UKC

I've got a 2 year old pair of 5.10 Newtons which have matured into the smelliest most mingin' pair of rock boots in the universe. The smell they exude is so bad I can't even keep them indoors anymore. They laugh in the face of being rinsed out with water, sprayed with deodorant etc. etc..Short of amputating/boiling my feet, anyone know of a wonder elixir to cure the pong?

In reply to Gareth Evans:Yeah Ive got a good idea

GET REAL!!! rock shoes are supposed to stink, be proud man.

In reply to Gareth Evans:

yeah it's this amazing new invention called talcum powder

In reply to Gareth Evans:

Dear Gareth

You do have a problem. Throw the stinkers away, now.

When you wear your new boots, climb at a level you do not sweat, this will stop the stink.

Norrie

In reply to Gareth Evans: put 'em in the washing machine with a capful of dettol, theyll come out smelling sweet

In reply to Gareth Evans:

I was passed this tip by a smelly rockboot wearing friend ...

Tea tree oil (is there anything it can't do?)!!

In reply to Gareth Evans: Best thing to do is put them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer for a week The cold will kill off the smelly bacteria Dont put them in the washing machine you run the risk of delaminating the rubber

In reply to cubanallstar: you smell

In reply to Gareth Evans:
Be cool, have swetay feet and smelly shoes.

Wear socks. Be uncool, but have nice dry feet that don't smell.

Sxx

In reply to vince mcnally: No No No! smelling will not bump your grade Dude it will just reduce the number of mates wiling to climb with you Dude!

In reply to Gareth Evans:
buy several pairs and 'smell rest' them in turn.

In reply to BennyBoy:

Thats a goddamned lie !!!

In reply to Gareth Evans: simple: first , wash 'em in the washing machine every so often...tales that they get trashed by doing this are just rubbish...i've washed my pair monthly for over a year and they're fine...then, as someone else has already suggested, freeze them for 24 hrs to kill the bacteria. but yeah, wash 'em regularly...say every month and they'll last far longer than if you don't: the minging bacteria will see to that!

cheers

In reply to Gareth Evans:

I empathise. I also have a pair of 5.10 newtons that honk almost as much as the half rotten sheep currently residing in the lower section of sargeant crag gully. They have been banned from the flat for a good few months now. Even have to be careful about putting them in the boot of the car. If the speed drops below 40mph, then the resultant loss of airflow allows them to stink the whole car out. If I'm leaving the car parked, I have to stash them under it. I am considering having them exorcised as I suspect some kind of evil presence lurks inside.

In reply to Gareth Evans:
Newtons seem to be notorious for this, so in a show of brotherly support I'll convince you it its the rubber that stinks, not toe jam....apparently.

Frequent washing does the trick - hot soapy water. Plus throw in some dactarin spray and some baking soda just to be on the safe side. Since most people probably don't wash their rock shoes that much, those who wear Newtons, despite the smell, could probably claim they are cleaner than most other people.

Failing that, try irradiating them.

In reply to Gareth Evans:

Get some anti-bacterial hand wash - boots own is quite good, rub loads of it into the boot innerds and all around, then into the washing machine

my boots are a million times nicer for it

In reply to LankyPaddy:

As any Key Stage 2 Schoolkid will tell you, freezing doesn't KILL bacteria, it only slows their rate of reproduction down - when you taken them out of the freezer again, the survivors will carry on breeding - and bacteria can take YEARS to die out completely, even if you left them in the freezer.

Some kinda chemical solution as listed above sounds like the plan - maybe when you replace them, keep the new pair in the freezer from the outset - this will stop the new bacteria growing.

Also, since it sounds like you've got sumkinda toe jam problem, maybe socks and a trip to the chiropodist?

Will

In reply to vince mcnally: But what about the column of lust crazed blind skunks that find me whichever crag I go to? Having three of the little sods frantically copulating with each shin is most offputting.

In reply to Norrie Muir: Have to take up golf then, am founder member of The Fat & Knackered Climing Club

In reply to cubanallstar: Tried that with Tevas, merely stunned the bacteria for a few days

In reply to Gareth Evans: Tea tree oil is the way to go.
Freezing won't kill the bacteria, it just stops them growing, that's why food still goes off once you defrost it. Unless you use liquid nitrogen of course but that would wreck your boots.

In reply to Gareth Evans: Freezing them is good, but i dont think this goes far enough. You really need to pastuerise them; freeze them, then followed by immersing them in boiling water.

A final dip in pure ethanol would also be a wise precaution against any extremophiles that have escaped destruction. Some people may suggest you should finally burn them in pure oxygen, but i think this may be going a little too far.

In reply to big steve at work: Looks like my only option is to take them on a guided tour of Sellafield/Winscale (or whatever it is they call it now) and lob them through a door with a big yellow sign on it. When they're glowing in a nice shade of Hulk green I'lkl be able to wear them again.

In reply to Gareth Evans:

Peditech. 10 quid a bottle from footcare dept in Boots. Very aggresive antibacterial spray. Works for me, and my friends immediately noticed they could smell their own rockshoes instead and bought some too. Takes about a week to get rid of the smell comnpletely - that's if you're wearing your shoes every day. It means I can take my shoes off at the wall with confidence!