I put dryer sheets in mine... works like a charm. FeBreeze works just as well.

The odor is bacteria.
Dryer sheets only masks the odor.

Take the insole out and soak it in vinegar,or diluted bleach to kill that stuff.

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Seeing him in deep torment, I said. " You can have my last GU , but its been down my pants for most of the run". - John Hirsch

Take care of your body, its by far the coolest thing you're going to ever own.- Can't remember who told me this, but I love it.

My shoes touch the floor every step. Therefore I use a liquid floor cleaner on them. (not a polish silly) I take the undiluted liguid and massage it into the upper and around the sides of the midsole. I then use a dish brush and give it a good going over. I then take out the footbed (orthotic in my case) and put it all in the washing machine, with several other pair of shoes and put it on a normal cycle. I air dry them and they look like new and have no stink!

I do this about every month or 2 and it works a treat.

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

How long have you had the shoes stinky? After a long summer of training/racing, the runners might be due for replacement?

Put them in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer for a day. The freezing kills the odor causing bacteria without chemicals.

About 10 years ago we bought a "boot drier" for our cross country ski boots. It turns out if you dry your running shoes on a regular basis they stay sweet smelling indefinitely. Bacteria need moisture to "do their thing" and keeping your shoes dry makes life unbearable for them. The unit we have has two upright tubes with low wattage convective heat. There is no fan and the unit uses very little electricity. We love the boot drier so much that we purchased a second so that we can do more than one pair of shoes at once.



SciGuy

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Ditto the freezing. A doc friend of mine told me about that and it works.

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infinIT Nutrition
Custom Blended Nutrition Solutions
http://www.infinITNutrition.com

LBS guys told me to simply throw the shoes in the washer. I washed mine (Shimano TR-01 tri shoes) on the hand wash setting (remove the inserts and threw them in there as well) and then dried them in the sun. Smell is gone, and no damage to the shoes.

Shove news paper in them.... I have not tried this yet but have heard it works to take moisture out and may help with your sticky ass shoe smell....

(Please crumple the paper up like they do in shoe stores when you buy them.....Don't just put flat paper in them)

I third putting them in the freezer. This actually kills the bacteria that makes them smell. Heard this from podiatrist and doctor friends.

I cycle without socks and my shoes used to stink terribly before I posted a similar question on ST. Here is what I do: start by washing your shoes in the dishwasher. Take the inserts out and wash them too. Then, after each ride, stuff them with newspaper. My shoes have almost no smell now.

I felt I was transfering stink bacteria from my run shoes to bike shoes and therefore stopped wearing the same socks for cycling and running in brick workouts. Also, I stopped using Locklaces during training - these kept the running shoes quickly drying. These two steps did the trick for me.

Kitty litter, the crystal kind NOT the sandy stuff.......kj

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Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax

wash them with dish soap and COLD water. the oils from your skin stick to the synthetic materials in the shoes. The glue used to hold shoes together gets soft at about 140F so DON'T dry them in the oven with a heat gun, hair dryer. I used to fix shoes for a living and saw a lot of delaminated shoes from people drying their shoes near a fire or in an oven. Take the insoles out after every use to let them dry faster. Just scrubbing the insoles will get rid of much of the stink. the best thing to do is wear socks and let your shoes dry out after every use.

I've never found anything that worked until my wife ran across this stuff called "OnYourToes" at our podiatrist's office. It was around $20-25 for a 3/4 oz. container. It is cheaper online here: www.footodor.net

I used it in my feet, running shoes and boots. One time. This was close to a year ago and I haven't had to reapply it again. They list reusing on a six month basis. Haven't had the need with any of the cycling shoes, but I would expect the same results.

Another plus compared to standard foot odor products is that this stuff is unscented.

Hope this helps:)

lysol spray, the spray paint can type works wonders

if they smell that badly it's probably time for new ones...

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD