Yeah VFFs are funky...but sometimes not in the good way

[Morfious]

I've done the shower thing with dove unscented soap and my KSO's came out fantastic.  I hand washed them and used a brush on the outside to get the more cruddy parts clean.  I put them under my heating vent in my house to let them dry overnight.  The looked brand new when I was finished.  So far it has been 2 weeks and they are still funk free.

[Sasquatchfeet]

I don't get funk in mine, never washed them. But I did buy 10 pairs of Injinji socks for them, never wear them without the socks. I'm assuming most of the funk is wicked away by the socks and then I wash those.

[Quigimon]

I have a Samsung Washing machine which has a "Silver Care" feature that is suppose to use ionized silver to kill bacteria, I'm not sure if it will work at getting rid of established funk but if it kills the bacteria that causes it I'll be happy enough, in conjunction with oxyclean i have high hopes that when it comes time to give them the dip i will have some success. I'll keep the forum updated on what i find.

[barefootIndian]

Various people on this forum have suggested that you either get liquid oxyclean or mix powder oxyclean with water and wet your five fingers and let them soak for about half an hour. after that drop some detergent into the VFFS so they fall into the toe pockets and then toss them into the washing machine for about half an hour on the lightest load option your machine has.

it worked so well for me, my treks that smelled horrible for a year now smell like they're brand new, and strangely enough the soles looked even cleaner after coming out. i would highly suggest that.

[morgan_4785]

I toss mine in our HE washer with a load of towels then put them on the shoe dryer overnight and they allways come out frickity fresh. if theyre really gnarly ill take some dawn dish soap and a toothbrush to em before the hit the washing machine.

[Hawkeye]

Efferedent soak, scrub with toothbrush and throw in wash is a win for our 6 pairs of vffs.

[agent.orange.blossom]

Since 2005 I have been wearing VFF's e very day except when I go to bed.

Some of Vibram Five Finger wearers complain about the unbearable stench  after a week or two of using the shoes. Some are claiming that the smell get even worse after soaking and cleaning it using a detergent or some other cleaning agent.

Shoes get stinky because of sweat, not wearing socks, very poor hygiene (unwashed feet before using) or soaking wet sweaty shoes that got dried up while wearing it. And once the bacteria colonies settle in ....  it get pretty hard to rid the smell.

This all can be avoided  by cleaning your footwear after every use. Anyway, it only takes a couple minutes of our time and it’s definitely worth it.  Preventative maintenance .....  it works. 

Some people suggests that you should clean your VFF's once a week ......  to me it's like wearing the same dirty sweaty socks for 7 days .....  I would never ....  would you  

Providing that you waited past the point of no return there are some solution that will work to restore your VFF's to a more civilized scent:
 
The use of Trader Joe’s Cedarwood & Sage All-Purpose Cleaner, and Earth Day Products’ Everyday Stain & Odor Remover ...

Never use heat to dry your VFF's; during summer they will dry quickly in the sun, or inside your home near a vent ..... 

The key is to keep your footwear clean and free of bacteria. 

Wearing footwear barefoot is fun but requires a little maintenance.....  It's a small investment that keeps giving back ....

[morgan_4785]

Since 2005 I have been wearing VFF's e very day except when I go to bed.

Some of Vibram Five Finger wearers complain about the unbearable stench  after a week or two of using the shoes. Some are claiming that the smell get even worse after soaking and cleaning it using a detergent or some other cleaning agent.

Shoes get stinky because of sweat, not wearing socks, very poor hygiene (unwashed feet before using) or soaking wet sweaty shoes that got dried up while wearing it. And once the bacteria colonies settle in ....  it get pretty hard to rid the smell.

This all can be avoided  by cleaning your footwear after every use. Anyway, it only takes a couple minutes of our time and it’s definitely worth it.  Preventative maintenance .....  it works. 

Some people suggests that you should clean your VFF's once a week ......  to me it's like wearing the same dirty sweaty socks for 7 days .....  I would never ....  would you  

Providing that you waited past the point of no return there are some solution that will work to restore your VFF's to a more civilized scent:
 
The use of Trader Joe’s Cedarwood & Sage All-Purpose Cleaner, and Earth Day Products’ Everyday Stain & Odor Remover ...

Never use heat to dry your VFF's; during summer they will dry quickly in the sun, or inside your home near a vent ..... 

