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Smelly boots

J

Joeninho

Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Portugues
Any advice please? So I'm doing the CP again from Lisbon at the end of the month. I used a pair of Adidas Terrex GoreTex AX4 mids. £150, but worth every penny. Anyway, they were perfect. No blisters, and extremely comfortable. I want to use the same pair as there is plenty of life left in them. The problem is they stink, I've washed them, used Odour Eaters, Talcum powder, etc. But as soon as I've worn them a few hours, the smell comes back. Is there any way I can resolve this? I've looked on YouTube, etc, to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Obrigado

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How smelly are we talking? You can smell your feet while you're walking? You get allowed plenty of space on the boot-rack? If you stick your face in your boot there's a Proustian moment of a good Camembert?

Given you've tried laundering, and chemical warfare I think it ain't your boots wot is smelly, it's your feet. Try an anti-fungal cream or an alchohol rub. Take extra socks and change out at least 3 times a day. Safety pin the whiffy pair to your backpack and let them air-out then you can rotate again.
 
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I agree with @dick bird that GoreTex might be contributing to your problem.

I have custom orthotics that are lined with a miracle fabric. After years of wearing them inside hiking boots and runners/trainers, I never get any smell at all. I'm taking them in for re-lining this week. I'll ask what the liner is made of and if it's available to purchase other than when re-lining orthotics, and report back - - unless someone else on the Forum knows what the fabric is.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
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Soak the innersoles and whole shoe in Sporox for 24 hour then throw them in the washer.
 
Yes, first get rid of the Goretex. Feet get sweaty and it doesn’t take very much to overload this stuff ie it won’t wick the moisture away. In other words it traps your sweat. You’ll never be able to wash away the smell.Also in reasonably heavy rain or puddles it defies the advertising claims about its waterproof qualities. Synthetic uppers suffer similarly but to a lesser extent. Leather is the most breathable for the upper but does need more maintenance. Next, woollen socks, not even wool blend if you can avoid them. They’re more comfortable too. In other words natural materials are better. Finally, and I hesitate to say this, some people’s feet are naturally smelly( in our family my wife’s, son’s, and grandson’s. The answer is obvious.

De Colores

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About 10 years ago I completely ceased consuming alcohol. My footwear almost immediately ceased being odiferous. Cause and effect or spurious correlation?
 
Pilgrim9 said:
About 10 years ago I completely ceased consuming alcohol. My footwear almost immediately ceased being odiferous. Cause and effect or spurious correlation?
Click to expand...
What has that got to do with the price of fish? I did the C.P from Lisbon via Fatima last year in those boots. A total of about 650-700k in total. And I drank alcohol on 3 occasions. They literally started to smell 2 or 3 days away from SdC. I haven't worn the boots since (apart from twice after I washed them), and they were not only very expensive (to me), there's nothing wrong with them. They're in very good condition in fact, apart from the smell of course, and I'd like to use them again this year without stinking up albergues and annoying my fellow peregrinos. Hence my post. Oh, and good for you for staying sober 10 years.
 
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I don't know whether or not it is relevant, it is merely a data point offered for evaluation and possible disposal.
 
Altus BALI Sleeping bag liner
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I have just been reading an article about cleaning which suggest using bicarbonate of soda to remove smells (as already posted). It adds not to use baking powder as it has other different ingredients added.

Once in Spain a visit to a farmacia for 'Funsol' powder (Funsol en polvo) is made for feet and can be added to boots. We found it kept ours smell free ad could be used before walking and overnight. Powder and then shake the boot around gently or shake excess out. In addition I liked to powder my feet at night, my husband in the morning, between the toes. Personal choice to avoid possibility of athletes foot etc. which is what the powder is usually sold for.
 
Joeninho said:
Is there any way I can resolve this?
Click to expand...
I experienced this twice, when Keen mids and shoes were my hikers of choice. Both pairs had a goretex-type lining. I think that both times the smell arrived after the shoes got immersed in mud and muddy puddles. I tried lots of different types of washing to get rid of the smell including standing in them in the sea in the hope that an infusion of salt water might cleanse them... but it didn't work. The smell always came back after an hour of my warm feet... I've had other goretex lined shoes that are fine, but maybe I don't do so many muddy trails these days.
It's worth trying the bicarb of soda solution, or maybe a solution of oxi action Vanish. But I'm not optimistic. I'd be very interested to hear how you get on!
 
I recently got my new pair of Lowa boots thoroughly soaked, should have worn waders. End results I did not get them dry the following day so wow....pong city. This was new to me as I do not usually suffer from smelly feet. Got home a couple of days later and removed insoles and stuffed the boots with good old newspaper and left in the greenhouse for a day and a half. Then a good dose of baking soda, again I left them for a day and a half. Result: New Boots. Not a whiff.
 
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Cabrales. That is how I describe my feet after a long walk. I tried merino socks, but my feet won. Doesn't matter what my boots are made of - I usually wear leather.

At home, in the summer I wear sandals or thongs and don't wear shoes and my feet are fine. In the winter they are fine too. My father's feet were worse than mine.

Buen suerte!!
 
I use essential oils. I put 3-5 drops on each insole, on multiday walks I'll normally repeat this every week (more often if needed, ie if I feel the shoes smell). I normally use teatree or lavender oils, but have also used manuka when I've had it available. All of those are antifungal and antibacterial, and as smelly shoes tend to be caused by fungal (foot/nail infections) or bacterial issues
I've not had an issue with smelly shoes since I started doing this about 15 years ago.
Not saying it will work for you, but might be worth giving it a try
 
bokormen91 said:
as smelly shoes tend to be caused by fungal (foot/nail infections) or bacterial issues
Click to expand...
Maybe wearing wool socks instead of synthetic may help. Wool tee shirts do better with bacterial odors than synthetic shirts so socks may do the same.

Sorry, but I'm a too tired and lazy to check right now if this response has already been given.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I know this is an old thread and the OP has probably already finished her Camino but in case others have the same question here's what Ive learned from 20 years with a stinky footed son. I've tried all the usual suggestions: baking soda, freezing them, bleach, foot sprays and powders. Nothing worked, basically had to throw them out. The key is to NEVER wear your shoes when they're wet. Always let them dry 100% before wearing again. If you follow this rule, they will never get stinky in the first place. If he comes home with wet feet, I immediately put them on the rad to bake overnight. In summer it's harder. Just this week, I didn't follow my own advice and wore slightly wet sneakers and now they're stinky. In to the garbage.
 
dick bird said:
This might be the root cause of your problem. Anything that is good at keeping water and moisture out is equally good at keeping water and moisture in. In the case of feet, that means perspiration.
Click to expand...
Absolutely correct. But also if the rain is more than just a slight shower the waterproof quality of goretex is dubious, and really hardly much better than ant other synthetic upper
 
Smell the insoles to see if they are the culprit; they are in direct contact with your feet. If so, there are choices that are easily implemented to correct the issue.

Do not wash Goretex footwear in regular detergents used in machines. That will clog the laminate pores. Use a Nikwax product designed to clean gortex gear.
 
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