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

[desaulniers]

I don't think I could ever avoid my feet/shoes eventually getting funky. Even my flip-flops eventually start to get ripe. I've been every kind of "-ivore" at some point in my life and I've never noticed a difference because of that. I'm guessing it's genetic. My dad and I are the same and my mom and brother are the opposite of us.

[AlanT]

That, and some people just smell bad.  Like hippies.  

Unless you're of a certain age (which I'm willing to bet you're not), I doubt very much you've ever seen a hippie, much less got close enough to smell one.

Alan (who probably owns t-shirts older than you)

[Bango Skank]

That, and some people just smell bad.  Like hippies.  

Unless you're of a certain age (which I'm willing to bet you're not), I doubt very much you've ever seen a hippie, much less got close enough to smell one.

Alan (who probably owns t-shirts older than you)

   

I am one.

(PS.  Might be time for some new t-shirts, Alan )

[Zyzzyx]

To the folks with 'da funk' in the VFFs, have you tried alternating shoes?  Let them sit for a day or two before wearing again.

Always heard that was a good thing to do with regular shoes, especially if having problems with smell or athlete's foot or such. Have two or three pair and cycle through, letting them dry and air out completely between wearing.

Also, (and I'll search back through to be sure), but any comments from folks regarding Treks and 'da funk'? I'm thinking that maybe with the leather construction they'll be less likely to get a bit ripe.

[Hawkeye]

The worst smelling shoes I ever had were these leather boat shoes that I loved. They looked great without socks and were comfortable, but I could smell them from a mile away. Sad. I still miss those shoes and could probably sniff them out of the landfill.

I don't have problems with stinky feet, but man did those shoes smell.

[Jamwalker]

 This is It.....The Recipe to Get The Funk Out.
  5 gal of water can get it done - i warmed mine with the sun
  Funky ffs
  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtH3xrx7s0U" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtH3xrx7s0U</a> for ambiance - & rhythm keeper **
  a likkle soap (my piggies get the good Dr. Bronner's peppermint - others work as well)
  bicarbonate (not required)
  hands (required for this method)
 Pre-rinse to get the gunk out, soap, lather and scrub to work the funk out, hit those hard to get spots and rinse away the funk.
Rinse well. hang dry (outdoors pref.)  This method was used with a solar shower (5 gal.) during the early evening (warmish water)
after working on a very dirty (literally) construction site...day in and out for weeks on end. Any built-up funk that remained
at the end of the trip (and there was some) was quickly and quietly terminated with some Oxyclean soak and extensive rinse.
You might want to put the JB video on repeat, but it shouldn't take mush longer than twice 

**I also think this would be a heavy dub to run adverts around for the FF brand. Mashup some stage clips of the Godfather in FFs cgi style....
    sorry for the inner Dimbleby...

[Rana]

Amusing "cartoon" on stinky feet.   

[rva98014]

I'm a recent owner of Vibram KSOs that I've been using to do Barefoot Running.   I noticed they started to have that "exercised in" smell and I tried the Vinegar solution approach with mixed results.    This weekend I tried using "Bac-Out" by Biokleen, a natural enzyme-based deodorizer.    I soaked the KSOs in a small tray containing a mixture of water & Bac-Out for 30 minutes ... I don't recall the exact proportions but my guess would be about 70/30 water to Bac-Out.   Then I rinsed them with fresh water and put them in front of a fan to air-dry.   They ended up smelling much better & cleaner than they did after the vinegar washing.   

[ZeitHeld]

I'm a recent owner of Vibram KSOs that I've been using to do Barefoot Running.   I noticed they started to have that "exercised in" smell and I tried the Vinegar solution approach with mixed results.    This weekend I tried using "Bac-Out" by Biokleen, a natural enzyme-based deodorizer.    I soaked the KSOs in a small tray containing a mixture of water & Bac-Out for 30 minutes ... I don't recall the exact proportions but my guess would be about 70/30 water to Bac-Out.   Then I rinsed them with fresh water and put them in front of a fan to air-dry.   They ended up smelling much better & cleaner than they did after the vinegar washing.   

That's interesting. Did you find it in a store locally or did you order it? How long does it take for the foot smell to return?

[rva98014]

That's interesting. Did you find it in a store locally or did you order it? How long does it take for the foot smell to return?

I live in the NorthWest and they carry Bac-out at Whole Foods and PCC out here so I picked it up locally.   It did the washing of the KSOs this weekend and was really impressed with the results.  I'll have to let you know how long it takes for the smell to return.

[ZeitHeld]

I'm in Philly and I know we have a Whole Foods (somewhere). So if it is a good solution for you I may make the trek out there.

[Hawkeye]

Amusing "cartoon" on stinky feet.   

http://www.survivingtheworld.net/Lesson164.html

Fixed the link. You had some spaces in there.

[Rana]

Fixed the link. You had some spaces in there.

Thanks!     I'm still getting used to the funky markup code this forum uses (I'm more familiar with HTML).

[orlin03]

Mine used to smell funky right after a wash, but I started sprinkling foot powder in them before each use (Gold Bond, but I think any would work); just enough to knock around the inside. Now they smell fresh all the time, and I wash them 1/4 as often... added benefit was much less friction and dryer feeling feet.

[ap19]

to clean the toe pockets, i've found that using an electric toothbrush (the rotary kind with the small, interchangeable heads) works brilliant - just turn it on and let it do the work and means i can get more dirt out from the toes (especially if dirt has seeped through from the outside) to keep them feeling & smelling fresh.