Deodorising walking boots

[moretea]

Any tips on ridding a pair of walking boots of their stink would be much appreciated. I think they've got soaked in rain and been left without drying out, but the smell is slightly like animal urine 😟. I've used textile cleaner, put them through a machine wash and left in the sun but they still whiff. Even added tea tree oil. Any other ideas?

[DramaAlpaca]

Maybe try sprinkling some bicarbonate of soda in them? It works to absorb smells in the fridge, so it might work with boots.

[moretea]

Thank you Drama, have tipped a pot of bicarb in, will report back in the morning. Any back up plans anyone?

[DramaAlpaca]

Fingers crossed it works!

[jellyshoeswithdiamonds]

I spray my diluted Zoflora in dd's, her's have seen her thro DofE silver, gold and now leader.

I paint Fabsil on before every time she uses them mind.

[logicallyspeaking]

Try using odor eaters they work great with my trainers and shoes.

[HerOtherHalf]

Try vinegar. It's the one thing that effectively gets the smell out of my wetsuit boots.

[moretea]

Thanks for the tips, bicarb left in for ages helped a bit and the zoflo has made them smell better. Jelly, I'll make sure I rewaterproof regularly, I'd not and that's probably what caused the problem.

[ErrolTheDragon]

I was going to suggest febreze but it sounds like you're on top of it. But I'd very much like to ask HerOtherHalf what dilution of vinegar you use on the wetsuit boots, if you don't mind a bit of a hijack?

[smithin]

Put it in a plastic bag in the freezer for a night and a day. That kills the bacteria that produce the smell. Otherwise they multiply when you wear them again and you get the same problem in no time.

[HerOtherHalf]

Errol, it's about 1:3 or 1:4 parts vinegar to water. I made some up ages ago and reuse it which doesn't appear to reduce its effectiveness. I leave them to steep for about an hour, recover the vinegar solution and then rinse well with cold water. The vinegar is also great for removing salt from the zips.

[YellowLawn]

next time fill boots with cat litter before storing away.

[ErrolTheDragon]

thanks!