<p>Not soccer cleats, but the Adidas type molded plastic -type sandals with a wide strap across the top and the porcupine bottom (I don’t know what to call it!)</p>
<p>S has 2 pair at school and he says they SMELL! He washed them by hand with no luck. They are in good shape otherwise.</p>
<p>Any tried and true methods to get rid of the nasty smell?</p>
<p>If bacteria is the culprit, he can try killing it by wiping the shoes with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol or with hand sanitizer gel. However, if the shoe material is very porous, he will need to soak it really well to get rid of the buggers.</p>
<p>Can you throw them into the washer with hot water? Dry them in the dryer with a Downey sheet?</p>
<p>I told him to try the washer method first - no harm. He’s near an outside door - maybe he can douse them with rubbing alcohol and leave them outside overnight…</p>
<p>I wash everything stinky with vinegar and it never fails. I’ve never tried it on those sandals, but if I were desperate I’d probably try dunking them in vinegar and then washing them normally with soap and water (so they don’t smell like vinegar either.)</p>
<p>You can try using the same odor remover used for goalkeeper’s gloves. My son’s GK gloves stunk to high heaven during the season. I’m pretty sure this liquid helped reduce the odor so it wasn’t as noticeable. Then wash the sandals.</p>
<p>There’s always bleach.</p>
<p>An interesting experiment would be to toss it in the microwave for ten seconds and then clean it with alcohol or bleach.</p>
<p>Funny story, I came home from work last week and our house stunk. It smelled like veggies had gone bad somewhere. I was looking in the vegetable bins, the trash, the fridge, stuck my nose near the garbage disposal. Couldn’t find it. Looked through the house to see if the dog or cat had done something they never have done before. Didn’t find anything. Finally yelled upstairs at the teen boys camped out to see if they had smelled it…one boy came down the stairs with this really embarrased look and pointed at his shoes by the side door and told me he owned the “smell.” He was correct. Put the shoes outside and ten minutes later the house smelled normal. OMG.</p>
<p>I vote for tossing the sandals in the washer or soaking in vinegar overnight. I’d be afraid to “heat up” stinky shoe smell in the microwave!</p>
<p>I had some success with using alcohol to wipe sandals down. Do this somewhat regularly and it will help.</p>
<p>I’ve used Febreeze before with good results. Have also used odoreaters spray. It worked pretty well.</p>
<p>I agree with MomLive. Febreeze makes a “sports” version that is really powerful.</p>
<p>We are a family of basketball players. When the shoes reach the dreadful stench stage, I actually pour bleach into the shoe and let it soak a bit before running it through a regular wash load. I have done this numerous times with expensive, top quality leather shoes. The colors have not been impacted and the shoes are then air dried, preferably on an open window sill or on the porch in full sun. It takes a while for the shoes to fully dry- maybe 8 hours or so. Good luck- the sandals should dry much more quickly.</p>
<p>S tried just putting them through the wash- no difference. Told him to bring them home next time he comes and I will try some of the above “recipes”! But to be safe, bought a new pair for him to take on his spring break trip in a couple of weeks!</p>
<p>Febreze Sport - has preserved the sanity of many a hockey mom! Worked better than some much more expensive products for me. Maybe it would work for your son’s shoes as well.</p>
<p>[Febreze</a> Sport Collection-Scents That Eliminate Sport Odors](<a href=“http://www.febreze.com/en-us/pages/collection.aspx?category=sport&gclid=CI65_Mf0l6cCFac65QodPjU4cA&TID=f67f22fa-ab8f-4a99-9c8d-d8b9bc4f71a2]Febreze”>http://www.febreze.com/en-us/pages/collection.aspx?category=sport&gclid=CI65_Mf0l6cCFac65QodPjU4cA&TID=f67f22fa-ab8f-4a99-9c8d-d8b9bc4f71a2)</p>
<p>We use diluted bleach for those rubber/plastic sandals, especially if it’s a mildew thing. Were they wet? Did he leave them wet in his bag? Fabreze is good for the not runner ones. I will have to look for fabreze sport. Also, for that mildew thing, there is a company that makes these things you can put in wet cleats to help them dry. Like dehumidifier bags we had in the basement when I was growing up. Eurosport ( soccer.com) sells them.</p>
<p>Thank you Rachacha!!!
My son plays hockey and the stink is incredible. We try to have him air the gear out, but that is only very mildly helpful.
His season starts again in March, so I’ll stock up now.</p>
<p>BTW, where do you buy Febreze Sport? I’m not sure where to even start looking.</p>
<p>former roller hockey moms recipe: lysol spray till wet, let them dry. frebreeze sport same wetness,let them dry preferably in sunlight. would wash with detergent and bleach if its possible clothes yes, pads not possible and skates not possible ). dryer sheets in the hockey bag at all times.also lysoled and frebreezed the hockey bag as often as possible.
the smell in the locker rooms at the rink were enough to knock you off your feet!
those dehumidifier bags are probably a great idea!</p>
<p>Roller hockey mom also.
So, to make sure I understand:
I need to Lysol or Febreeze the pads and skates and hockey bag until they are damp and then let them air dry in the sun. </p>
<p>The only things I launder is his jersey and regular -immediate- laundering seems to work for the jersey. The rest is padding (he’s a goalie) so I’ll try Febreeze or Lysol this season.</p>
<p>Assuming that this works, DRINKS ARE ON ME!!! I will be thrilled to find a way to deal with this stench! Right now we require that he keep his gear in the garage. :-)</p>
<p>This may sound like I’m kidding about this, but I’m not! On my soccer team, one of my friends said her mom put her cleats in the freezer to kill the odor! She says it worked… I didn’t smell them to test if it really worked! I know it’s not flip flops, but hey you never know :)</p>