UKC

I haven't seen any questions on this subject before, maybe I am just too lazy to look but:-

What is the best way of cleaning the uppers ( and rubber) of rock shoes?

Tried and tested suggestions only please. My climbing abilities are rubbish enough without struggling with a pair of baddly cleaned ,shrunken , disintegrating shoes.

In reply to mgco3:
In the washing machine, cold wash, small amount of powder and an extra spin cycle at the end to get most of the water out of them. Stuff them with newspaper and leave to dry. Done loads of mine and never had a problem.

In reply to weakdave: Thanks mate. Don't know if her indoors will allow me to use "her" washing machine. lol

In reply to mgco3: I put my anasazis through a hot wash with loads of washing up powder once a week to keep the smell away. They come out super sticky once they have dried on the radiator. Might be different with leather shoes though.

In reply to mgco3:

I wipe them with water and a sponge/pan scourer, and that's about it. Having said that, I don't have particularly smelly feet so they don't smell.

In reply to tehmarks:

If they do pong (mine honk) then sprinkling the insides with Sodium Bicarbonate before leaving them to dry works a charm.

In reply to mgco3: your climbing shoes shouldn't be dirty, if its chalk from indoors the just rub them on your trousers just before you start the climb. If its mud or cow and sheep left overs take you climbing shoes off as you walk around and let your normal shoes get dirty and again rub them on your trousers before you start climbing.

In reply to mgco3:
Car windscreen cleaner on a bit of rag will bring the rubber up like new.Quick drying too.

In reply to rodgit:
If necessary wash your rock shoes with luke warm water and hand soap. More drastic methods may damage the shoes and invalidate the warranty. The glue used to make rock shoes is heat sensitive so avoid strong heat sources. You will find that natural leather uppers tend to be less smelly than synthetic uppers. The key thing is to let your shoes dry and air after each use. Don't just stuff them in your bag until next time.

In reply to bigpad:

This method doesn't always work when you are decending, or on multipitch climbs with scraggy sections.

In reply to mgco3: Thanks all for the suggestions.

I will have a go and see if they come out looking like new.