Stinky Booties
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 13:56
So I noticed a nasty BO smell coming from my kite gear today. I figured out it's my 5mm neoprene booties. These things are brand new!!!.... used twice, with neoprene socks, and they STINK already!! haha My feet must be nasty!
So, I was curious to everyones method of 1) preventing stink & 2) removing stink. 
I am more curious as to home solutions as opposed to the expensive product solutions.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 13:58
#1
Rinsing out with clean water
Rinsing out with clean water after use and properly drying goes a long way.
You can try using shampoo as well.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 14:03
#2
Welcome to the world of
Welcome to the world of neoprene booties... mine can be a bio hazard if left wet for even a few hours... its pretty tough to keep them from stinking. The key is to make sure they dry as fast as possible. Always rinse them out with fresh water and try and squeeze out as much water as possible. Then I stick them over a fan with the toes up so the water can drip down. I have also used some anti bacterial soap that helped... and I read simple green works so I tried that yesterday, ill update on whether or not it worked. But yea the key is getting them dry ASAP. And they take forever to dry... 2 days on a fan and they are still damp sometimes. I have heard putting them next to a heater works... or invest in one of those boot dryer things.
Also, you may already know this, but if you wear a wetsuit hang it out inside out so that the inside is dry for your session the next day... makes putting the suit on that much nicer. And again rinse everything out after...
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 14:31
#3
Baby shampoo works well and
Baby shampoo works well and you don't need much (baby because gentler).
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 15:46
#4
these two items have improved
these two items have improved my quality of life imensly
and
they get lots of use spring-winter-fall and really help with odor and comfort.. still gotta wash the stuff occansionally but quick drying makes a huge difference and it doens't need to be super warm so can dry fine over night in a not so warm basement
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 16:11
#5
big fan of the dryer.
I have exactly that dryer and its great. Usually 1.5 cycles with the heat turned on is all it takes to get boots and gloves dry. One thing to note is that this time of year they can often be had for short money as they are viewed as a seasonal ( winter / ski ) item.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 17:43
#6
+1 on the boot dryer. I
+1 on the boot dryer. I picked up a 2 post one for hunting/snowboard boots; works great for booties too.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 21:11
#7
I used to dry my booties &
I used to dry my booties & gloves on the dashboard of my truck with the defrost up high. Man that made a sweet smell! Now that I've grown old and boring I use the 4 post bootie dryer. No smell at all but my truck doesn't feel like a kiter's ride anymore.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 16:09
#8
I stick mine on the
I stick mine on the radiator. Makes the room stink, too!
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 17:04
#9
To remove the stink I once
To remove the stink I once used a dilute bleach solution (<10%), which is safe for most of my clothes, and I ended up with some funky discoloration. Neoprene coloring seems pretty sensitive. But the bleach did a nice job on the stink. And it didn't do any harm to the integrity on the material.
Also I've seen some stuff at REI but I've never tried it.
Thu, 04/07/2011 - 17:34
#10
Stinky Booty
Personally I stay away from stinky booty...but everyone has there preferences...
Fri, 04/08/2011 - 05:38
#11
washer and dryer
I put my booties, gloves, hood and neoprene socks in the waher on the rinse and spin cycle and then throw them in the dryer for about 20 min.
Fri, 04/08/2011 - 13:11
#12
enzyme cleaner
Once they are stinky its too late to worry about drying them quickly. This stuff is fairly cheap and works wonders for getting rid of the smell:
http://www.mcnett.com/MiraZyme-Enzyme-Based-Odor-Eliminator-8oz-P398.aspx
Sat, 04/09/2011 - 10:48
#13
IMHO....
Whats da matter with a lil stinky booty here and there :
Sat, 04/09/2011 - 15:39
#14
if they still stink when they
if they still stink when they are dry try some backing soda.
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 14:33
#15
An update for you guys on the
An update for you guys on the simple greeen solution...
Seems to work pretty well. Last time I went out kiting I came back after and rinsed my booties out and in the process put some simple green in them and shook em up, let sit a little bit to soak in and then rinsed them out one or two more times. Then I placed them of the fan like I usually do. Went to use them yesterday and they didnt smell... then after my session I got lazy and left them in the rubber maid tub with all my other gear last night without rinsing them out. Normally this would spell diaster and stink up half the house... but this morning when I rinsed everthing out there was hardly a stink too them... I could even smell a hint of simple green left in them. Rinsed them out through them back in the rubber maid tub... and forgot to put them on the fan on my rush to get out of the house this morning... so once again they sat wet with my other gear unable to dry. Just went to put them on the fan and guess what??? No stink!!!
These booties mind you are my 5 mils and are probably 4+ years old and have 3+ years of fairly consistent use surfing and at times they have been rank... to the point I thought about just throwing them out... so happy to report that a little bit of simple green seem to do a really good job keeping the stink down. The only way I have found to actually dry them in a reasonable amount of time is to force air into them... ie boot driers or a fan.