need a shoe solution...

I have been running in a pair of vibrams since late spring/early summer. I really love them. I love the glove feeling and they work for me on a variety of surfaces. I recently went back to my mizunos for a run and it just felt cumbersome and not as effortless.

However, I noticed a couple weeks ago that the vibrams have developed a wet feet smell after a particularly wet run and then a weekend hiking/camping trip where there was six inches of rain overnight (when we left there was a 20% chance of rain.....). I did the usual wash and tumble dry on low heat. Then they got a bit of a break because I wasn't running. Put them on today before the run and there was a slight hint of smell. After the run - wet wooded trails - it is definitely there. :mad:

I really don't want to have to buy a new pair. With fall and winter ahead there are going to be many wet/muddy runs. So is there a solution???? Will a soak in vinegar/water work? Is there a powder I should be putting in them every run?

They reek so something needs to happen! And if it means getting new shoes then I will just have to do that. But I was hoping there might be some magical solution someone here would be willing to share.


Thanks in advance!

Try washing them in dandruff shampoo.

Someone suggested that once for stinky clothes, something about how the chemical in dandruff shampoo that controls dandruff also kills the micro-cooties that make clothes stink.

Worked great for my bike stuff, might be worth a try.

You might try soaking them in a pail with a few denture tablets. Maybe as many as 4-6 tablets depending on how much water you need to cover the shoes. I've done that with water shoes before and it worked fine.

I've had good luck with soaking items in Biz laundry additive to remove all sorts of stains and smells.

I like the suggestions above. What I did was put 1 tablespoon of vinegar in the wash with them. I washed a whole bunch of shoes with some puppy potty pads and put the vinegar in there and everything came out not smelling.

thanks for the suggestions! I have vinegar at home now so I will start with that.