Cycling shoes....smell...

[Hicky]

Ok, its slightly related to health.....how do you wash your cycling shoes?

I keep them clean with a cloth but mine are fairly whiffy.....I'm not overly keen on shoving them in the washer...does anyone else do that or just a squirt of febreeze??

 

[vickster]

Never, I don't have pongy feet, maybe having BG footbeds help

Stick to merino (On One merino thinny are great) or cotton socks...avoid the nasty synthetics so beloved of the cycling brands

 

[Hicky]

I've got Spesh MTB shoes and wear them all day once in work often so they're worn often.

 

[vickster]

Hmm can you not change your shoes at work? Any pair of shoes worn all day everyday will start to pong. I'd stick them through the washing machine...or bicarb of soda good apparently for killing the bugs and sticking them in the sun...and NO synthetic socks!

 

[Hicky]

I do but don't change not too often...I'd rather clean them....I wondered what other peoples methods were....

 

[Citius]

Washing machine works well - just put them into an old pillow case and wash them with the rest of the load.

 

[roadrash]

+1 for bicarb of soda to remove the smell , but a change of socks and shoes at work is the real answer

 

[palinurus]

My cyclocross shoes were always getting wet and got stinky pretty quickly. I'd soak them in a Milton solution then wash them.

 

[NormanD]

Stick them in the freezer

 

[Cuchilo]

I have the same problem with my pants . After about a week they really start to kick up but you get used to it .

 

[lee1980sim]

How To Clean Your Cycling Shoes:
View: http://youtu.be/psPJk7c-ph4

 

[dan_bo]

I find a tin of lighter fuel does the trick.

 

[Globalti]

The smell is caused by bacteria, which grow in the damp conditions and attack sweat residues and some of the materials. The worst place for this is between the plastic foam footbed and the cardboard liner. All shoes need to be aired after use, which, with synthetic materials, means removing the footbed and allowing everything to dry. Once the smell has developed it's difficult to eradicate but a wash wth hot caustic water, as in a washing machine with detergent, will go a long way to removing smells. Be sure to dry the shoes thoroughly after washing and after use. Sunlight is good because the UV will kill bacteria.

 

[PeteXXX]

I have the same problem with my pants . After about a week they really start to kick up but you get used to it .

I find that if you turn them inside out, you get another week out of them.
I don't prescribe to the 'back to front' option, though you can get a month's wear if you do....

 

[fossyant]

Getting shoes wet on a regular basis is one of the reasons they get pongy. Good overshoes remove this problem. Cycling shoes tend to be well vented.