Help: How to Clean a Bootliner?

While removing my socks last night after yesterday's ski tour I noticed my girfriend making wincing, puckered face.<br><br>Apparently my socks and therefore my boots are becoming aromatic...in a bad way...<br><br>Any tips on cleaning and deordorizing a pair of old, festering bootliners?

RELATIONSHIP SALVATION <br><br>

Hey Ron, that thing looks cool, but I'm thinking that prior to hanging them on such a device the liners need some sort of chemical treatment to anihilate the bacteria and crud that has taken up residence in them.<br><br>Has anyone tried soaking them in detergent and bleach, or perhaps a batch of napalm?<br><br>You know, "better living through chemistry."<br><br>From the paltry number of repsonses so far, I'm tempted to tell Jennifer that we all are dirtbags and actually enjoy the aromas as a sort of badge of honor. "That's a hard earned stench we all are proud of..." Or some BS like that. Then again, the smell is starting to bother me too.

This topic comes up periodically on telemarktips.com, including recently; you might want to try a topic search on that forum. <br><br>I've tried: washing machine with regular detergent; soaking in special enzyme stuff made by McNett; freezing in freezer for a half-day; adding super Odor Eater inserts and changing them out whenever the stench gets bad. All these techniques worked reasonably well, by which I mean significant improvements which gradually fade. <br><br>It should go without saying that the more promptly you dry your liners (I use electrically-heated inserts), the less stench you'll experience. Aside from the obvious olfactory advantages, liners experience less thread and fabric rot if they're dried as soon as possible after use. <br><br>Hope that helps.<br><br>Mark

Hey Ron, that thing looks cool, but I'm thinking that prior to hanging them on such a device the liners need some sort of chemical treatment to anihilate the bacteria and crud that has taken up residence in them.<br>Has anyone tried soaking them in detergent and bleach, or perhaps a batch of napalm?<br>You know, "better living through chemistry."

Work with me here, Dougy. You clearly don't believe everything you read on the internet, which could be the downfall of your relationship. <br><br>If it makes you feel better you could soak/wash them in a solution of laundry detergent/pine sol and a dash of bleach. But, trust me, they'll still smell bad until they get completely dried out. How many stinky things you ever found in the desert? Only ones I ever found were either sweating, dying or decomposing (i.e. not yet completely dry), in which case they smelled like your boots. <br>I went through the same drills that Mark did until I got my Peat boot drier and then life got a lot smoother.<br>I do give them an "insurance spritz" or two with fabreze before I plop them on the drier for the week but even when I forget the fabreze, they smell "almost new" and good to go the next weekend.<br><br>

From the paltry number of repsonses so far, I'm tempted to tell Jennifer that we all are dirtbags and actually enjoy the aromas as a sort of badge of honor. "That's a hard earned stench we all are proud of..." Or some BS like that. Then again, the smell is starting to bother me too.

You looking for quantity of responses or a drop dead, spot on solution for non-odorous boots? If it's the latter, it only takes one response, right? You got two! Just go with it...<br><br>If you want lots of replies start a thread about politics or sex. <br>'Course that might get you sent to the naughty corner & it wouldn't get your boots smelling nice. Or would it.... humm... well maybe if.... never mind.<br>

Be aware that if you have a custom footbed that is thermally set, a Peets is warm enough to deform it. Jim Mates had me make a cardboard cutout the shape of the footbed to insert for insulation. So far it's worked fine that way.