Oh please save me from the stench of 4 pairs of dinghy boots !

Is there a safe product out there that is both boot and child friendly.

I have been told that bleach works but destroys the boots too quickly. The kids are now teenagers so their feet are not growing quickly enough to just throw the boots out.

Any Ideas ?

Chewie

Miltons sterilising solution?

I'll give it a try.

Chewie

I just put mine in the washing machine with rest of kit at 30 degrees. Seems to do the trick and doesnt do to much damage.

Certainly neoprene boots stink in no time at all so - yes I just put mine in the machine every time I come back from sailing with a bit of liquid detergent at the low temp setting sometimes with a bit of conditioner - and I spin them!!  They don't seem to have come to any harm.  Another tip - they'll dry much faster if you fold down the upper bits to lower the ankle area and let the air circulate!!

Wear a thin pair of socks inside them. Counter-intuitive, I know, but socks absorb the sweat which is what causes the pong. Finding this out has saved me buying a new pair every year. Or better still, use seperate neoprene socks which you can turn inside-out and wash/dry properly.

I used to keep a black dustbin filled with water and a bottle of dettol and throw everything in overnight! Now go for the washing machine option.

freeze them it will kill all the bugs that make the smell

Step 1: Open bathroom cupboard
Step 2: Pick random bottle of scented gloop that no-one used after they got it at Christmas
Step 3: Pour into boots

Just get used to it! Use Mycil Spray to ward off fungus.

Next time invest in the Aigle ones - they don't seem to be as stinky, if at all in fact.

this is a very very useful  thread
i put newspaper in them to help dry them out
stench seriously reduced

My manager swears by Bi-carbonate of soda; a light sprinkle and a good rinse...

I was beaten repeatedly until I agreed never to buy neoprene sailing boots again - they are the only footwear item I have ever owned that made my feet stink!  Son insists on them, though so we haven't escaped from the toxic zone yet..

GGGGGGGG

Note that the weather is good enough to sail barefoot now. I hate washing smelly boots so much, that I opt to go barefoot whenever possible.

Asses your boat carefully for razor sharp self-bailers etc, so you dont risk cutting your toes. Depends on the weather too I guess, how much you might be leaping around.

The only trouble with either bare feet or sandels is that somehow the multitude of control lines seem to end up between your toes which is seriuos;y slow when you want to move!

Many years ago when I sailed at Aldenham there was a chap called Dudley Farrow who always sailed with bare feet summer or winter.
I always soak my neoprene boots in a Milton solution, it does the trick esp. after a weeks sailing.

VWP or any other steriliser sold for winemaking and brewing also does the job.

There was a young man whose sister sails in the class.  He got toxic shock from his boots.  The doctor recommended Detol, but he got it a second time, so perhaps it wasn’t the answer.  It does work for the smell though, but be sure to rinse well unless you want to smell like a chemist shop.

I thought the last post was going to turn into a Limerick - what rhymes with Class?

Scope for some creative thought here?

If you thinking about odour there is one obvious one.

There was a young fellow called Coutts
With a niff from his wet daisy roots
He was soon on his mettle
With solutions of Dettol
Obtained from his neighbourhood Boots