The key is to keep your footwear clean and free of bacteria. 

Wearing footwear barefoot is fun but requires a little maintenance.....  It's a small investment that keeps giving back ....

amen to that!

[covinth]

New to the boards but I have been wearing VFF's, the same pair, for years.  I have tried most of the methods you hear about and what I have found works 100% everyime, without any big mess or odd smells (vinegar) is denture tabs.  I will put 4 or 5 inches of warm water into a rubbermaid tub, drop in 3 tabs and let them fizz down then soak the VFF's for 15-20min.  After than I rinse with warm water, drain, then put in front of the fridge for a few hours or over night.

I am pretty positive this would have already been covered in 19 pages, which I did not read, I just thought that I would chime in with what I like.

[Jimmy]

I would like to add my own additional information:

I use the soak with oxyclean and detergent method for my KSO in warm water. It is satisfying and disgusting at the same time for me to see all that water go from soapy to nasty brown.

After the soak I toss it in with my other VFF. Nothing fancy just simple washing machine on warm setting with laundry detergent  (I use the Kirkland brand) + more powder oxyclean.

Once the wash is done, I spray some Zero Odor (zerooder.com) on the surface and inside of my VFF as I set them out to air dry in my cold garage. I use zero odor for a lot of stuff. To get my VFF to smell really fresh I stuff in a fabric softener dryer sheet into the shoe!

[morgan_4785]

preventive maintanace: Oder Eaters footspray! stops sweat, hence your feet stay cleaner longer! 

[Nickortizzle1035]

I wore my frost pair of KSOs for a few months, with no socks, before they ripped. I feel bad for they guy at Vibram who opened the box when I sent them back. I very rarely wear the replacement pair without injinji socks and they don't smell one bit. On the other hand, I wore my flows for a couple weeks without socks last summer... After about 5 trips throughout the washer they still have a hint on funk.

[n.vodden]

Most of my VFF's have a slight funk, but nothing unpleasant. I make sure my feet are clean before putting them on if im going to be wearing them all day (every day more or less  ) and they start to pick up a noticable smell after about a week of wear, so then they go through the wash and come out the same as before.

I only have problems with one pair, my black KSO's. I cannot get the smell out of them entirely, but the best success has come from soaking them in a high concentration of Steradent tablets ( about 4 in each shoe ) and then through the wash. That got them a lot better and to a level where regular washes are keeping them just about ok. The yellow soles in them though are very stained through a lot of use so thinking of getting myself a new pair in grey/black camo :p

[Barefoot Yeti]

I just go in the hot tub, swimming pool, or shower with my Vibrams on. I put some odor eaters in there, baking powder, occasionally I wash them with detergent.

[kah9932]

Whew! had to get to the end of this to post - this works the best and will keep your vibrams perfect:

Cleaning your Vibram 5 Fingers

What you will need

2 stiff (hard) Tooth brushes
Baby wash
Anti Bacterial Soap (Soft Soap)
10 quarts of water
4 Efferdent tablets

In 5 quarts of water soak your 5 fingers with 2 good squirts of the baby wash (the water should be soapy (this helps to condition the rubber).  Let soak over night

Rinse your 5 fingers out on the next day.

Next using one of the tooth brushes using the Anti Bacterial soap like tooth paste squirt ont the soap  onto the toothbrush and then brush the insides and outside, make sure that you concentrate on each of the toes, seams and the bottom of your 5 fingers.

Make sure you completely rinse your 5 fingers

In 5 quarts of tepid water dissolve the 4 Efferdent tables, submerge your 5 fingers.  The water will be blue when all the enzymatic action has happened the water will turn clear (about 30 to 45 mins)
The Efferdent may leave a white film on the black sole if that is the case then using the second toothbrush scrub all of the rubber sole and the toes to remove the white film (you don’t have to be rough to get this film off just use enough pressure to remove the film)

With a bit of the anti bacterial soap and the first toothbrush go over the rubber on your 5 fingers.

Rinse completely one last time

Towel the excess water

Hang to dry

Note: you don’t have to use the Efferdent tables each time you wash your 5 fingers.  But if you wear them a lot and sweat in them, this is a good step to make sure your 5 fingers smell good.
Another hint always wash your feet before you ever wear your 5 fingers.

I work in a kitchen with mine and have for over a year and no smell (ok, baby wash smell). I just wash then when I think they are dirty and need it.