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Smelly running shoes - is there a cure? (Read 893 times)

    OK, my wife has started to complain about my smelly running shoes. And they still have some good miles left in them. Any suggestions (besides keeping them somewhere far from my wife - which is always a possibility)?! Undecided


    #2867

      OK, my wife has started to complain about my smelly running shoes. And they still have some good miles left in them. Any suggestions (besides keeping them somewhere far from my wife - which is always a possibility)?! Undecided
      I have a couple of steps that you can take. First, wash the shoes. A good hose-down will get the worst of the odor gone. Remove the insole first and wash down that seperately. Dry the shoes, preferably by keeping them off of the floor a bit (in a wire shoe rack, for example) - you might want a plastic mat or newspapers under them to catch the drips. Stuff the shoes with newspaper and switch 'em out to dry the shoes a little faster. After the shoes are dry, you may want to try some of the odor balls or a spray; I've never used anything like that so I do not have any recommendations as to their worth. I wouldn't use the products on wet shoes, though. After each run, pull your insoles out and let the shoes dry. For more specifics, a bit over a year ago I wrote a series of articles that went up on my website while I was on my honeymoon that were all about taking care of your shoes: http://news.runtowin.com/2006/08/17/a-list-of-shoe-care-tips.html There are some good specifics in there and some other tips that might help, but the bits I listed above are the general game plan for keeping your shoes from stinking too bad. Another option is to keep your running shoes in the basement when not in use...heheh.

      Run to Win
      25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

        Leaving them out in the sun helps, even if they are not wet.

        Runners run


        #2867

          Leaving them out in the sun helps, even if they are not wet.
          I try to avoid leaving my shoes in the sunlight as it can cause problems with the rubber parts.

          Run to Win
          25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

            I like to live on the edge.

            Runners run

            jEfFgObLuE


            I've got a fever...

              In addition to the aforementioned (particular the newspaper stuffing), I recommend having two pairs of running shoes in your rotation. Rotating your training shoes gives them time to breathe and dry in between uses, so they won't be quite so stanky. Though I wonder if there is a Law of Conservation of Odor -- will the combined whiff of two pairs of shoes worn every other run equal the stench of one pair worn daily? Tongue Of course, with shoe rotation, you also get the benefits of the midsoles having more time (at least 48 hrs) to decompress between runs. This allows the shoes to retain more of their cushioning, thus extending shoe life.

              On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.