How many times has your partner opened their gym bag only to smack you in the face with the foul stench of their climbing shoes? The stench is so rank that you wish they wouldn’t take their shoes off between burns; instead, you wish they’d burn their shoes.
Or maybe you are that partner. Your friends might be too polite to tell you, but you need to hear it and get that odor under control! A raunchy pair of climbing shoes is good for clearing the wall, but try to be more mindful of your stench.
How do you avoid smelly climbing shoes? There are several ways to reduce their rankness and improve the air quality around you. Follow along to help your friend, ahem, keep the air pure and not clear out the crag.
The Prevention Stage
Okay, you have a new pair of shoes you want to keep stench-free. You’re ready to set yourself up for success. No more throwing your sweaty shoes in your gym bag and forgetting about them until the next session!
The prevention stage includes letting your shoes dry after your session. There are simple ways to achieve this. Simply hang them out the window on your commute home (okay, not actually). But seriously, your feet have over 200,000 sweat glands; you gotta let your shoes dry out.
First, spray your climbing shoes with disinfecting spray. Only spray the insides; some concoctions can discolor your boots. Next, hang them up outside or somewhere you can easily remove the odor, like a bathroom.
Start by disinfecting and air-drying your feet after each gym session. If the sweat glands on your feet are too dominant, you can try a few more tricks.
The “Already Kind of Smelly” Stage
This stage encompasses what to do when your shoes could spruce up, but they aren’t a full-blown biohazard yet. You’ve been keeping your sweaty shoes in your bag for too long and want to stop putting on wet shoes when you start your session.
(If your shoes are sweaty from your previous session, please let that be a sign to start caring for their stench).
Ways to combat this semi-smelly stage are surprisingly simple. Using odor absorbers, whether bought or homemade, is a straightforward solution. Just put them in your shoes overnight, and they’ll help dry and remove the odor. It’s that easy!
Another way to help remove climbing shoe odor is to use a 1:1 ratio of white vinegar and water. After each session, pour the vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spray your shoes. Let them dry, keep them near a fan, and enjoy the non-smelliness that used to radiate.
Essential oils like tea tree, clove, and cedarwood have antifungal properties. To treat the stink of your climbing shoes, mix some oils in a spray bottle with water and spray the insides. Let the shoes completely dry before wearing them again.
The “Point of No Return” Stench
These next steps are for those who think their climbing shoes will never be un-smelly again. But remember, it’s never too late to fix the problem. You’ve been treating them poorly, but today is the day you gather the strength to remove the stench and get your friends back. They’ve likely all left after smelling your shoes again, but with the following tips, you can fix your smelly climbing shoes.
That changes today. Today, you gather the strength to remove the stench of your climbing shoes and get your friends back. (They’ve likely all left after smelling your shoes again). Try the following few tips to fix your smelly climbing shoes.
Freeze them. You’re down to trying anything at this point, right? Put some wadded-up newspapers or dish rags in your shoes, put them in a zip-lock bag, and leave them in the freezer overnight. Odor-causing bacteria can’t survive in a freezer’s temperature! Thaw them in the sun or a well-ventilated area the next day.
Wash them! If you wash your climbing shoes, do so by hand. Take some warm, soapy water and a toothbrush. Scrubbing the footbed of your climbing shoes will help remove all the bacteria lingering there for months. Scrub until you’re pumped, then keep scrubbing. Air-dry your shoes in the sun or near a fan!