuting, the shoes are starting to get that mildew smell. When they were soaking wet, I stuffed them with newspaper, and also left them out in the sun.
While they are dry now, there is a bit of a funky smell to them.

Is soaking in a weak solution of bleach the way to go? Or just chuck it in the washing machine / soak with naipsan for a bit?

Newspaper only prevents it to some extent. You actually have to wash it.

+1

You gotta remember stink is bacteria. Just rinshing isn't enough. Bleach/disinfectantant is anti bacterial.

I don't over-wash my kit all the time, unless it's obviously dirty or grease marked. More often than not I just rinse and then let drip dry, rotating kit between days. I probably average 3 to 4 wears & rinses to 1 machine wash.

That said, I am concsious that bleach/disinfectant can degrade modern fabric. Rinse lightly in the solution (remember : 1 cap to 1 9L bucket of water) to kill the bugs & stink. Chuck the bucket of solution in the dunny when next you go for a #1 and save a flush. Then rinse in clear water and then drip dry. Tip that second bucket on your pot plants or the neighbours cat that's been pithing up your front door... whatever.

If anything, gloves, shoes, helmet padding & the neoprene sunny strap get the disenfectant treatment a tad more often cos of their absorbent parts.

I'm just a great believer in non-specific solutions. People who feel the need buy (or have been sold the idea) of using specific wonder products solely for the purpose make me worry for the future of the human race.

A $2 2L bottle of Coles/Woolies brand disinfectant if used solely for de-stinking bike kit would last me years. It's just that I actually occasionally also use it to clean the house once every 6 months or so. I go through coupla cups or so each time then

I have a little USB powered desk fan at work.

When I arrive at work with wet shoes, I put the shoes and fan on the floor under my desk. Take out the insoles and direct the fan straight into the shoes at point blank range. This usually has them dry by lunchtime. I ride every day, so I've got two sets of shoes so I can rotate them if needed.

On the upside, a new pair of bike shoes never really fits right until you've ridden in them dripping wet. After that you're good for the life of the shoes.

HappyHumber wrote:
I'm just a great believer in non-specific solutions. People who feel the need buy (or have been sold the idea) of using specific wonder products solely for the purpose make me worry for the future of the human race.

I just chuck them in the washing machine and use normal washing powder. I am, however, looking forward to the Alpecin caffeine laundry wash. Either that or the new rapha sock specific laudry conditioner.

Calvin27 wrote:
I just chuck them in the washing machine and use normal washing powder. I am, however, looking forward to the Alpecin caffeine laundry wash. Either that or the new rapha sock specific laudry conditioner.

Front or top loader? We have a front loader and even wrapped in a thick towel, shoes are a bit noisy.