# How to save moldy snowboard boots?



## MMSlasher (Mar 18, 2016)

I don't know if this will work with boots, but I sometimes have dish towels that get left in the hamper for far too long and they get mildewy. So I soak them in a about a cup of vinegar and about a gallon of water, the moldy smell goes away. Then I wash them. I tried washing them many times before soaking them in vinegar and the smell always came back. I am having a similar issue with a different smell, but I have yet to try soaking my boot liners in vinegar.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

From the boot faq sticky

Boot maintenance and repair
Drying….if you can dry immediately after every day of riding, take the liners and insoles out. Use very low heat or no heat…just air flow works great.
Stench of boots, liners, gloves, goggle frames, jackets…my reciepe is to dip and soak with McNett MiraZyme…follow the directions…let it soak then just hang and let it air dry.

MiraZyme

If its really bad do the above and then; after its dry make up a paste of baking soda and water and smear it on…nice and heavy, let it dry. Then use white vinegar…pour it on, soak and let it foam; then rinse well with water and hang it in the bright sun to dry….this has not failed yet. Do it at the end of the season so you got fresh smelling stuff for the fall.

Boot repair…the best stuff used yet is again a McNett product called “Freesole”. Their “aquaseal” will also work but it is not as abrasion resistant and imho does not stick as well…but darn good. Use it where there is binding/boot wear, to seal up edge cuts and etc. As you can see the old 305’s are trashed (but feel like slippers) but are kept for back up and would last a couple of days.

Freesole® Urethane Formula Shoe Repair


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

fire...i heard fire clears mold right up....ullr may even inhale....


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## Fielding (Feb 15, 2015)

Do not wash liners in the washing machine. You'll deform them. The welds and seams probably won't hold up. First dry your stank boots out all the way. Put them, the footbeds, and the shells out in the sun if you can. If not just find a place where they'll get good airflow. Don't put them right by the fire or other heat source. You'll mess them up. If they are still stinking after a day or two wipe all surfaces with white vinegar. Not red vinegar. If things are really bad you can pour a bunch of white vinegar in the boots/liners and swish it around for a while, in an effort to achieve saturation. Then dry it out all the way. If there are lingering odors I like to use Bac-A-Zap spray. That stuff cuts odors by using friendly bacteria and it doesn't smell like perfumey crap on its own (like fabreeze).

I learned about Bac A Zap when I had a mouse die in a wall in a rental property. It's crazy stuff. You can actually spray it on a compost pile in order to accelerate decomposition. I used it in a fogger after a carpet cleaning job and bad, wet weather conspired to make things smell musty. It's magic shit.


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## MMSlasher (Mar 18, 2016)

Great tips guys. I'll have to use these on my hiking boots. One trip they got wet and the boots have never smelled the same.


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## ridinbend (Aug 2, 2012)

Anything I own that gets mildew smell goes in the freezer.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

I buy new shit...


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## shovel (Aug 15, 2016)

I got back from riding last year and had to leave the same day on another trip so left my boots wet in a bag for two weeks - they were pretty manky and when I got back and dealt with them.

I filled a two-gallon bucket with cold water and added a couple of capfuls of bleach (you want around 99:1 water/bleach ratio).

I took the liners and insoles out and put them in the water/bleach solution, gave them a good squeeze so that it soaked right through and let them soak for half an hour.

When I removed them from the bucket I squeezed them out, then gave them a few rinses in cold water.

I emptied the bucket of water/bleach solution into my boot outers, gave them a good scrub inside with a stiff brush and let them stand for half an hour, then emptied out and rinsed well with cold water.

I left boots, liners and insoles to dry on the balcony in direct sunlight for two full days.

Put them back together and stuck a dehumidifier pack into each, then chucked them in the cupboard and forgot about them till this year.

Wore them for two weeks in January (just back) and they smelled as fresh as a daisy - still smell great now.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

the problem with bleach, it tends to break down the fabric and threads much faster....not noticeable at first...but down the road you shit falls apart fast. Another thing is that bleach helps promote mold...better to use iirc the triphosphate stuff...at least for woodworking....idk if I'd use that stuff being locked in to hot sweaty boots...might get necro foot.


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## shovel (Aug 15, 2016)

wrathfuldeity said:


> the problem with bleach, it tends to break down the fabric and threads much faster....not noticeable at first...but down the road you shit falls apart fast. Another thing is that bleach helps promote mold...better to use iirc the triphosphate stuff...at least for woodworking....idk if I'd use that stuff being locked in to hot sweaty boots...might get necro foot.


Agreed re: breaking down fabric and threads, but my boots had about 70 days riding from the past 6 years and it was a choice between chucking them in the bin or giving the bleach a try - I figured if I can get another trip or two from them they owe me nothing. 

I carefully checked them over before wearing them and they looked ok, but I took a roll of gaffer tape with me in case they fell apart on the hill 

This method may not work for OP (or indeed anyone else) but it worked fine for me.


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