# How do you clean your bike shoes?



## Maida7 (Apr 29, 2005)

I ride on very wet and muddy trails. Some times I end up riding in the rain and the trail is like a river. After a typical ride my high priced bike shoes are soaking wet and covered in mud. I then hose them off and set them up to dry. It is so humid here that it could take over a week for them to dry. They are now smelling like mold. How can I keep my shoes from being wet and stinky everytime I want to use them?

Please help.


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## trailrash (Jan 7, 2005)

You can try alot of things to get your shoes dry:

1. Buy a boot dryer from a shoe store, maybe places like Wal Mart sells them also. They work great for all types of shoes.

2. After you clean your shoes, stuff newspapers inside your shoes and let them sit indoors overnight. The newspapers suck the water out of the leather.

3. After cleaning, place the shoes in front of your fridge...where the vent is. The cooling fan blows slightly warm air out of the vent. You'll be suprised how fast shoes get dry when you try this method.


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## SoCalAl (Aug 29, 2004)

I've got an older gas oven that uses a pilot light instead of the new elctronic ignition and the inside always stays very warm, but not hot. I usually use this to dry out stuff like that, just don't forget to tell your SO you've something inside, you wouldn't want them to preheat the oven with you shoes inside!


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

Stuff the wet shoes with newspaper and change it a couple of times in the first 4-6 hours.

Do not use too much heat. Quick drying the shoes can hurt them. The top of the water heater is another good location for drying.


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## bdbloom (Oct 8, 2003)

I take the insoles out (helps a lot!), & open up the laces as far as they'll go. Sometimes I'll stuff with newspaper, which works quite well.

Usually they start to dry inside, but on the next sunny afternoon, I'll put them on the front walk in direct sunshine for a while (usually I forget about them for a few hours and bring them in after sunset.) The sun helps kill some of the microbes.

If you don't get sun, you're sol: use the other good advice above.


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

Maida7 said:


> I ride on very wet and muddy trails. Some times I end up riding in the rain and the trail is like a river. After a typical ride my high priced bike shoes are soaking wet and covered in mud. I then hose them off and set them up to dry. It is so humid here that it could take over a week for them to dry. They are now smelling like mold. How can I keep my shoes from being wet and stinky everytime I want to use them?
> 
> Please help.


Well most of the time the spray off with the hose will work, if the shoes haven't been totally soaked in the mud. If the shoes are just splashed with some mud and wet try to just let them dry like that and scraped the mud off when they dry - when you soak them with the hose the really get a lot more staurated than just by the rain.

If you had to wade/pedal through mud and they're covered consider taking them in the shower with you and scrub them with a scrub brush and some dish soap (make sure you scrub inside as well), then do as others have suggested with the newspaper, heater etc. You can kind of scrap the insides of the shoes to help get the water out and take the lacins out and open up the shoe, maybe let the blow-dryer run for a bit to get some heat going inside.If you don't scrub them now and get them dry ASAP after repeated soakings theyw ill start to smell, sun is always your friend.


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## CanzoTi (Jun 25, 2005)

I don't. Been using the same pair of Sidi rampa's since 99' still going strong. Then again I live in a dry climate so they don't get that wet, but it's rocky as hell.


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## flipnidaho (Aug 10, 2004)

*Ac*

I put it on top of my AC unit in summer... The fan drys it nicely... However, since I live in the desert, an hour or two outside in the sun typically dries up the wettest shoes...


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## mward (Apr 7, 2004)

I throw mine in the washer and then dryer. Seems to work fine and no ill effects on the shoes so far. Low heat. Specialized shoes.


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## Locoman (Jan 12, 2004)

Hot water heater in your house/apartment? They're usually pretty warm, but not hot. Great place to dry things.


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## Maida7 (Apr 29, 2005)

mward said:


> I throw mine in the washer and then dryer. Seems to work fine and no ill effects on the shoes so far. Low heat. Specialized shoes.


Thanks everybody for the advice. Mine are sidi shoes and the owners guide says do not put in washer or dryer. I guess I will work with the newspapers and find warm dry place where they can dry out. It is so humid here in western North Carolina. We get fog and rain everyday. It kind of like a rainforest. It is so humid that if you put dry paper outside it will absorb moisture and be all soft and moist when you come back. If you put something wet outside to dry it will just grow mold. I think I may invest in some kind of rack for my dryer. Then I can put the shoes on the rack and run them in the dryer on low heat.


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## oilerfan30 (Apr 20, 2005)

Use a blow dryer or get a rack in your clothing drier and put the shoes on that.


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## Picard (Apr 5, 2005)

I wash my shoes using a toothbrush and copious amount of water & soap. Then let it air dry for 1day. It will be as clean as Mr. Clean's shoes.


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## Vecsus (Apr 17, 2004)

I have a pair of diadoras with two velcro straps. when mine are real wet I secure them to the roof rack of my outback and they dry out while I drive home. The beams on my rack slide on a track so I can pinch the shoes between them...they are 100% secure.


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## ncj01 (Jan 13, 2004)

carwash, while still on your feet.


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