this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024
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I'd be interested in how to keep them from getting stinky. I've got some very good, waterproof leather boots, but they get so musty. I've tried Lysol. I've tried Dr. Scholls powder spray. I've tried water with vinegar. I've changed insoles. Nothing helps. You'd think I slogged through a knee deep swamp and left them to dry inside a closed box, but no, I just wear them in Florida and leave them to dry out inside my house.
I thought I knew how to take care of boots, but I guess not. That's apparently a huge part of keeping them for a long time.
Do you use synthetic, cotton, or wool socks?
Wool socks help with odor control because of how they wick away moisture and although they advertise synthetic socks also being good at that they tend to get the stinky funk going on. Cotton just holds moisture and gets stinky too, but somewhere between the two.
If nothing else has helped and you are not already wearing wool socks, I would give that a try. A lot of brands do a blend of wool and synthetic so they might end up being stinkier than 100% wool. Wool is expensive, but holds up really well and is totally worth it.
Hard agree. Wool is amazing. The good stuff doesn't scratch, either.
That's a great suggesion. Unfortunately, I already wear either smart wool, or my own hand knit wool socks with these boots.
I just caught that you live in Florida, and the humidity could be the issue. If you have a spare fan, putting the boots in front of it to circulate the air might help since the waterproofing means the only moisture exit is where your foot goes in. Doesn't need to blow into the boot, just across it so the air gets moved around.
Or you may want to invest in one of these:
https://a.co/d/3ppV1jY
When working the boats in Alaska, arguably one of the wettest environments around, every stateroom had one. Fishermen swear by them.
Great suggestion!
I'll have to look at those. Might be what I need.
Happened to see boot driers at the grocery store for 15 bucks. Bought them and now i'd say they're a must. Wore my boots and put them on for 2 hours.... they don't smell anymore. They smelled when I out them on. My boots will now live on these when they're not on my feet.
Seriously. I sought out boots I thought would last a long time and i've been seriously bummed because I can't imagine keeping them when I can't get them to stop smelling. I figured boot driers would only work preventatively, but they zapped the smell right away. If you intend to keep your boots for a long time, get some boot driers.
Ditch waterproof, get shoes that breath a lot. Waterproof shoes get wet on the inside anyway, through sweat if not anything else. Breathable shoes dry up again a lot faster, making it harder for bacteria to make smelly stuff.
Waterproof shoes like to claim they are breathing, like goretex and stuff. It doesn't, not nearly as well as some mesh or holes do.
See, the problem with this is that for several months out of the year i'd just have wet feet 24/7. After a couple weeks that's just far too frustrating to deal with. Plenty of people wear sandals to deal with it. I'm autistic, and we generally fall into 2 camps: my feet need to be aired out all the time, or my feet will always be in socks because they can never touch the floor unless everything is perfectly clean and the floor is an appopriate texture. I'm unfortunately the second type, which is why I knit my own wool socks.
On top of that, if it's raining when I get home, I have anywhere from 2 to 6 inches of water I have to get through. I've tried shoe covers. I've tried other styles of waterproof shoes. I've tried rubber boots, and they're far too sweaty. This is by far the best solution i've come across, but at this point I can't get the smell out, even if I want to get these boot dryers i've been recommended.
That sucks. It sounds like you have wet feet 24/7 now too, so you are fucked either way. The only advice I have for you is to switch socks often, and shoes as well (have at least 2 pairs, and alternate every day) so at least they can dry in the meantime
I have heard that these may be mutually exclusive.
Its the sunshine state.
Do you wear them every day? Ideally you should give all footwear a day of rest to let the bacteria die off. Possibly more if you live somewhere humid.
This and a boot dryer is probably the answer I was looking for.
This is why I stopped buying leather boots. The faux stuff is much more durable and you can actually wear them every day